Kicking food up EVERYWHERE

[yakmama]

My babies are a week old tomorrow and they have recently started kicking their food up EVERYWHERE! Less than 5 minutes after I clean their brooder, they are kicking and scratching at the food until it covers the floor of the brooder. Anything I can do to stop this? THey have one of those little quart feeders with the little holes in it.

 

[HerbiLady]

LOL...sounds like they're healthy and happy to me

I have an open tray of food that mine do scratch in a bit and then one of those long feeders with the holes that I set up on a 2x4. They can't scratch in it and setting it up like that keeps most of the kicked-up shavings out of it. Maybe you can find a board big enough for them to hop up on and get at the feed and they won't be as tempted to scratch in it? How are they scratching it out of the little holes ~ mine try that but they can't get their feet in there?

When it was down on the litter, it would get filled up with shavings. Maybe you can put their feed on a section of paper toweling and just let them have at it to satisfy the scratch urge? Or offer an open tray of food in addition to the feeder? I use a black plastic tray that meat came in from the grocery store and they adore it.

 

[bigstack]

I just stopped filling it up so full. It didn't stop but it helped alot! If its the round open type Raise it up to their back height! If its higher up they are less likely to kick it out. I raised mine up as high as I could and still allow the shortest chick to feed.

Good Luck and God Bless!

 

[kqsnider]

Mine weren't kicking the food out, they were flinging it out with their beaks until it was empty. I thought they were eating all this food, so I kept filling it up. I went to change out the box and realized about 80% of the food was in the bottom of the box! Now I don't give them a full container at a time. If I do, I hear them pecking at it until it's gone. I've tried everything to get them to stop. Not gonna happen. They've been spending warm days out in the run, and they're not doing that out there. They must be bored in the box.