Chickens Overeating

[ChickenJV12]

Is your feeder at the back height of your chickens? If not raise it up to that height and see if that helps. They shouldn't be going through that much feed.

Ok, I'll try that tomorrow

 

[Cragg Klefor]

Ok, I'll try that tomorrow

It'll be interesting to see the result!

 

[WILIFORD]

I have shared this before, but in this case it bears repeating. I had a similar problem. I purchased a cheap trail cam on Amazon. I was able to identify more than one culprit within 2 days. Now the trail cam is my go to tool for unidentified problems with the chickens and the goats.

 

[Acre4Me]

Suspect overeating could be due to newly having the feed there 24/7, or you’ve got non-poultry visitors (like rodents), or they are messy and you can’t see all the waste due to it being scratched into the ground or mixed in with the bedding.

Some days my birds eat more than usual. A few days ago, they seemed hungry in the afternoon, so I refilled their feeder (it is filled every morning and removed every evening when they go into the coop). They went after it as if they had not been fed for the whole day, so I went and got more, and they dove into that. So, I asked the other family members that usually feed the chickens in the morning and was assured the chickens had been fed (this was also verified by another family member). So maybe they were extra hungry due to the cold weather? Maybe the 11 week old chicks were extra hungry in addition to extra hungry laying hens? But, that day they went through an unusually large amount of feed.

Good luck!

 

[Ol Grey Mare]

I have shared this before, but in this case it bears repeating. I had a similar problem. I purchased a cheap trail cam on Amazon. I was able to identify more than one culprit within 2 days. Now the trail cam is my go to tool for unidentified problems with the chickens and the goats.

Yep, some folks are very surprised to see just who/what is in "the neighborhood" and/or eating at the all-you-can-eat buffet

 

[Shamo Hybrid]

My chicks are pigs too. I think I will have to put them on a diet, not that I will starve them but I will have to portion my feed and not just leave food readily available 24/7! I feel that I'm over-feeding them that way, it's not like they will die of hunger if I cut their feed..... and I think it's probably better for them.

 

[WILIFORD]

Additionally if they are currently molting, they will consume more food. The molting process is very demanding on their body and requires more nutrients

 

[ChickenCanoe]

They don't need food at night, just during daylight hours.

 

[Cindy in PA]

.25 pounds of feed would be 5 lbs. a day, right on depending on breed & some breeds would eat 1/3 per day which would be 6.6 lbs per day. Now if you are actually weighing the feed & it is 8 lbs., it might be a bit too much, but I wonder what the temperature & other factors are? Chickens don't always eat the exact amount we think they should. There could very well be waste, but this amount of feed does not seem extremely excessive!

 

[Grits&Eggs]

I started picking up/covering the feeders at night, we found out we had rats eating us out of house and home! After putting in our cameras we saw many a squirrel munching all through the day and of course a coon and possum also came sauntering in at dusk (as soon as the ladies headed to the coop). The cameras helped us figure out our food issues and is a lifesaver to take a quick peek, even when I am out of the area.