Chickens spreading feed all over

[cbbrutcher]

My Chickes have started spreading their food all over. This didn’t start until I switched them to the layer feed. I have tried the crumble and the pellets and they do it with both. The issue is when it rains the ground gets wet and it all dissolves away. I am going through about a 40 pound bag of feed a week for 8 chickens because of it. Anyone have any ideas. The only thing I can think of is the feeder is too low. You can’t tell but the feed on the ground is pretty thick. The feeder holds about 20 pounds of food and I filled it a day or two ago. It is almost empty.

 

[DobieLover]

My Chickes have started spreading their food all over. This didn’t start until I switched them to the layer feed. I have tried the crumble and the pellets and they do it with both. The issue is when it rains the ground gets wet and it all dissolves away. I am going through about a 40 pound bag of feed a week for 8 chickens because of it. Anyone have any ideas. The only thing I can think of is the feeder is too low. You can’t tell but the feed on the ground is pretty thick. The feeder holds about 20 pounds of food and I filled it a day or two ago. It is almost empty.
View attachment 2314092

Try raising the feeder to chest height or high enough so that the smallest bird has to stretch up a little bit to reach. If they are billing it out, you would need a high side wall on the feeder.

 

[GC-Raptor]

Raise the feeder so trough is level with the smallest chickens back.
I hang my feeders, but 12"x 12" pavers work great. I use them for the waterers.

GC

 

[21hens-incharge]

Did you switch them slowly from the chick feed to the layer?
They may be digging partly looking for the more familiar chick feed.

I agree it needs raised.

I don't see a good rain protection for the feeder.....if the ground around it is getting wet so is the feed in the feeder. This leads to spoilage and mold. Time to get creative and keep that feed dry.

 

[Acre4Me]

Height will help, but I see some other issues with your feeder:

1. it appears to be in a feed pan (looks connected), and the feed pan has slightly flared sides. This helps them bill it out.

2. There is no inner lip that helps keep feed in, and minimizes bill out.

3. There are no “fins” that keep the birds from swiping side to side. Many feeders have thin fins around the feed tray.

4. Maybe the food cylinder is raised too high, allowing a thicker layer of pellets on the tray, so there is a lot they can bill out at one time.

Keep your feed dry, and raise it up. If you are open to feeding them differently, you can give them wet feed 1x per day...no waste unless you make too much, and some dry feed also available. I find that if I give wet feed around 2 or 3 pm, they fill up pretty well like they want to do before roosting. During longest days of the year, I can give wet feed to them as late as 5 pm and it is gone by roosting time.

 

[Al Gerhart]

You pay for cheap feeder with wasted feed, usually many times the cost of a decent treadle feeder. Worse, you are laying out a red carpet for rodents and wild birds that will eat the feed on the ground and in the feeder and bring in tons of disease and pests like lice, mites, fleas, and ticks.

I had one customer tell me that it killed her soul to pay $70.00 for a chicken feeder and I can sympathize. But most flock owners are already paying many times that each year due to wasted feed or stolen feed. Not a problem now but how many months back was it where you couldn't find a sack of chicken feed?

 

[RojoMarz]

You pay for cheap feeder with wasted feed, usually many times the cost of a decent treadle feeder. Worse, you are laying out a red carpet for rodents and wild birds that will eat the feed on the ground and in the feeder and bring in tons of disease and pests like lice, mites, fleas, and ticks.

I had one customer tell me that it killed her soul to pay $70.00 for a chicken feeder and I can sympathize. But most flock owners are already paying many times that each year due to wasted feed or stolen feed. Not a problem now but how many months back was it where you couldn't find a sack of chicken feed?

Yup...killed me to pay $70 for a feeder, but I LOVE it

 

[FiFi-FaFa-FooFoo]

Yup...killed me to pay $70 for a feeder, but I LOVE it

Which one did you get?

 

[RojoMarz]

Which one did you get?

The Ratproof Feeder

 

[TOR]

My Chickes have started spreading their food all over. This didn’t start until I switched them to the layer feed. I have tried the crumble and the pellets and they do it with both. The issue is when it rains the ground gets wet and it all dissolves away. I am going through about a 40 pound bag of feed a week for 8 chickens because of it. Anyone have any ideas. The only thing I can think of is the feeder is too low. You can’t tell but the feed on the ground is pretty thick. The feeder holds about 20 pounds of food and I filled it a day or two ago. It is almost empty.
View attachment 2314092

I have somewhat the same problem. I have different size birds so hanging kinda might kinda work, but not. I have some old pvc pipe around I was thinking of making some PVC feeders.