- Sep 12, 2013
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Hello! I'm new here, though my husband & I have been reading your forums religiously since we decided to take the plunge and get chickens. We're getting a small flock in the spring and we can't wait. I finally have a question that my searching through the archives hasn't answered (probably I'm just not using the right keywords - I swear, everything else is in the archives! .
We plan to scatter feed twice a day instead of free-feeding from a feeder. (Yes, I know this means I have to get up with the dawn and be home before dusk every day. We are going to have feeders to hand for days where I won't be home on time and/or if we're ever away for a day or two. It was a decision that may get reversed after the first couple weeks of actually having to do it, but we'll see!) The scatter feeding, as I understand it, will encourage them to scratch the ground and help to get them truly free-ranging, which we'd like them to do. (Planning on only using the feed in the summer as a morning/evening ritual and increase to feed being the primary nutrition as forage becomes scarce in the winter.)
So, to the actual question. What do you do when it rains or snows? I don't want the feed to get spoiled because I toss it on soaking wet ground, or if I put it out and then there's a rainstorm. I also don't want it washing away. Am I being too neurotic about this? Is there some special way I should feed in inclement weather?
Thanks!
Wellie
We plan to scatter feed twice a day instead of free-feeding from a feeder. (Yes, I know this means I have to get up with the dawn and be home before dusk every day. We are going to have feeders to hand for days where I won't be home on time and/or if we're ever away for a day or two. It was a decision that may get reversed after the first couple weeks of actually having to do it, but we'll see!) The scatter feeding, as I understand it, will encourage them to scratch the ground and help to get them truly free-ranging, which we'd like them to do. (Planning on only using the feed in the summer as a morning/evening ritual and increase to feed being the primary nutrition as forage becomes scarce in the winter.)
So, to the actual question. What do you do when it rains or snows? I don't want the feed to get spoiled because I toss it on soaking wet ground, or if I put it out and then there's a rainstorm. I also don't want it washing away. Am I being too neurotic about this? Is there some special way I should feed in inclement weather?
Thanks!
Wellie