feed waste...

[pozarnsk]

I have two week old chics and they have started digging so much that they end up covering there food up with pine chips very quickly. Is there a trick to not having so much feed waste?

 

[pixiechick]

What do you have their food in? As my chicks got older, I had toraise their feeder up by stacking little dishes undeneath. That helped me a bunch.

 

[pozarnsk]

Its a little trough like feeder. I'll try raising it up a bit.

 

[painter chick]

I had the same issue with the trough feeder and my 3 week olds now have 2 2X4's under the feeders and I have the waterers up on a 4" high perch I built, It certainly makes the clean up easier.

I also took the feed that was full of shavings and sifted it thru a colander got out the bigger pieces of various stuff and mix it in with the new when I refill. I've already got the big feeder out ready to go because they are always perching on top of the trough and trying to scratch, there growing so fast I don't want the feeder to fall over on anybody.

 

[WestKnollAmy]

Yeah, get used to that! They are pigs!
Mine are now 7 weeks old and still making a huge mess. I have their feeder up on a crate where they have to get up on that to eat so they have a grand time raking the feed out of it and into the dirt or shavings below. Fortunately, when I move the crate they act like the feed underneath is suddenly yummy. I bet though, that they have wasted at least a full bag since hatching.