Chicks sleeping in food dish!!

[chwoey]

We use bowls to keep their food and water in (we only have 4 chicks, so we assumed this would be okay for now) but they are constantly pooing and sleeping in the food bowl!

Any ideas how to stop it?
I tried putting in another bowl with shavings but they arnt interested.

 

[gritsar]

Put the bowl on something to raise it up. You want it at the height of your smallest chick's back. They should have to reach a bit to get a bite to eat. This works for keeping their water cleaner too. Be careful about using a bowl for water. Chicks can drown in it.

 

[chwoey]

We have rocks in the water, so im pretty hopeful that they will not drown.

About the food, the dish is around their backs, they fly up and 3 out of the floor will all sleep in it.

 

[aidenbaby]

You may just want to switch to feeders now. I'm getting bigger ones myself as my little ones are starting to make me have to refill their water twice a day. I am planning on getting the 1 gallon waterer and an 11 pound feeder or something like that.

 

[the_great_snag]

The previous poster's comments on elevating your feeders and waterers cannot be stressed enough. If you do this correctly your chicks' water should have only very little bedding or poo in it.

With my older birds I find that if I block the water and food up high enough I only have to clean it once every several days.

For instance my 3 week old cornish x rocks' waterer is up on a small pallet with an inverted skillet laid on top of it. This completely isolates the waterer from the bedding. Their trough (with spinner to prevent perching) is set up across the top of 2 4x4 blocks.

I would recommend a trough with a spinner on it for your feed. You can simply pour more feed in on top when you refill it. It does not need to be emptied unless it gets soiled with poo.

EDIT: THIS PARAGRAPH PERTAINS TO FEEDERS. MASON JAR WATERERS WORK FINE :The mason jar versions are just a royal pain to refill if they are not empty yet when you go to do it. You end up dumping them out before you can remove the jar and refill it, since the assembly must be inverted when you screw the jar back into the base.

Top loading range feeders are great for larger bunches of birds, but you must cover them or take precautions to prevent birds perching on them. I prefer a big trough personally.

 

[backpack09]

Quote:

 

[Big dreams]

Oh yes pics please!!! We love to see....