Do I have to refill all the feeders?

[chickity-chick]

Hi all! I have 7 chickens and 5 feeders. Two are small little like dog bowl with a cover kind and the other two are the tube 10lb feeders and the last one is a 50lb feeder. There favorite feeders are the two tiny dog bowls. It doesn’t stay full of feed for long because those are the ones they all want to eat out of. If they are full the other feeders won’t be touched and that food wasted. Is it ok to not refil there two small ones and just let them have the tube ones so that that feed doesn’t go to waste or do all of there feeders need to be full if present with them? I just feel like I’m wasting food having them not even touch the tube feeders and 50lb one.

 

[CluckerFamily]

I have 16 hens and 1 rooster. I only have two feeders, one in the coop and one in the run. I use PVC feeders I made and I only have to fill it twice a week in the warm weather, and every other day in the cold months. I would take some of your feeders out.

 

[chickity-chick]

I have 16 hens and 1 rooster. I only have two feeders, one in the coop and one in the run. I use PVC feeders I made and I only have to fill it twice a week in the warm weather, and every other day in the cold months. I would take some of your feeders out.

Yes, I only have a ton of feeders in because I was integrating new flock members and had like sub flocks form and they wouldn’t share. I know it’s over kill The ones I want to take out are the ones they won’t eat from. Can I leave the ones I ultimately want to leave in there and empty till they eat the other ones down then I’ll take those out

 

[GC-Raptor]

Can I leave the ones I ultimately want to leave in there and empty till they eat the other ones down then I’ll take those out

I would empty the feeders they don't use into an empty feed bag or a clean container.
If the feed looks good, not clumping and smells fresh I would use it to refill the dog bowls they like to use as needed.
If they won't eat that feed, from their favorite bowls, it must of gone stale and should be tossed. GC

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I have 16 hens and 1 rooster. I only have two feeders, one in the coop and one in the run. I use PVC feeders I made and I only have to fill it twice a week in the warm weather, and every other day in the cold months. I would take some of your feeders out.

Amen!

I would empty the feeders they don't use into an empty feed bag or a clean container.
If the feed looks good, not clumping and smells fresh I would use it to refill the dog bowls they like to use as needed.
If they won't eat that feed, from their favorite bowls, it must of gone stale and should be tossed. GC

Totally agree! They won’t eat it and don’t need to eat it if it has gotten too hot. You have gone feeder crazy. But I do commend you on feeding your birds. You were doing a great job of making sure they did not go hungry and I appreciate that! That is what counts in the way we roll the dice and in what matters in this world. They know they are loved and are well taken care of. It’s just the way they like to eat probably from being chicks and what they are used to and comfortable with that’s all Mama! You are a good Chicken Mama!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

Hi all! I have 7 chickens and 5 feeders. Two are small little like dog bowl with a cover kind and the other two are the tube 10lb feeders and the last one is a 50lb feeder. There favorite feeders are the two tiny dog bowls. It doesn’t stay full of feed for long because those are the ones they all want to eat out of. If they are full the other feeders won’t be touched and that food wasted. Is it ok to not refil there two small ones and just let them have the tube ones so that that feed doesn’t go to waste or do all of there feeders need to be full if present with them? I just feel like I’m wasting food having them not even touch the tube feeders and 50lb one.

You get chicken mama of the year award!!

 

[Stepnout]

I second the notion of checking the feeders they are not using! The feed might get stale or become mouldy.
The next statements have nothing to do with the OP situation but I just believe everyone might find benefit these little tidbits.

When you empty the feeders it would be a great opportunity to disinfect the insides. I always disinfect my feed and water containers once every 2-3 weeks with a bleach and water mixture. I make sure to remove any black or grey mould looking areas. I wet everything down very good and let the bleach mixture stay well wetted for a few minutes. This allows the bleach to destroy any bad organisms that may be lingering. I also give everything a great scrub with a clean rag and if required I purchased cheap scrub brushEs from the dollar store, I use a dollar store toilet brush to clean my PVC elbow fittings in my bucket feeder. I also clean And disinfect my water Containers on a regular bases.
After all is clean I thoroughly rinse all remaining bleach solution VERY VERY well with clean water. Before placing feed and or water back into the newly cleaned and disinfected feeder/waterers MAKE SURE everything DRY.
I believe as chicken keepers it is our duty to keep them in the best and cleanest conditions we can.
What brings this cleanliness of our coops to mind so vividly to mind is a YOUTUBE video I saw last night. While looking up and watching the egg laying videos some posted a video showing the most disgusting coop and nest boxes I have ever seen. Just a horrible dirty filthy coop. Sad really.
Well enough of my ranting I’ve gotten way off topic!

 

[thepick4uchicks]

I second the notion of checking the feeders they are not using! The feed might get stale or become mouldy.
The next statements have nothing to do with the OP situation but I just believe everyone might find benefit these little tidbits.

When you empty the feeders it would be a great opportunity to disinfect the insides. I always disinfect my feed and water containers once every 2-3 weeks with a bleach and water mixture. I make sure to remove any black or grey mould looking areas. I wet everything down very good and let the bleach mixture stay well wetted for a few minutes. This allows the bleach to destroy any bad organisms that may be lingering. I also give everything a great scrub with a clean rag and if required I purchased cheap scrub brushEs from the dollar store, I use a dollar store toilet brush to clean my PVC elbow fittings in my bucket feeder. I also clean And disinfect my water Containers on a regular bases.
After all is clean I thoroughly rinse all remaining bleach solution VERY VERY well with clean water. Before placing feed and or water back into the newly cleaned and disinfected feeder/waterers MAKE SURE everything DRY.
I believe as chicken keepers it is our duty to keep them in the best and cleanest conditions we can.
What brings this cleanliness of our coops to mind so vividly to mind is a YOUTUBE video I saw last night. While looking up and watching the egg laying videos some posted a video showing the most disgusting coop and nest boxes I have ever seen. Just a horrible dirty filthy coop. Sad really.
Well enough of my ranting I’ve gotten way off topic!

Amen I have seen even some pictures posted on here that I couldn’t believe people had the gall to post. The coops were filthy and the roosts were some of the nastiest things I have ever seen. I realize that coops and roosts get dirty and over time might look run down if they have been in use for twenty to thirty years. I get that but dang. Some of these roosts were awful. At least shovel the piles of old food and crap that were mixed together out. My gosh. I don’t let mine eat and stay cooped up in the same place all the time. Nope. They come out of that coop to eat unless it’s coming a hurricane or a tropical storm.

 

[rosemarythyme]

That's a lot of feeder options! I have 11 chickens and 5 feeders (1 actual 7 lb feeder, 4 bowls) but the reason for that is the 7 lb feeder is for dry feed, and the bowls are for fermented feed each morning. The chickens to clear out the bowls first, then the rest of the day they have access to the 1 dry feeder. So no food goes uneaten for any length of time.

 

[Flockincrazy]

Hi all! I have 7 chickens and 5 feeders. Two are small little like dog bowl with a cover kind and the other two are the tube 10lb feeders and the last one is a 50lb feeder. There favorite feeders are the two tiny dog bowls. It doesn’t stay full of feed for long because those are the ones they all want to eat out of. If they are full the other feeders won’t be touched and that food wasted. Is it ok to not refil there two small ones and just let them have the tube ones so that that feed doesn’t go to waste or do all of there feeders need to be full if present with them? I just feel like I’m wasting food having them not even touch the tube feeders and 50lb one.

Absolutely let them eat out of the other's before refilling the little ones if it were me i would only fill the little ones once a day