LOTS of feed being wasted

[ShockValue]

Followed directions to build a 25# No Waste Feeder. Problem solved.

 

[lisa7780]

I also just built a no waste feeder but I only have one hole opening. Should I put more holes in the bucket? I haven't used mine yet and didn't realize they would crawl halfway in...too funny!!

 

[ShockValue]

I tried mounting 3 on a 5 gallon bucket, but they didn't fit right. So I ended up just putting 1 spout on 2 different square buckets.
Seems tighter that way even though I have to fill 2 buckets now instead of 1. Extra 30 seconds a couple times per week is no biggie

 

[Chicks Galore3]

Followed directions to build a 25# No Waste Feeder. Problem solved.

Oh my....I'm going to have to build one just so I can laugh at them!!!

 

[BuffBard]

This is what I do. Ut doesn't stop it completely, but it does help.

 

[Spangled]

The famous "Bee" on BYC has yet another solution, though few are strong enough to do it:

culling

Cull the worst offenders of feed wastage and ESPECIALLY do not breed them! She has bred her flock over many years to pick desirable traits, one of which is feed thriftiness. She claims her birds eat 1/4 to 1/2 of what some birds do.

I seriously do not think it is an issue of any of us being "strong enough to do it." I just don't think it's a cullable offense. It's like Steve Martin's joke about death penalty for parking violations.

But I will certainly not breed hens that bill out feed. I don't trust their that their extravagant view of feed isn't inheritable. However, it seems to lessen if they get to free range on grass and have better things to do than stand around the feeder picking all the blue M&Ms out of the bowl.

Typo edit.

 

[yyz0yyz0]

I had the same problem as the OP with the same type of feeder. What I did at the time was to just use some masking tape around the rim of the feeder to reduce the size of the holes so there was less waste.

 

[GardenerGal]

Oh gosh, birds are such food wasters! At least, my chickens and doves are. The ducks and geese, not so much.
For my chickens, I put a big disc-shaped weight from a barbell in the middle of their feed pan so they can't get into the pan and scratch-kick the feed out. That stops the kicking of pellets, but still they scatter plenty of the pellets by raking through them with their beaks and flinging them from side to side. You'd think they'd figure out that all the pellets are the same and they aren't going to find a choice morsel by tossing the top layers!

 

[Icer]

Take a pop bottle and make a sleeve that fits below the jar to the bottom of the feeder. Then cut out 4 notches about 1/4in to 1/3in tall and wide on the bottom so the it doesn't fill up so full. My buddy did the same, but with a SOLO cup.

 

[llmadigan]

I tied a string around the neck of the jar, then looped 4 stings through the first one and spread them equidistantly (is that even a word?) around the "neck string". Then I brought them up and around to tie them together at the bottom of the jar (which is the top when it's upside down). Use the excess string to make a loop and hang it. This stopped mine from perching/pooping in the feeder, filling it with litter and knocking so much out. I went from refilling daily to refilling every 3 days. (Which eventually turned back into daily, but only because they were so much bigger not because of waste.)