Dog eating feed!

[Mstanfil]

I have a very small little flock they're about three months old now and love to be out to free range. I want to let them out as much as possible but if I leave their food unattended of it dog will head into the coop and start licking it out of the feeder. I wouldn't worry about this too much but the feed seems to really mess with her digestion and cleaning up the yard later isn't very fun. I've raised the feeder up but there's no where to hang it high enough so it's out of her reach.

So my question is do you have any feeders that you've used that have kept your dog out of the feed?

Or do you have a feeding schedule for your girls that doesn't require the feed to be out all day but they seem to get enough feed and are satisfied.

Ideally they'd have access to their feed all day and could come and go as they'd like but I think I may have to take the feed away for part of the day and then put it back and lock the coop up again.

Any suggestions would be great!

 

[Serenityintheverse]

Dogs will be dogs I am afraid. My feed stays out all day in the fenced run so my dogs can't get to it. When the girls are out free ranging they really have no interest in feed for the time they are out there. I would just put it up until and have it accessible to them when they return to the run. Sorry I can't be more help then that. Good luck and have a blessed day

 

[.:Rusalka:.]

I feed my chickens only in the morning and night. I already figured out the amount, so I know how much makes them full, they have no feeder, I just spread it outside for everyone can reach it the same time. You can do that even more easy with putting the feeder in the morning in their reach, then remove when they lose interest, and repeat before they go to sleep. If they are free ranging you can be sure they won't be hungry.

 

[MissE]

My dogs aren't allowed in the chicken area. It's not just the feed I'd be worried about them eating. They also enjoy chicken poop and chicken dinner.

 

[Isadora]

When my chickens go out to free range, they have a pop door which the dog can't fit through. Is installing a small door for your chickens an option? Or do you have one and your dog is small enough to fit through?

 

[blackdog043]

You could make a no waste feeder or buy one on Amazon, if your not a DIY person. Below is a link to the DIY no waste feeder. I personally would try to keep the dog out. I don't have a problem with mine going into the coop or run, when I free range. I use no waste feeders and keep Nigerian dwarf goats in the same run as chickens. They can't get into the no waste feeders, because of the design.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...lon-25-feed-bucket-feeder-for-about-3.834227/

 

[Mstanfil]

Oh this looks like a great idea! I will definitely look into this! Did it take your chickens long to figure out how to use it? I live my girls but don't know if they're the brightest chicks in the coop.

 

[blackdog043]

Oh this looks like a great idea! I will definitely look into this! Did it take your chickens long to figure out how to use it?

No, even my new chicks catch on quick, with a smaller version.
This is how I get them to use the feeder. Put feed in the bucket, then make a paper funnel and fill the elbow up from the outside, leaving some on the edge so they can see the feed. this gets them to start pecking inside the elbow. Once one or two of them get the idea, the others will soon follow. You may need to fill from the outside one more time, but not likely.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I made a no-waste feeder from a five-gallon bucket but I had to fill it too often for my 20+ hens. Worked great to keep my dog from stealing their feed, though! So I made a bigger one. Here it is:

It has 3" I.D. 90° street elbows, anchored about 2" above the bottom of the tub. I used Gorilla tape which is pulling loose now, not sure what might have worked better, but something, surely! This is a big Rubbermaid trash can. It's kind of too flimsy for the application but it works a dang sight better than the open container I had before! It holds easily a 50# sack of pellets, it might even hold two.

 

[centrarchid]

My dogs eating chicken feed causes smelly loose stool. Dogs can also snap at chickens getting to close while former is feeding. When both free-ranged together like with juveniles out in pasture, then I place feeder on elevated platform too small for dog to stand on. Chickens feed there and spilt feed in small enough amounts not to interest dogs even though chickens readily clean it up.