The "waste" subject again. Picky birds??

[Bokkerpop]

I'm new to this so it may have been answered so please forgive

me. I'm wasting so much food so I put this pan underneath to catch all the food they toss around but now they don't like eating the food that they tossed out! I have six adolescent birds but they're going through like 2 quarts of food per day. Do you see anything in my set up here that could be improved?

 

[Jensownzoo]

Well, you might try raising the feeder up significantly. To roughly shoulder-height on the birds.

 

[RobertPlamondon]

As has already been mentioned, the feeders are far too low. My personal preference is for a feeder to have a much deeper feed pan. The rule of thumb used to be to have troughs or feed pans 6-8 inches deep, and never more than one-third full, to prevent waste. This allows the chickens to rummage through the feed looking without dumping it onto the floor.


Robert

 

[Bokkerpop]

Thanks!! I'll raise it up today and see what happens

 

[Bokkerpop]

Also, Is it ok to pour the stuff they toss out back in my feeding tube? Are they just throwing it around or are they picking through it for their favorite stuff?

 

[Jensownzoo]

Also, Is it ok to pour the stuff they toss out back in my feeding tube? I wouldn't in case it picked up moisture. Moldy food can be dangerous.

Are they just throwing it around or are they picking through it for their favorite stuff?probably a bit of both

 

[LitaB]

I've had this problem with tubes. My husband put a pipe reducer in the hole of the pipe backwards so the skinny part pokes into the big tube. It forces them to reach in and cant kick it out. Also I use a high sided dish pan inside their coop and add water to it and it makes a mash that they love but aren't as likely to kick out and gives them needed water.

 

[enola]

I used a u-shaped piece of pipe at the bottom of the upright pipe.

 

[LitaB]

You may want to try making the hole smaller. My hens are notorious wasters and the smaller the hole the less they can flick out with their beaks. I looked at your photo of your setup. Ours have a bit of an upward angle to the pipe instead of a 90 degree. That may help some too. I have a pipe without a reducer that I had to stop using because of how much waste. The whole tube would be on the ground within a few hours.

 

[Bokkerpop]

A u shaped pipe? Do you have a picture of that?