food and water

[amycibo]

okay, i have my birds<3> and feed but not sure the best way to go about feeding...i was thinking of just tossing it in their run but i have seen a lot of posts talk about feeders so should i go that route? they share an area with goats and i don't know if the goats are gonna eat their food, too? also, still trying to figure out a watering system but really don't understand the instructions on how to make it. Lastly, should i feed them twice a day if i am just tossing it out? thanks!!!

 

[justbugged]

I use a feeder. I also have ADD and I have a thing about the animals having a consistent food access. I also use a automatic water system. The goats will eat the chickens feed. I would think that in order to use a feeder for your chickens that you will need a space that is goat proof. (That is so easy to say, and so impossible to make happen.)

 

[Bring]

The goats WILL eat their feed and it could make the goats sick!

 

[Beekissed]

You need to make a "creep" area....and area in which you can feed the chickens and the goats cannot get to the feed. Throwing it on the ground is entertaining for the birds but makes it hard to measure how much to feed them and what is left can be cleaned up by songbirds, rodents, etc. Continuous feeders invite rodents to dine while you are not looking. I have found the old style trough feeder wrapped in welded wire is the most efficient feeder I've tried over the years. Easy to fill, easy to see how much is left, the wire prevents scratching and flipping and the resulting feed waste.

The best waterer I've ever had, after all these years of trying this or that, has been the black rubber feed pan for horses.....if it freezes in the winter, you can just dump it out. You can add ACV to the water without worrying about corrosion. Easy to clean and easy to fill...just dump a bucketful in there. Shallow enough for young birds.