I have taken the feeder out of the brooder as the mess is just enormous. The chicks are billing out 3/4's of the food. The high sided tupperware container I put in there this morning allows them to jump in and out, scratch around and eat their fill then jump out again without spilling it all over the place. My question is, is sifting the enormous amount of starter feed they've spilled the past two days out of the shavings and offering it to them again wise? Although it would be no hardship to go buy another bag if I needed to, It sticks in my craw to waste anything.
I'd raise that feeder up high so they have to stretch to eat it, and make sure they can't scratch it out with feet. However, about feeding off the floor... I got home to about 4cups on the brooder floor, and since it was dry in there, I just took the feeder out and let the birds clean it up for themselves. They did a good job at picking out the food and I replaced their dish when it looked like there was less.