Peeps on feeders....are mine the only one's?

[Gwendolyn]

My three week old chicks are flying onto the feeders and knocking them over. I put in some roosts for them, but alas, they prefer the feeders. Is there a way to change the behavior, or am I destined to pick up scratch for the time being?




I hope the image comes out. I used my camera on my phone. Plus I am not sure if I uploaded the picture correctly.

 

[LittleMamaBigPapa]

My first batch of chickes did that but stopped once I put a roost in. Is your roost higher than the bottle? If not, make it so. They want to high.

 

[Opa]

Looking at the type of feeders that you are using leads me to predict that the problem is only going to get worse as the chicks grow. To be able to continue to use the same feeders I would recommend that you use duct tape to attach a wire loop to the feeders. You should then hang them at the approximate height of the smallest bird's back.

 

[chicky78]

same exact thing happened with mine! I put in a roost and she seems to have stopped, but we'll see... lol

 

[sunflowerenvy]

you can put more sticks for the chicks to sit on n get clothes hanger wire and bring the water n feed closer to side and hook the bottles to the side of the cage or get a longer feeder instead of the round feeder

 

[Boo-Boo's Mama]

My RSL girls started that early part of this week when they were 2 wks old. Today we put them in the Chick-n-Hutch that has a roost. I had my husband raise the roost higher than the waterer and feeder. So far, so good. Once they started flying onto the waterer/feeder they progressed to flying to the edge of the brooder, so I put a screen over the brooder. Had some very disappointed lil birds.

 

[Gwendolyn]

That is what happened with my girls. They went from the feeders to the edge of the cage. So I put a screen over it. Now when I open it to fill the feeders and give them treats, they fly high around the cage. I feel bad not letting them stretch their wing, but I would feel worse if I lost one of them!

 

[bantyshanty]

I give up on the chick feeders after a week and go for the stainless steel hanging cage cups. No wood chips or poop get in, and they never spill.

I twist tie them to the wall (looks like your walls, Gwendolyn) , the birdies perch on the edge to eat, and everyone is happy.
I also use leftover parakeet roost bars to make them happy. My tiny d'Anvers are the ones who do this. The silkies, cochins, etc. just stretch their necks in to eat.

You can get them at My Pet Chicken ($3 each) or TSC or another online pet supply for small animals. My Pet Chicken often has them back ordered.

 

[Keri78]

my chicks like to roost on the feeders too and thus kocking them over and spilling/wasting ALOT of feed! I tried switching them to glass jar feeders...thinking that they would be heavier and still they knocked them over...and that was a little dangerous! Sooo I opted to detach the bottom part from the top and just fill the bottom part with the holes. I had to fill it twice a day but at least they weren't making a mess with it!

 

[nlove_3000]

All of mine were doing this whenever it was an opportunity...so I bought the long rectangular one....all short and plenty of room for feed