silly questions i'm sure

[watsonlane]

I have 9 ladies, 3 boxes (only one is used) these ladies are eating me out of feed every week. I think they are like a kid with a cupcake, they will eat as many as you put in front of them - is this the case? They are pooping everywhere!!!!!

is there anyway to control where they poop? I know crazy right? Sorry. Thanks!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Hi there. No, they won't eat as much as you put in front of them. I keep food bins full all the time. Chickens poop. Everywhere. I just try to keep up with it. Drives me crazy too but they seem to be worth it.

 

[carrlr]

I have 12 girls and 4 boxes. Yeah, they seem to like the same one here too. How much are they eating every week? Mine go through less than a 50 lb bag a month. I don't keep food available all the time. But they are fed in the mornng and afternoon. The get scraps like watermelon and cantelope (what's left on the rind) and other vegetables. This Winter I plan to grow grass seed in containers in doors and feed to them as a treat. Do you provide any type of grit? I've read on here before that chickens will go through more food if they are lacking the right amount to help their digestion. Just a thought. Poop, just happens wherever it happens. LOL!!!

 

[watsonlane]

These ladies are going through 50 pounds a week!!!! They get fruits and veggies and bread, that's about it extra. What type of grit are you talking about? We tried the feeding twice a day but they seemed to be starving cause they ran to the door and attacked the food.....is that normal?

 

[justtoni44]

so many variables, what breed , do they free range at all, is something else getting at the food?
We put everything up at night because of mice ect.................and the squirrles during the day are real freeloaders.......seems like a lot of food to me.
And fencing is the only solution I know for poop every where...they eat and poop.

Also, I do not know if they are wormy, that it could cause them to go through so much food.
Perhaps someone with more experience will address this.
Good Luck

 

[punky rooster]

my birds keep digging and digging in there food bucket and then they poop on the food.

but I have to love them.

and they seem to have one 1 favorite place to lay and that's it.

 

[watsonlane]

Just regular bread, no mold. They don't free range, my mother has a bull dog that would love to have them!!!!!! We bought them at a local auction so i'm not sure of their health, first we got 5 then the other 4 this past thursday. Just seems like a whole bunch of food for 9 birds. They are producing 4-5 eggs a day, we were hoping for 9 a day but i'm not sure that reality will happen......

 

[gritsar]

Quote:
First off, welcome to BYC and there is no such thing as a silly question; only silly mistakes because questions went unasked.

They may not have been getting the best of care before you brought them home, so they are loading up on feed. If you really want to free range, it can be done with some creativity. For instance, at my house our former barn cat became a house cat almost three years ago because she can't be trusted around chickens. Our two dogs have been trained not to bother the chickens, but just the dogs rapid movement can freak the birds, so the adult chickens are blocked out of the yard and the chicks are only out when the dogs are in the house. Each evening we take the dogs out for a good long romp before the chicks are let out for a few hours. It's a hassle and more work, but I do it because I feel that it's very important that the chicks get out for awhile.
As far as the egg production goes, alot depends on the breed. Not every breed of chicken lays an egg every day. Something else that affects the egg production is being moved. Your girls probably need more time to settle in before getting on a regular egg laying schedule.

 

[dsqard]

50 lbs of food a week for 9 hens really seems like a lot. Do they seem really fat? If not I might suspect worms though I am no expert. Just thinking about how it works in horses. HHHMMMM

 

[watsonlane]

They all seem to look healthy, except for some feathers around the back side. I don't think free range is in the near future until I can get more information about that and some help so for the time being i've got to figure out what to do currently. Do they get bored? do they need something to play with or do?