Messy Eaters Solutions?

[kachong]

Hello! I have made some PVC feeders that are great for storing large quantities but my chickens seem to love pulling it all out of the feeder and spreading it on the ground, is there a good way to reduce the waste of feed as they just trample over all the spillings? Thanks in advance!

 

[MommyGirl]

When my were young they did that exact same thing but as they got older they stopped. I had to raise my feeders higher off the ground to chest level. It helps some

 

[jezfarm]

yeah that's a pain alright. mine used to do the same thing when they were younger. raising the feeders up a bit helped cut down on the mess significantly. you could also try putting a lip or guard around the feeder to make it harder for them to rake the feed out.

 

[CountryChic63]

We used something similar & yes, we fed the floor & a lot of money was wasted because they didn't eat it.
Answer: wet their food. They go WILD over it but no more waste.
I make a big bowl of their crumbles (now layer pellets), give them enough that they'll have enough in the morning. (Or switch to feeding a big feeding in the morning).
I dish out the "mash" onto 2 cookie sheets so there's no bullying.
Again, they LOVE IT, but they stop eating when they get full. Then they prepare to sleep.
Next morning I give them fresh water & some scratch in their outdoor coop & I always see a dab left which they eventually clean up.
This has stopped the mess % and I'm thrilled they enjoy their food more.
I realize its not a self-feeding set up like you had but maybe if you try it for a while it will break their habit.

 

[kachong]

They are only 8 weeks old so hopefully if I raise it that will help till they get older! I also mix in some mash so maybe I will bump up the quantity there! Appreciate it all, thank you!

 

[Al Gerhart]

You have a uniform feed so they aren't searching for treats. Adding at least a 1/2" lip around the edges might help. Take a pipe cap, cut out the center leaving a lip all around, bob's your uncle.

 

[Eggs_Over_EZ]

We made PVC gravity feeders for our one 10 week old flock using a 90 and 45 street elbows and it seems to keep down in the waste. We used 4” so we had to find 4.5” caps so nothing gets in overnight. So far is working well. We will need to raise them up higher for the birds as they have gotten larger. They were about 6 weeks when we put the feeders up. Picking up more supplies today to make more for our second coop. That flock is about 7 weeks now. The difficulty was finding the street elbows and the caps for the bottom. Already order more of them and should be here next Friday.