Food getting everywhere *update with another question*

[mjhunter84]

**I have started using a big lid underneath their food and it has been working great. My next question is how much do they need to eat? I am starting to have to refill their feeder everyday. They are now about 3.5 weeks and we have 10 chicks. I have enough food I just don't want to over feed.**






I have 10 chicks all about 2 ish weeks. Every time I fill up their food within an hour it is all over the floor in the brooder. Do I need to keep filling the food or let them eat off the floor?

 

[Den in Penn]

Try putting the feeder in a pan to catch the spillage. I will let the feeder go empty for a while so they have to eat the feed they threw in the pan.

 

[lcammack]

What type of feeder are you using? I find it easiest and best to raise the feeders up off the ground so that they cannot scratch the feed out. Usually just under the height of their backs works good.

 

[mjhunter84]

I have a round feeder with holes all around. Then it has a bottle that screws into the middle. I have it raised on a 2x4. I fill up the bottle and they just get it everywhere. I don't mind all the food if they are eating it but it just seem to go to waste. I'll try to get a picture.

 

[mjhunter84]

You can see the food all around the feeder.


Not even 2 hours ago the bottle was halfway full.


Little chicks looking so innocent.

 

[Fred's Hens]

Try putting the feeder in a pan to catch the spillage. I will let the feeder go empty for a while so they have to eat the feed they threw in the pan.

A+ answer. Put the feeder into a large round cookie tin lid, or a large box top and do not re-fill until they've cleaned up after themselves.

 

[mjhunter84]

A+ answer. Put the feeder into a large round cookie tin lid, or a large box top and do not re-fill until they've cleaned up after themselves.

Okay I will try it.

 

[milola]

I let mine eat the scattered stuff out of the shavings. I figure it entertains them to forage for the leftovers. As a matter of fact, they almost seem to prefer to have to dig for their food because clean stuff is always available but they still dig thru to find their own treasures.

 

[Den in Penn]

This is the set up I use when they reach one to two weeks. Before that the feeder sits in the pan. For those of you who looked close, Yes I used the drinker as a stand in for the feeder.

 

[lazy gardener]

I have 10 chicks all about 2 ish weeks. Every time I fill up their food within an hour it is all over the floor in the brooder. Do I need to keep filling the food or let them eat off the floor?

I hang my feeder from a chain and can easily raise it as the chicks grow.