Feeder

[omalicha]

Hi. Could someone pls show me pictures of how to station the feeder so its not wasted( starter feed) all over the chicken house? Did you hang yours or just elevated ? Pictures pls

 

[Poultry parent]

mine is hung. i don't have a picture of it though.
you could just experiment, hang it and then try putting it on something

 

[PoesAccomplice]

Hang it, away from their roosts. If it is under their roosts, they will poop on it. It will be even worse if it is on the ground, trust me. Many people hang the feed or water with strings, so that's a suggestion. Some of the feed and water will spill however.

 

[azygous]

Or you could ferment the feed and come very close to eliminating waste. Go on the "Feeding and Watering" forum to see the BeeKissed's thread on it.

But basically it's just mixing equal parts water and feed with a tablespoon of Bragg's apple cider vinegar (with the "mother") to jump start it, and mix it, then stir a few times a day. You will have a fermented product in about three days. Just keep adding water and dry crumbles to it as you use it to keep a supply going.

I feed baby chicks with a small container they can't climb into and "swim" in. A small cat food bowl is what I now use for my seven-week old chicks. My adult flock eats out of dog bowls. Zero waste.

 

[omalicha]

Hi azygous what sort of dry crumbs do I add pls? feeding this fermented feed, is it more economical ? That is in terms of buying feed?

 

[azygous]

Any chicken feed can be fermented. For baby chicks, I use their chick starter. If you have no chick starter available, chicks do just fine eating a all-flock feed such as Purina Flock Raiser.

It takes around three days for the feed to ferment initially, but by adding to the feed as you use it, it ferments faster. You will need to come up with a dish to feed it from since regular feeders work only for dry feed. I use dog and cat bowls. You want to add more feed as it ferments to get a good, thick consistency the chicks won't drown in should they decide to go wading in it. For that reason, for tiny, new chicks, I use very small containers they can't perch on.

Please go read Bee's thread on the Feeding and Watering Forum and all your questions will be cheerfully answered. It's an active thread that's been around for years.