Need advice for feeding aggression...

[dunnmom]

Why don't you put out the feed before you let the chickens out? Mine are in the coop and I put out the feed and let them out. I lock them in at night because of the raccoons.

I don’t let them out. Their chicken door is always open to the run so they can come and go as they please in the morning before I get around to chicken chores. Kids get first priority, so sometimes chickens don’t get fed until 9 or 10 am.

 

[dunnmom]

I guess I just need to go to the hardware store and find something I can Macgyver a predator proof tube out of. My husband will probably take over the job, though, once I tell him about it.

 

[hillbilly91]

Do you throw the scratch on the ground or feed from a feeder?

On the ground

 

[coach723]

Here is one version of a PVC feeder that can be filled from outside.
http://avianaquamiser.com/posts/Even_better_PVC_chicken_feeder/
There are other variations, just do a search. Most of them can be made fairly inexpensively.

 

[Helloworld]

Are they getting enough to eat? I see this when hungry. We now free feed so it is always there. Your Rooster will probably settle once it realizes the other is gone for good. I know I have 7 hens with one of our Roos and we have to separate him because the hens will keep him away from food and if he doesn’t take the hint then his tail gets pulled out. He will still fight for the food so we just put all of our Roosters together away from hens.

 

[dunnmom]

Are they getting enough to eat? I see this when hungry. We now free feed so it is always there. Your Rooster will probably settle once it realizes the other is gone for good. I know I have 7 hens with one of our Roos and we have to separate him because the hens will keep him away from food and if he doesn’t take the hint then his tail gets pulled out. He will still fight for the food so we just put all of our Roosters together away from hens.

I’m certain they are getting enough food. I feed about 3 cups of pellet in the morning, and another equal size feeding in the evening. I do this to reduce waste and make sure they don’t go to bed hungry. They used to make a horrible mess with free choice pellets, and were too snooty to eat the food they dropped. Then it would rain and in the warm months it made a terrible stink!

 

[Ducksandchickens]

I have a young roo named Jaws who is working on his right to stay with the Bond girls. He was pretty aggressive until we rehomed the other roo we got out of the same hatch. He earned his moniker from clamping down on my finger one day, not intending to let go. He got disciplined pretty good for that by my husband who saw it happen. Now he mostly keeps to himself when I go into the run, and I know that’s probably how it should be.

But, when I bring their food, he tries to grab the cup or knock it from my grasp. Unfortunately, I think he may have picked up that bad habit from my hens who also get too impatient. How do I stop this behavior once and for all, so I don’t end up with dominance issues with Jaws?

I give my hens sunflower seeds to distract them. Works every time!! You should give it try!

 

[dunnmom]

I give my hens sunflower seeds to distract them. Works every time!! You should give it try!

I actually do add daily BOSS to their diet in the cold months. I just haven’t bought my big bag yet this season. I probably will try and distract them with it. However, I do like the idea of not having to go in to feed all of the time. My Orps are a tripping hazard because they squat so hard and fast at my feet sometimes.

 

[Helloworld]

I’m certain they are getting enough food. I feed about 3 cups of pellet in the morning, and another equal size feeding in the evening. I do this to reduce waste and make sure they don’t go to bed hungry. They used to make a horrible mess with free choice pellets, and were too snooty to eat the food they dropped. Then it would rain and in the warm months it made a terrible stink!

I saw on here I believe, under coop flooring, where someone had taken a larger metal feeder and put it on top of something and surrounded it with large rocks in a circle that keep the chickens from messing with food. Using the rocks to step on to get to food, they are spaced far enough away just to be able to eat because they have to use the rocks to step up to get food. I thought it was ingenious for free feeding.

Also, I feed two lbs of feed daily per 8 birds and they eat every bit of it. I am adding a cup of scratch daily in their food to give them something filling towards cooler days. That comes to a little over 8-10 cups per day.

In my opinion, when I hand feed or give them something like a great treat it only makes it worse. I add treats to food but never on ground or hand.

Looks like some behavior training gonna take place at your house! Lol Run chickens, run!

 

[dunnmom]

They get snacks, just not every day until BOSS season. I have cages that I use for greens, but everything else goes in a dish. Unless it’s grass clippings. I’ve opted out of giving scratch since I’ve been told that it’s not as nutritious as fruit, veggie, and protein snacks. Plus, my Orps tend toward being overweight, which we experienced in the first year. I was advised to put them on a kind of diet to accommodate for their laziness and 24hr. containment, and to help boost egg laying. It worked, so I just stuck with it.