Chicks wasting feed?

[Why and Dotte]

I have a wooden box about 10 inches long by 6 in wide and an in tall and I fill that up to the top, and another cardboard feeder just a little bigger, I've given up on store bought feeders. They'll scratch in these boxes still getting food everywhere, but I won't refill them until they eat what they've thrown everywhere. There is a lot less wasted because of poo and they still get to scratch around in the shavings afterwards. It was hard keeping those dishes near my water though, I've set everything up to where my water is in a section with no bedding it makes a HUGE difference.

 

[chickenfried]

Thanks everyone for the suggestions I have only filled the quart feeders a 1/3 of the way full and put them to one end of the box on regular newspaper. the other half of the box I put shredded paper there and then scattered a little feed over it. They go crazy scratching around in the shredded paper getting to the feed and what little they have knocked out of the feeders they have been eating it to, so I will continue this for a while. One of you mentioned the long feeder having a shape edge, I was out to my brothers and found an old feeder like that and I checked the edges and they were shape so they have probably made a change to the new ones, but I will check tomorrow when I am at the feed store to see if that is the case.
Thanks everyone will keep watching for any other suggestions.

 

[HerbiLady]

I finally put my long metal-with-holes feeder up on a 2x4 yesterday and just lifting it up that much has almost completely eliminated the shavings getting in. There are still a few but nothing like it was when it was directly in the shavings. I sort of put it up there a bit cock-eyed so the shorter ones can hop up to eat. My chicks are 11 days old now and most of them can get to it fine without needing to hop up there. I've got a separate tray feeder too.

I checked the edges on my metal feeder...no problems with sharpness and no injuries whatsoever to my birds. I bought mine at TSC.

 

[MrsKuhn]

I have week old chicks doing this like crazy. After doing some reading, It seems to fix the problem is two things possibly.

1. Put something such as chicken wire or plastic in the feeder so they can dig but not get their little feet inside and kick out food
2. They are doing it in search of the smaller pieces, so blend up the food into smaller bits.

Hope you found something that helps. I just blended mine so we will see how it works. if we are still having a lot of waste i will be trying the chicken wire trick. fingers crossed.