How can I not waste chicken feed????

[Bare bottom farm]

Hi all, I feed chicken crumbles in pans. I have watched for some time now how they turn them over or scratch it out of the pans. I always just thought they would eat all as the day gose on. I have 21 hens and they go through a 50lb bag of ever two weeks. I don't want to change from crumbles to pellets. If anyone has any good ideals please send them my way.. Thank you so much.

 

[oldchickenlady]

Raise your feeders up to about the level of their backs, either by hanging or setting on concrete blocks. They can still get some out with their beak, but not as bad as scratching in it, knocking the pans over, etc. There are some feeders that have a special edge that is rolled that helps prevent them from it out, but I don't know where you get them or how much they cost.

 

[wsdareme]

I'd love to hear some suggestions, too -- mine throw their feed everywhere!!

 

[jeremy]

Switch to pellets, I promise you your feed bill will decrease...

 

[blackbelt]

as mentioned raising your feeders will help. You can also put wire around the actual feed tray, that will help. You can also let them outside in a yard, give then cracked corn, meal worms, trimmings. You do not want chickens scratching in their food.

 

[The Chicken People]

I saved alot of money by going to pellets.

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

I bought a 10 lb. hanging feeder from TSC that has fins in the tray that does not allow them to bill it out and it is hung just low enough that they can eat from the tray so no scratching it out either.

I have 22 pullets...the week before we bought the feeder they dumped out 50#'s of feed in one week! The 50# bag my DH bought with the feeder lasted over a month. I love it. My DH bought the PVC pipe and fittings to build a feeder but we are holding off since this one is working so well.

Good luck.

 

[zazouse]

You just need to get more chickens

then there won't be nothing left.

I feed in rubber tubs and there isn't nothing left

 

[Cindy in PA]

If you have 21 heavy breed chickens, that doesn't sound like a lot of feed. 1/3 per chicken per day is 7 lbs. a day or 49 lbs. in a week. They may be wasting, but chickens eat a lot unless they are getting a lot of other things.

 

[Lotsapaints]

make some PVC feeders wow I'm amazed at how well they work and they take up less space and store plenty of feed just type pvc feeder in the search box