My chicks keep kicking their food out of their food bowl

[1girl2chicks]

So my chicks are small enough to where they like to stand in their bowl to eat their food but they think it is so cute to kick their food out and all over their cage. Like literally they have kicked out over half of their bowl within an hour. Does anybody else have this problem? What should I do? Ugh

 

[chickenlver2013]

I had the same problem with my chicks. I got So tired of it that I went to tractor supply and bought a feeder for baby chicks. Now there is barely a mess to clean up and I don't have to go give them more feed every hour. The feeders work great. They last me for two weeks and more sometimes they're like 7 dollars

 

[jellodirt]

I've found the higher I raise my feeders the less of a mess they make.

 

[shellyjimrye]

The act of "kicking out" their food is the natural instinct that all chickens have from when they had to scratch and dig while they foraged for food. The best way to help with the waste and clean up is to get a chick feeder as suggested above. There are multiple different styles and all are good to keep the food mostly (even with chick feeders they can make a heck of a mess at times) contained where it should be. Good luck with your little mess makers!

 

[JA2626]

I understand the foraging aspect, but are they eating the food off the ground that they kick? I did try to raise it, however they still stand there and kick at the air and peck. It seems they just stand there and peck it all out. After about two weeks of this I began a little hard love action, letting them eat from the ground. Are they though? I can't really tell.

 

[Bryjag1965]

I did same thing out of frustration , it doesn’t seem like they eat too much off the ground but it’s only been a week . When I bring feed out , they sure act starving even though there is about 2 pounds of it around the dish

 

[Alton]

So my chicks are small enough to where they like to stand in their bowl to eat their food but they think it is so cute to kick their food out and all over their cage. Like literally they have kicked out over half of their bowl within an hour. Does anybody else have this problem? What should I do? Ugh

Yes my chicken do same thing first I rise it up enough just so they can reach it. It worked for a while. Then rooster started claiming in it. Now I used a feed

 

[yakitori]

ive been using an icecube tray this time around with pretty good success. you can also try an upside down smaller bowl inside a slightly large dish so they can’t forage around in their food.

I also wet my feed since I feed my chicken the 20% nutrena pellets I feed the adults. so I need the water to break them up a bit, and that also makes i harder to kick around, lol

 

[SandyRiverChick]

I always mix water in crumble for baby chicks, additionally I sprinkle some dry feed and grit around for them to peck at. Waterer's I put up on wood blocks so that they dont scratch food into water.

 

[PennelopeSpeaks]

I would get a specific chick feeder, it's easier to keep clean because they can't really get in it, and it's hard for them to scratch stuff out of, also they can't poop in it! They are pretty cheap!