How to stop chicks from pooping in food and water?!

[HollyE]

My 6 chicks are 2.5 weeks old and I love them so!

But the little stinkers are making a constant mess of their food and water. They have a large set up in our garage with lots of room and run and fly around. Their food and water are in just regular chick feeders like everyone else has but they are roosting on the tops of them both and pooping in them. How do you stop that? I feel like I waste a ton of food because of it and I am constantly changing their water. It also gets filled with their pine shavings too. Would hanging it help? What about the roosting though? Any help would be great!

 

[RedneckRebel]

If they are roosting on top of it, you could get a small piece of wood and put it level with the feeder/water and observe them and see if they use it instead

 

[Katehodges2]

Same here. I check their water many times a day and pull pine shavings out of the feeder if its really covered up.
The water is now sitting up higher on a block. That works a bit better.

There is less pooping in the dishes since I added a few sticks for them to roost on instead of the containers.

It does feel a bit like a never-ending battle, though.

 

[RedneckRebel]

I have had the same problem, sometimes it results with too many pine shavings and the chicks decide to move them

 

[Elke Beck]

I use a hanging feeder, so they can't jump on top. I haven't found a hanging water fount that will fit in my brooder, but I keep looking. I hang the feeder so that I can raise it higher as the chicks get larger. If I leave it too low, the little boogers poop in it.

 

[sweets3068]

I got my first little flock today as a surprise. I had been researching the breeds available at my local farm and home store and was planning on going out with grandkids this weekend to pick out our birds. But I got a wonderful gift today, I wasn't quiet ready for.I had no feeder or waterer or brooder ready. In a rush I found a hamster bottle and washed it up and hung it on the side of a tote. My friend did bring food and a feeder. I also made a homemade waterer from 2 plastic bottles. I saw a video on you tube. The birds really like the hamster bottle and they can not poop in that. Just an idea for you.

 

[CedarAcres]

As someone else suggested already, place a block of wood in there for them to sit on. I have good luck with that. And as they get bigger, I place the water on top of some wood to raise it up so they don't fill it up with shavings. If you can hang it in your brooder, that's a good option too.

 

[Annalyst]

Oh I am so glad I read this I've had my chics only 5 days and I noticed how they push the shavings in the water feeder several times a day. I was going to try placing the water dish on a plate first and get it off the shavings but if that doesn't work then lifting it up on a piece of wood makes sense.

 

[Jeanna Marie]

I had a problem with shavings in the water and finally realized that I had putin too many shavings. When I cleaned the brooder out I replaced newspaper and two inches of shavings with paper towels and just a scattering of shavings.

As for pooping in the feeder...that is still a problem. The large oblong feeders have a space on top where they like to perch and eat resulting in poop in the other side!
I tried putting less food in to save on waste but then they couldn't reach the food. So...I went back to the original feeder....a clear plastic planter bottom. This way I can put in just enough food for a few hours.

 

[Breella]

I put an overturned cool-whip container under the water to elevate it.