STARVING chicks

[stephanieshim]

My chicks were really messy eaters and spilled their entire food container in the brooder box 1 1/2 weeks ago, so I didn’t re-fill it in order to make them eat the food off of the ground. Now that the majority of the food is gone from the floor of the brooder box, I re-filled the container and they won’t eat from it!!!
They’ve grown accustomed to eating from the ground and won’t eat from the container??!!!
What do I do?? Are they going to starve? How can I re-teach them to eat from the container??

 

[Honeybee22]

They'll eat from it again and they'll probably dump it again They're animals that forage, so they know what to do.
But if you're worried, then I would just do both the food container and some food on the floor.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

Keep poop from out weighing the feed spill. Don't punish them. If the brooder is maintained, then no worries. If dirty.. meds cost more than feed.

 

[chickens really]

I don't bother with using the Chick feeders...I use a shallow dog bowl and set it up on Bricks..Yes, they scratch it out..

 

[azygous]

A good solution to spilled feed is to ferment it. Wet feed is nearly impossible to waste. Just put some dry feed in a juice pitcher about a third full and cover with water. Add a dab of ACV and stir. Using filtered water, you will have a ferment in about 36 hours. Add feed or more water as you go to maintain the consistency of thick oatmeal.

FF has many more nutrients than dry feed as well as natural probiotics.

 

[stephanieshim]

A good solution to spilled feed is to ferment it. Wet feed is nearly impossible to waste. Just put some dry feed in a juice pitcher about a third full and cover with water. Add a dab of ACV and stir. Using filtered water, you will have a ferment in about 36 hours. Add feed or more water as you go to maintain the consistency of thick oatmeal.

FF has many more nutrients than dry feed as well as natural probiotics.

What a great idea!! Will do so thanks!