- Feb 26, 2011
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We just moved out of town, 30 miles out with 35 acres and luckily has a 30x50 metal barn (ok, it was built for rv storage, but my chickens and rabbits are happy). I bought 5 more chicks and four rabbits from people at the county fair, got a pretty good deal. I have been going through food faster than normal and came up with two problems. The first is kind of hard to explain. I built a feeder that is a box with openings on the bottom for the food to come out, which is stopped by slanted boards, hopefully a common enough feeder someone will understand what I mean. The problem is I fill the feeder, 100 pounds of food will fill it. Within 2 days it's empty. The chickens somehow scratch or something and get all the food out and it piles up under the pallet the feeder sits on. I have it on a pallet because we got a pretty good rain and it flooded my coop, so I raised the feeder just in case we get another heavy rain. I move the pallet so they can get to the food, but the floor is rocky/sandy/gravel and they end up wasting a lot of food. I have tried just throwing out some food every morning, but they always act hungry even though there is food on the ground. I think they are so used to eating from the feeder they don't know how to eat off the ground, but the food throwing is a recent issue. Will the round hanging feeders work better, or is there something I can build to prevent the waste?
Second problem may be harder to solve. I had about 8 finches when we moved in the first of July. The last couple days, every time I go into the barn there are 20-30 finches flying out of the coop area. I have 2x4 wire and would prefer not to have to replace it all with chicken wire, if that would even keep the finches out. They look like they might be able to get through the holes on chicken wire. I went to a pet store today and they suggested an ultrasonic bird repellent. I asked how that would affect my chickens. They decided that probably wasn't a good idea. They said I could try one of the plastic motion detecting owls. Anybody know if the owl will work. I do like watching the finches, but don't want to feed the thirty I have and no telling how many more will show up as the word of free food spreads (there's a political joke in there, but I'll save it for a different forum).
One option I've been toying with is building a feeding area with a pop door similar to a doggy door with a flap. surround it with chicken wire if it will keep the finches out. Then the chickens could get in to eat, but hopefully the finches can't get in. I do have some chicken wire, just not enough to do the whole coop and run area.
Any ideas or advice?
Thanks,
Myke
Second problem may be harder to solve. I had about 8 finches when we moved in the first of July. The last couple days, every time I go into the barn there are 20-30 finches flying out of the coop area. I have 2x4 wire and would prefer not to have to replace it all with chicken wire, if that would even keep the finches out. They look like they might be able to get through the holes on chicken wire. I went to a pet store today and they suggested an ultrasonic bird repellent. I asked how that would affect my chickens. They decided that probably wasn't a good idea. They said I could try one of the plastic motion detecting owls. Anybody know if the owl will work. I do like watching the finches, but don't want to feed the thirty I have and no telling how many more will show up as the word of free food spreads (there's a political joke in there, but I'll save it for a different forum).
One option I've been toying with is building a feeding area with a pop door similar to a doggy door with a flap. surround it with chicken wire if it will keep the finches out. Then the chickens could get in to eat, but hopefully the finches can't get in. I do have some chicken wire, just not enough to do the whole coop and run area.
Any ideas or advice?
Thanks,
Myke
