Feeder vs. spreading feed

[jmeeter88]

How many of you put out a feeder and how many of you spread the feed in the grass, allowing the chickens to eat it off the ground...?

I currently use a feeder but I am tempted to start dropping a handful or two on the ground in the morning, then in the afternoon, and evening.

 

[gritsar]

I keep their feeder in the coop full all the time. I feed treats on the ground. There's a trick that I recently learned that works well. If my chooks are begging for a treat, but I don't want to give them anymore that day I grab a couple of handfuls of their layer pellets and toss them on the ground. They gobble them up like they are the world's best treat.

 

[Anny]

I also feed their main food in a feeder, and put treats (veggies, cracked corn ect. ) on the ground. I don't want to many wild animals to notice that I'm putting food on the ground so that is one reason I'm putting the main food in the feeder.

 

[txchickie]

Feed in the feeder, treats on the ground. Treats being cracked corn, kitchen scraps, etc....

 

[Glenda L Heywood]

I don't believe I am for feeding crumbles or layer feed on the ground

I always gave my chickens feed in the feeders only

as the soil is where so many of the wild birds feces are laying and they really do eat them when eating the treats off the ground
If it was for any thing it would be at nite at the inside of he coop to get them used to coming back in at nite
any questions email me

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
What's the difference? My chickens free range so they eat lots of things off the ground anyhow, including their treats.
I don't use treats or any food to get them in the coop at night. They go into the coop at dusk like clockwork, no bribes needed.

 

[Bock_Bock]

i just figured that since you should have food for them 24/7 that having food on the ground is more prone to take in moisture which in return could cause sour crop

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
True, but I never feed more on the ground than can be cleaned up in a few minutes. That's a good reason to keep the feeder in the coop.

 

[Equus5O]

I'm using Grower feed in a feeder. So much of it ends up on the ground. But with the trench around the feeder spot, I'd say they like scratching for it. They're not that into the actual Scratch. They also like it when the water gets spilled on the spilled feed. Chickie oatmeal

 

[Blueline29]

Quote:
My parents have a feeder in the barn that all of the chickens use, but they really seem to like it when you toss some handfuls of corn out to them as well. They could all have JUST been eating out of the feeder, but reach into it and get a handful of corn to toss out, and they go nuts over it. I dunno if they think it might be something new and different, or what.