Chicks and the standard chick feeder - billing out all their food

[Nifty-Chicken]

We've got 4 new chicks and they seemed to be going through food faster than any chicks we've ever had before. They are using the standard galvanized metal feeder that attaches to a mason jar.

Well, I noticed feed all over their bedding, so I took the feeder out, filled it back up and this time put a baking pan under it. Oh my gosh... within 30 minutes almost all the food was out of the feeder and in the pan.... those little buggers!

Do all your chicks do this and I just haven't noticed until now? What a waste!

 

[Maddhatter]

I got some new chicks that are doing the same thing. I had a talk with them and they blame it on the President. JK

 

[HenMamma]

My chicks were doing this too. I raised the feeder off the ground to about shoulder level. They can't scratch through it now.

 

[jimnjay]

Chicks are terrible about billing the feed out. I hate how much is wasted and it seems that all the feeders I use are the same. I am home all day so I just put out little amounts of feed 4 or 5 times a day. Putting a platter or tray under the feeder The bad part is that they do the same when older. I find that if you can find a feed that is bigger crumble, the don't waste as much. I think they are looking for something substantial to eat. The starter feeds are often ground way to fine in my opinion. It does help to elevate the feeders also. You can sit them on pieces of 2x6 cut to the appropriate size. You will find that it helps to keep bedding out of the food and water as well.

 

[BasenjiFan]

Mine are wasteful little buggers too! If they weren't so darn cute...

I've watched to find the culprit... it's my BR chick, she's the smallest but she sure does know how to waste that feed! She scoops it out of the mason jar feeder with her beak, then pecks the tiny amount that accumulates on the side of the feeder. They all do the spastic little chick scratch, but that dislodges far less feed then the BR's beak scoop move.

 

[Gindee77]

Mine did that too and I did the same thing and put it up on a piece of patio block...they have to get up on it to eat. It's not quite as easy and they don't seem to fling it out as much. I figured they were doing it because they were bored as much as anything and the feeder was just there. I've been putting a bit of green in their brooder (mine are almost 2 wks old) like a couple long blades of grass and altho they were afraid at first (somewhere on here someone mentioned that their chicks were afraid of something and they said "you'd have thought I put a rattlesnake in with them"

) but now they all scurry around and get themselves tired. I haven't seen so much billing of the feed.

 

[Cetawin]

They do waste alot. Just put the feeder on something to raise it up to about shoulder level. You will have to keep raising it as they grow. Mine is on 12" stepping tones now.

 

[love-my-wolves]

I took a 2 step aproach. Raise it (used a large s-hook) and change the type:

Works like a charm!!!!

Steph

 

[ebonykawai]

I noticed that too when I used that particular feeder. The mason jar seems to help them push out the food more. When I used the feeder without the mason jar, just filling it up, the food stayed in a LOT longer. Elevating the feeder on a brick just about eliminated any problems.