Next-step feeder for 4-5 week old chicks

[BookWormDenise]

My first flock of chicks is now about 4-1/2 weeks old, and I’m having to fill up their feeder several times a day, so I’m thinking it’s time to graduate to something else. I’m currently using one of those long red plastic flip top feeders.

I already bought a Grandpas Feeder for when they’re older, but the instructions say not to use them for chicks. Would it be ok to use it with the bolt set where it’s in training mode all the time and stays propped open, or do I need an intermediate step feeder first? If so, would a bucket/elbow feeder be ok for their age? Or one of those long PVC pipe feeders?

Thanks in advance!

 

[NatJ]

I already bought a Grandpas Feeder for when they’re older, but the instructions say not to use them for chicks. Would it be ok to use it with the bolt set where it’s in training mode all the time and stays propped open, or do I need an intermediate step feeder first? If so, would a bucket/elbow feeder be ok for their age? Or one of those long PVC pipe feeders?

Did they say why you shouldn't use them with chicks?

If it's just a matter of the chicks being heavy enough to open the feeder, then yes you could set it to remain open, and it would be fine.

Have you tried asking the Grandpa's Feeder company about whether it could be used this way?

If you do need some kind of intermediate feeder, I have a personal preference for the hanging kind that looks like a tube, with a trough all around the bottom for the feed to fall into. Because you can hang it, the chicks have more trouble climbing in and scratching the food out. Many other kinds of feeders work too.

For growing chicks, I would probably not use any of the feeder styles that require them to reach their head in, because the correct size will change so quickly as they grow. Something that requires them to reach "too far" this week may be right soon, and the openings may be "too small" a few weeks after that.

My first flock of chicks is now about 4-1/2 weeks old, and I’m having to fill up their feeder several times a day, so I’m thinking it’s time to graduate to something else. I’m currently using one of those long red plastic flip top feeders.

Either you have a lot of chicks, or they are wasting a lot of feed. How many chicks are there?

 

[BookWormDenise]

Hi! Thanks so much for the advice! I have not tried to contact Grandpas directly, but that's a great idea -- I will try it.

I have 16 chicks using the main feeder. Sometimes they just kick their bedding material all over and bury the feeder. If it's too deep, the chicks won't try to excavate to find the food beneath.

 

[NatJ]

I have 16 chicks using the main feeder. Sometimes they just kick their bedding material all over and bury the feeder. If it's too deep, the chicks won't try to excavate to find the food beneath.

Can you put the feeder up on something? That might help with them kicking bedding in.

I've sometimes stacked bricks up to make a platform, and the chicks had to hop up on the platform to eat from the feeder. It made a big difference to how much bedding they scratched into the feeder. (If you don't have a pile of bricks sitting around, then you would want to use something else. Bricks were what I had.)

Hi! Thanks so much for the advice! I have not tried to contact Grandpas directly, but that's a great idea -- I will try it.

Hopefully you will be able to just use it now, because that definitely sounds like the easiest option.

 

[BookWormDenise]

Can you put the feeder up on something? That might help with them kicking bedding in.

I've sometimes stacked bricks up to make a platform, and the chicks had to hop up on the platform to eat from the feeder. It made a big difference to how much bedding they scratched into the feeder. (If you don't have a pile of bricks sitting around, then you would want to use something else. Bricks were what I had.)


Hopefully you will be able to just use it now, because that definitely sounds like the easiest option.

I will look for something to make a platform! Thank you!!