Knocking Large Amounts of Feed Out

[sunfluer]

I have eleven birds, 1 rooster, 10 hens. My chickens are knocking the feed out from the feed dispenser. A bag of feed would normally last a week and now it's two bags a week. The majority of the feed is on the floor in the coop. This started about a month ago. I know that birds normally knock food out but this seems to be extreme. We have the dispensers suspended off the floor and we feed crumble. Our birds are 3 years old and healthy. Any thougths on this.

 

[Kaitie09]

Put a tray under the feeders so that when they do knock it out, at least it is falling into a contained area. Do you feed from 50lb bags? We have 17 and they normally take 2 1/2 weeks to get through a 50lb bag. 1 and two bags a week seems like a lot.

 

[sunfluer]

Yes, we buy the large 50lb bags. I know, going through a lot. I have a coop with an attached run so I was also wondering if my chickens are bored. I don't let them cuz my neighbor complains if they meander over to his yard. We clean the coop 1x each week and so if the weather is good, my daughter will be the chicken herder while the coop gets cleaned. The grass is starting to come up and there are lots of new juicy bugs for them but the neighbor issue creates a problem.

Thanks for the tip.

 

[sonew123]

Im thinking do NOT refill feed until they peck around at what has dropped and been kicked out of feeder-if the coop floor is clean and its not dropping in wet or very poopy floors-make them eat it up. Once in a while my 26 hens will do it. So I wont refill their feeder until evening and they scratch around the floor all day looking and eating all dumped out feed

 

[DebbieF]

My birds used to waste a lot of food until I started feeding pellets instead of crumble. I still buy crumble for the young birds.

 

[tagra123]

2nd the pellets

 

[oldiabird]

Take the feeders, well at least the ones I have, I took a drillbit and drilled another hole higher up the side of the feeder(in my case , three adjusters had three holes to adjust, now have four ) make them work for the feed instead of waste it, you can always let one adjuster back down, if they seem to not be getting enough!!! I had cracked corn in a feeder free choice, and the guineas and chickens would almost empty the feeder, after this solution , once in a while, I might give the feeder a kick, just in case it is not coming down in one place or another!!!! Hope I didn't confuse anybody!!

 

[Fred's Hens]

With feed costs skyrocketing, I've adopted the feeding program schedule method. I'm simultaneously not wasting feed and staying on top of any rodent issues. No more feed just hanging out, beaked out, dumped, wasted, spilled, uneaten and attracting rodents. It is still a work in progress, but I'm liking it so far.

 

[sunfluer]

Thanks! I'm going to try some of these suggestions.

 

[alhanse77]

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I also agree with feeding pellets. They may reject them at first but will eventually eat them.