Chicks wasting TONS of feed. What to do?

[willowtreecreek]

I have 23 chicks that are 5 1/2 weeks old. I have 2 hanging feeder in their coop area that hold a few pounds of food but they are putting most of the food on the floor. They can easily reach the feeders and between the feeders there is pleanty of room for them all to get around. I have been refilling the feeders twice a day but I feel like most of the food is getting on the floor and I hate to waste all of this. this is my first time with chicks as the rest of my flock was purchased when they were already 4 months old. Am I doing something wrong?

They have access to a yard area and have been eating grasses and bugs etc. as well. I hate to go through so much food but I also hate to withhold it if they truely need it.

 

[wingman2008]

i cut a box to make it 2 to 3 inches height..... put sand in it.... and then set feeder in it
dirt bath... catches feed..... and they havent "thrown" any feed out yet..

if you make the box a lil small (not oversize it) they will not mess it up to bad

made this will help

 

[NonnasBabies]

Isn't that weird. I found out that buying a hanging feeder veruses the 2 feeders that I had on the floor has made a big difference in the waste that the little buggers were producing. Did you hang it high enough?

I still find that they jump on top of the feeder though. Oh well. Hope you can figure something out.

Missi

 

[Ridgerunner]

You might try something like this. They cannot swing their heads and scoop out the feed. I used the plastic over the rope to keep them from trying to roost on it. Some people use milk jugs or something like that abovethe bucket. I got the bucket free from my local grocery that has a deli in it.

 

[zazouse]

I use a kitty litter pan to feed mine, works out great and alot less mess

 

[Marbleheader.]

When my chicks were in the brooder and spilled their food, I just took away the feeder until I was convinced that they had eaten everything they spilled. Then I put the feeder back.

They didn't learn how to not make a mess of their food, but I really cut down on the waste that way.

 

[Bear Foot Farm]

Stop refilling the feeders until after they eat what's on the ground

 

[willowtreecreek]

I didnt think they would eat it off the ground. This is okay to do?

 

[LynneP]

...and setting a rubber livestock bowl underneath helps too. Sure they'll foul some of it, but not the way they scratch it into bedding...then offer it in the run for a third try...

 

[DawnSuiter]

Quote:
Of course it is... that is how they would eat in the wild. I too would stop feeding until they got ALL the food off the floor.

Now even though I have feeders, I still spread about half a cup on the floor. Want to hone those natural instincts. I had one bunch that wouldn't eat out of anything BUT a feeder... I'll always now train to eat from the feeder and the ground.