feeding woes

[Bram]

so they won't eat the layer feed....no matter what it ends up on the ground...I've tried pellets and crumbles....different brands...different types of feeders.....nothing works. I'm just spending money and throwing it on the ground! Can I just feed them scratch without jeopardizing them in any way? They free range in the BIG backyard and hunt n' peck all day...but I'll be ...they sure won't hunt n' peck what they've thrown out of the feeder!

 

[chicks n roses]

Spoiled...lol my 8weekold olive eggers are hooked on meal worms.love em.but now only get excitd and really eat when it's a treat.oh we'll I'll wean em off slowly.good luck waiting to listen in on nutrition advice as my layers leave their crumble too for their scratch grains.

 

[Choco Maran]

I was mixng some scratch in their layer and the floor of my coop is now 85% layer instead of shavings. I placed their feeder on a milk crate and have removed the scratch and that seems to have help a bit. You might what to try hanging the feeder so they can not get in there and scratch with their feet. I know what you mean I hate having a floor full of feed and they don't want to eat it. But they will scratch in the dirt and eat bugs.

 

[Den in Penn]

If hanging it higher doesn't slow the waste enough, try a different feeder. Most bought feeders tend to be too shallow on the sides. That allows the chickens easily toss feed out over the lower sides.

 

[GC-Raptor]

You can buy a galvanized hanging feeder that has 3 settings for feed height in the trough.
Get rid of the scratch, it's not fortified. Toss feed on the ground instead, they'll gobble it up, mine do. GC

 

[azygous]

Years ago, I discovered, quite by accident, my hens much preferred all flock feed over layer. Who knew chickens had taste preferences?

Purina makes an all flock feed called "Flock Raiser". I've been feeding it for years with oyster shell on the side, and egg production is great. One of the advantages is you don't have to worry about juggling two different kinds of feed when you are raising chicks.

To really cut down on waste, though, and to maximize the nutritional benefits of the feed, thereby getting more value for you money, I advise fermenting the feed. It's so easy to do, and the flock will love the taste even more while being healthier for it.

Details on how to ferment feed are on Bee's thread here on this forum.

 

[lazy gardener]

What she said. Fermenting the feed provides tremendous nutritional advantage, as well as being much easier on the wallet. No waste what so ever. Rodents can't transport it back to their nests. The birds are better able to digest it due to break down of the antinutrients in the grains, and they have a healthier gut b/c of all the probiotics. You will see your feed bill go down by about 30%, and you will notice that their poo is much firmer and doesn't have that chicken poop stench (except for the ceacal poops, which don't change much!)

 

[jacksun]

I make my feeders out of plastic cat litter buckets leave the lids on and use 3" thin wall 90* elbows. Has cut down on the waste tremendously. I also ferment some feed that is ground at the local feed mill "powder" and give them a little of that each day.