I've seen it in the Movies but is this how you do it?

[taraann81]

Silly question. I am getting chickens soon and was wondering if you just feed them in a feeder? Why I ask is because in old movies you would always see women in their old fashion dresses out scattering chicken feed around. So I wondered if this how people actually do it.

 

[Davaroo]

Quote:
Well, no.

Granny out tossing spoiled or inedible grain* to the chickens was a reality of rural life, of course. But so was pretty poor management of the flock, as a rule.
Chickens left to themselves with just a tossing of grain now and then go fairly wild. This means they lay sporadically and don't get the sort of nutrition they should. Being treated as an after thought this way was common - and was why this country's poultry business was pretty shabby until the early 20th Century.

In a word, they are managed poorly this way.

*Chickens did not get the 'good stuff'...they got what was left over

You'll find that people who go to the trouble to have chickens today do a better job of it. In the main, they are far more careful with their rearing. So yes, get a feeder and feed a good quality ration.

 

[BirdBrain]

That was usually scratch grains they were throwing. Those yard birds fended for themselves most of the time. Yes, feed your birds from a feeder.

 

[gritsar]

Hehehehehe If I'm feeling too lazy to go hunt up the coffee can that is suppose to be kept with the scratch grains, I've been known to scoop a coupla handfuls into my shirt tails and toss it to the chickens. However they also have a feeder in their coop that's kept full of their layer feed.

 

[Guinea Goonie]

YOU GUYS !!

My birds LOVE to get the poultry grain thrown on the barn floor. Sure it is dry and fairly clean, but I have birds that will NOT eat from the feeder and prefer the thrown grain.

They literally wait for me to throw, they eat and then off to the grreat outdoors for a day of frolic free range.

I even throw in the late afternoon on a rare occasion and there sure is not an absence of birds to eat it up.

On a rare occasion I run out of poultry grain and when I arrive with it i have 50 chickens following me to the barn. They all wait and when I throw they are RIGHT THERE.

Granny was not all that crazy.

 

[Mahonri]

Quote:
Sounds like you have your chickens well trained.

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
I think mine have me trained. They now wait every morning at the kitchen window for me to pick the japanese beetles off the screen and toss them to them. Thank goodness the back door is right next to the window. It helps to make a quick getaway if there are no beetles to sacrifice to the chicken gods.

 

[rigagirl]

even though i have a feeder in coop i still throw food in the run everyday, the do eat it, i started doing it just so they don't get board.

 

[ozark hen]

no,no, put on your long dress and go toss!

Seriously, we have feeders and still toss...............now to find a long dress with an apron......................................

 

[sonew123]

I throw scratch grain everyday too-besides a full feeeder. There are times where my brats won't wait for me-like this am...I have 1 roo 3 hens ( many chicks) I heard this god awefull screaming-thought something was down in the coop-so bathrobe on hustled down to see the commotion-those monkeys-got into the huge plastic food bid, where they know there are treats and opened it up-got into the grain bag-ripped it to shreds-and had a feast! I didn't have my rake with me for Roo protection so I couldn't go in to pickup the mess yet--monsters and impatient! but I laughed and talked to them and said you are grounded!!! no desserts today!