I had this feeder in my brooder box: http://www.amazon.com/Little-Giant-...2RTQ/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1331978960&sr=8-6
It is held together by a threaded bar that runs the length of the feeder (starts with the loop at the top) which is secured by a teeny little nut that screws up about an inch on the very bottom. Once it got raised up off the shavings enough, the chicks somehow figured out how to dissassemble the thing, thereby dumping all the feed out onto the floor to play in. Lovely.
The first night I thought it had just worked loose. I put it back together, and just tightened the nut up maybe 1/4 of the way (being lazy, and it is hard to get your fingers up there). Dumped before morning. The second day, I tightened it up all the way. Dumped before morning. The third day, I tightened it up all the way, and tried to watch to see what the heck they were doing!?! Nothing...but feeder was again dumped before morning. The fourth day...well, I kind of gave up, and figured they'd dump it, but we were moving them into a new brooder box the next day, and thought that maybe the extra space would help. Dumped before morning. They moved into a spacious new brooder box yesterday. I hung the feeder carefully, with the nut tightened all the way up. The were so busy exploring the new digs, I thought for sure they'd leave the feeder alone. Nope. Dumped this morning.
Note: each time, I have to retrieve the nut from the shavings with my husbands super-powered magnet on a bendy-wand tool. Awesome tool. Haven't told him I am using it to sift nuts out of chicken litter. He would be less than impressed.
I went to the feed store and bought a huge galvanized beast with no screws or nuts on it anywhere. We needed a bigger feeder, anyway. Problem solved. Unless they figure out how to unscrew eye bolts, anyway. But seriously, how in the world were they doing that!?
It is held together by a threaded bar that runs the length of the feeder (starts with the loop at the top) which is secured by a teeny little nut that screws up about an inch on the very bottom. Once it got raised up off the shavings enough, the chicks somehow figured out how to dissassemble the thing, thereby dumping all the feed out onto the floor to play in. Lovely.
The first night I thought it had just worked loose. I put it back together, and just tightened the nut up maybe 1/4 of the way (being lazy, and it is hard to get your fingers up there). Dumped before morning. The second day, I tightened it up all the way. Dumped before morning. The third day, I tightened it up all the way, and tried to watch to see what the heck they were doing!?! Nothing...but feeder was again dumped before morning. The fourth day...well, I kind of gave up, and figured they'd dump it, but we were moving them into a new brooder box the next day, and thought that maybe the extra space would help. Dumped before morning. They moved into a spacious new brooder box yesterday. I hung the feeder carefully, with the nut tightened all the way up. The were so busy exploring the new digs, I thought for sure they'd leave the feeder alone. Nope. Dumped this morning.
Note: each time, I have to retrieve the nut from the shavings with my husbands super-powered magnet on a bendy-wand tool. Awesome tool. Haven't told him I am using it to sift nuts out of chicken litter. He would be less than impressed.
I went to the feed store and bought a huge galvanized beast with no screws or nuts on it anywhere. We needed a bigger feeder, anyway. Problem solved. Unless they figure out how to unscrew eye bolts, anyway. But seriously, how in the world were they doing that!?
