dumping food

[chicken cooper]

My chicks have had a hanging feeder for 9mos. and no problem .Now all of a sudden they have started dumping all the food out. There are food pellets all over the coop even upon the roost area looks like a food fight. the food container is the plastic kind and is held up by a chain from the roof. I am letting them find their food for themselves.
tough love. what would you suggest?

 

[WoodlandWoman]

Have you changed what you're feeding them?

 

[chicken cooper]

No Iam feeding the same food but last time it was in a pink bag.Maybe the changed their formula. What do you think?

 

[Arcnadius]

Ask Impy about pink food bags. He'll know...

 

[BellevueOmlet]

Mine started doing the same thing. Half of the food was ending up on the ground and then they did not want to eat it.

I switched to an auto feeder that is on the ground and has a 3" pipe feeding into it. There is a trough at the bottom that they eat out of without any or the "food everywhere" problems

I'm not sure why they knocked all of the food out of the hanging feeder or even if it was intentional.

 

[ralleia]

Plastic sounds a bit lightweight. It's possible that they've finally reached the point where they can jump onto the edge of the feeder and dump it. I wouldn't let it continue--it's not as clean dumped all over the floor, and more gets wasted that way.

Could you have enough chickens to perhaps justify getting a bigger, heavier feeder? My hanging one holds at least 40 lbs--I also mount it high enough that it's not easy for them to try to hop up to it.