Feeding 7 weeks chicks... problem to solve?

[nao57]

Have 3 7 week old chicks. (All 3 are black sex linked. 1 is a rooster. I was going to put some meat on him before I cull him. Our town doesn't allow roosters.)

I can't be near the pen long also because I'm trying to do other things during the day.

Anyway, when I feed them the first thing they do is tip over the feed. They'll also tip over the water if they can also.

And they spill everything and make a huge mess. Then they mix their feces around, no matter how I arrange it. Its almost like they want to mix their feed with their a$$ juice?

How do you know if they are eating? And are they eating enough?

They haven't died. And they've been getting bigger. But it also looks like they are wasting a ton of feed by just scratching it around spilling it everywhere. They kept trying to escape before this, so that also contributed to my questions. First time with chicks. I have kept them separate from the ducklings, because the ducklings are much bigger than they are. (Wouldn't they need to be the same size to co-exist in same pen?)

It makes it hard to tell how much to feed them, and if they are just wasting it, or if I'm feeding them enough at all?

Thanks for any advise.

 

[Wyorp Rock]

Can you post some photos of where you are keeping them, of the chicks and of their feed/water stations?

I raise feed and water stations for chicks on blocks of wood.
They do spill feed or water sometimes, but hopefully we can give you some tips.
Having enough room in their brooder/housing also helps as well.