Food getting kicked out

[RedMama2]

I have 1 week old baby chicks, Sapphire assorted. And I have 3 that like to sit in the feed and scratch/kick it all out. They've run through a whole bag of feed (only 5lbs) because it's all in the bedding now. I have the typical feeder, circular with 8 holes. I've tried raising it, but they just hop on it and continue. How can I stop this? I can't keep buying new bags every week so they can kick it all over the bedding.

 

[BlindLemonChicken]

I found a feeder that helped with this. They knocked the top off often but at least the holes weren't big enough for them to get in and waste my money lol

 

[nuthatched]

Raise it up and cover the bottom half of the holes with duck tape.

 

[RedMama2]

Raise it up and cover the bottom half of the holes with duck tape.

I've thought about covering the holes some, but it would be my luck the chicks would try to eat the tape.

 

[NatJ]

They've run through a whole bag of feed (only 5lbs) because it's all in the bedding... I can't keep buying new bags every week so they can kick it all over the bedding.

I suggest you buy a bigger bag of food, 40 or 50 pounds depending on what your store sells. The big bags are usually much cheaper per pound than the little ones.

(This is in addition to the other suggestions about feeder styles.)

How many chicks do you have? As adults, you can expect each chicken to eat about 1/4 pound of food per day, which is almost 2 pounds per week per chicken. They don't eat that much right at first, but they grow very fast, and their appetites grow very fast too.

 

[BigBlueHen53]

I just figure they can eat it off the floor of the brooder as well as out of the feeder and don't worry too much about it. After all, that's what chickens do: scratch and peck.

 

[RedMama2]

I suggest you buy a bigger bag of food, 40 or 50 pounds depending on what your store sells. The big bags are usually much cheaper per pound than the little ones.

(This is in addition to the other suggestions about feeder styles.)

How many chicks do you have? As adults, you can expect each chicken to eat about 1/4 pound of food per day, which is almost 2 pounds per week per chicken. They don't eat that much right at first, but they grow very fast, and their appetites grow very fast too.

I have 8 chicks. Might have a couple Roos (which I'm not keeping), need to watch them as they grow.

 

[RedMama2]

I just figure they can eat it off the floor of the brooder as well as out of the feeder and don't worry too much about it. After all, that's what chickens do: scratch and peck.

Well they have the scratching down. The amount of bedding that flys on occasion is pretty hilarious to watch. 7 more weeks inside unless the weather gets nice suddenly, which it might living in AZ.

 

[Percheron chick]

Place the feeder in a pie plate to catch the feed they toss out. I ferment the chick feed for that very reason. They like to stand in their food. Can't fix that.

 

[NatJ]

I have 8 chicks. Might have a couple Roos (which I'm not keeping), need to watch them as they grow.

That many chicks will go through more than 50 pounds by the time they reach egg-laying age. And you don't have to worry about extra chick starter at that time, because it's fine for layers to eat chick starter too (just provide a separate dish of oyster shell for calcium, when they get close to laying age.)