Never enough food in the hopper

[M Laycock]

I've got 6 chickens. They are in a run but there is no way of covering it because of a tree that grows in the middle. I have read that chickens need about 4-6 oz of pellets a day.
It doesn't matter how much food I put in the hopper, or how often I fill it, every time I go to visit my chickens, the food has gone.
The trouble is there are so many other takers, jackdaws and pheasants being the main culprits.
What I want to know is, can I fill the hopper first thing and just hope the chickens get there first or must I always try and keep the hopper topped up? At the rate I am going, I have to buy a sack of pellets every 10-14 days.
Thanks for any advice.

 

[Cindy in PA]

Can you use deer netting and bring it up to the tree on each side, so that it is covered? You can tie it together with zip ties and just go around the tree.

 

[M Laycock]

Hmm. I thought of that but the area is quite large, 24 x 36 feet and the trees (I should have said not tree) are spaced out and quite low as they are young. V difficult to net around them and then even harder to negociate one's way underneath.

You don't think just putting food out once a day is an option?

 

[Fred's Hens]

Yes, you can feed them on a ration. It isn't always "ideal" but wasting outrageously expensive feed is no good.

I basically portion feed twice a day. I'd feed them 3 ounces, per bird in the morning, then come back in the later afternoon and give them 2 ounce per bird. At least, give this try for a week or two and see if things are more normal for you. A little trial and error to see if 5 ounces per bird is adequate.

 

[M Laycock]

Thanks. I'll try that.