man they grow fast. How do you keep the dogs from eating their scratch? lol

[mattblackburn]

 

[EdenCamp]

More a problem of keeping the cats from eating thier pellets or the birds eating the dogs food here.

Do you toss out in a big spread? Not enough for my dogs to bother with.

 

[mattblackburn]

usually the feed is in the pen but when i let them out and the door open the dog will sometimes eat from their feeder this day i spread some on the ground when i let them out to scratch for it. The dogs and chickens were eating side by side...they follow me when i treat the chickens like they are one of them though. Yes crows eat the dog food one pellet at a time. I guess its better they eat the bird seed than the bird lol

 

[EdenCamp]

What are you feeding the dogs? Maybe they are not getting what they need from thier own feed?
I feed mine the same place and same time of day - used to free feed but the birds and cats put an end to that.
Dogs won't gorge themselves, they'll eat what they need and leave it.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

What are you feeding the dogs? Maybe they are not getting what they need from thier own feed? I feed mine the same place and same time of day - used to free feed but the birds and cats put an end to that. Dogs won't gorge themselves, they'll eat what they need and leave it.

Dogs that are used to being free feed wont gorge themselves but dogs not used to that sometimes will. My rescue pug will eat and eat and eat until he throws up and then he his vomit and then throw up again. It is disgusting. He will eat ANYTHING.

You can train your dog not to eat the scratch and feed. Work with your dog on a "leave it" command so that he stops eating when you tell him to. You can work on this every night at dinner time. Then when you let him out if he starts eating the chicken food make him leave it and immediately then take him inside. Repeat and repeat. If you are very consistent he will learn that if he wants to be outside where the fun is then he has to leave the chicken food alone.

 

[EdenCamp]

Leave it works good for alot of things - chickens, cats, food, snakes what ever.
Don't know that I would do leave it training on thier food in thier bowl - want to encourage them to dine there.
But certainly "treats" outside of that.
I trained mine to "leave-it" so I could check what they were on and "OK" to disengage the leave it and they could eat it then.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

Leave it is great for so many things. It is a good training tool for anything really.

I personally train my dogs so they will not eat anything until they are told they can, even the food in their bowl. It is good impulse control training. I have a command and a hand gesture for start and stop. All of the food belongs to me. If I step near their bowls or reach for them I don't even have to say anything, they immediately stop eating and wait.

 

[mattblackburn]

sorry i was just being funny. I dont mind them eating the bird seed they dont get much they just think its treat time and treats for birds means treats for them. Its fun to watch. I throw garden stuff and they will go pick it up and carry it a bit then drop it for the birds...they just want to be part of the fun. My dog food bowl is kept full at all times and sometimes they go days without making a dent in it...they dont know starvation so they dont gorge around food (that being said left over spagetti or table scraps i have to counsel the big dog to share with the little dog or she will eat till its all gone and not share) but actual meat is a special treat to them compared to dry dogfood so they get it fast. Its just funny to see them all out there together as if the birds were accepted friends...lol

 

[EdenCamp]

That's OK, I'll go you one better on the strange buddies...

The cage I use as a brooder has no young chicks right now but it's out on the front porch and I put in fresh shavings and left the a side door open - weather snap for the cold came in and more on the way so I thought the farm cats might like a nice place to snuggle out of the wind in. The half grown kittens in particular had seemed to think it a fine sleeping place anyway. Today I go back out and like many days there's a half dozen all piled up on each other - but- new since that morning added in were two hens eggs! Apparently 2 of the pullets joined in on the snuggle fest and layed eggs.