Good feeding practices

[snbmikey]

I'm new here and fairly new to raising chickens. my question is whether or not it is ok to spread layer food out on the ground or if it's better to have it in a feeder for them to get what they want when they want it. One little hitch that we have is that we have a goat that stays in the same pen with the chickens and if I put a bunch of feed in a feeder she tends to get it all. We've got three mature hens (2 years plus) that are laying but not a lot, two eggs in a day is about the best I get, and nine chicks that are about three months old and hopefully will be laying by the end of summer or early fall. Short story long, I spread out two pounds of feed on the ground every day and I typically tie the goat outside of the pen for a couple of hours so they don't have any competition from her. Is there anything I can be doing better or differently to make sure the chickens are healthy and producing to their potential? Appreciate any information.

 

[Judy]

I believe when people feed at certain times of day instead of continuously, they feed them twice a day. You could put the feed in a dish or bowl rather than on the ground, either way. If feed gets moldy and they eat it anyway, which they will, they can get very sick. I assume that anything they didn't eat could get moldy.

 

[chfite]

I would use a feeder that a goat cannot raid.

Chris