Waisting chicken feed

[sjthawk]

I just had a quick question for anybody that could help I tend to fill up the chicken feed holder one day and I come back in the next and the feeder is empty in the food is all over the floor is this a sign that they're not happy with the food or something else I'm just curious so that way I can provide what they like thank you

 

[N F C]

They're probably billing the feed out looking for their favorite bits. Can you share a picture of the feeder you're using?

I like this one myself, the feed falls down into that trough and the little dividers give the chickens enough room to get to the feed but they can swipe it out (I don't use the legs, I just set it on a flat stone).

There are other types of feeders that will help prevent that, some you can make yourself. Here's a link to some DIY feeders in the Learning Center:
feeders-waterers.26

 

[Mrs. K]

You are feeding too much. If there is feed spilled on the ground, they will eat it, if you stop adding more. I think your feeder is the problem. Originally I did this too, and all that wasted food begins to stink, plus is a huge waste of money.

It is not that they don't like the food, it is that it is easier to eat it out of the feeder, and they spill it and then because you keep adding food to the feeder, they keep doing it.

Try feeding a much smaller amount. They are in no danger of starving to death. I just use a plain bowl, and yes they do spill it, but that is ok, do not add more food until that is gone. They will clean it up, if you do not add more. Some birds are worse than others, and I will place a smaller bowl in a flat larger bowl, and then when it gets billed out, I just pour it back in.

My goal is to have just a little in the bowl at night, when I lock them up. If there is a lot, I feed less the next day, or maybe only take water. If it is bare, I feed a little more the next day. And it is amazing, the amount I feed varies quite a bit.

This is actually healthier for your hens, because they get more exercise eating and the waste feed does attack rodents into your set up, plus the waste feed will spoil and mold and stink.

Hope this helps.

Mrs K

ps - I do like the feeder in the picture above, but I do not use a feeder like this unless I am going to be gone for a couple of days. To me, that much feed available 24/7 just draws rodents. Chickens do not eat 24/7, they do not eat at night.

 

[rosemarythyme]

Most likely they're billing out feed to look for favorites (this is more of a problem if you either mix feeds or use whole grain feeds, dry). My dry feeder only has one kind of pellet - they learn quickly that there's no point in billing it out because only more of the same pellet is available in there.

 

[chickens really]

Raise it higher so they can't scratch it all out.

 

[PirateGirl]

I fully expect my feeder to be emptied and spilled every day, sometimes it happens before I even walk away. Chickens naturally like to scratch around for food, which results in them attempting to scratch food out of the feeder. There are different sorts of feeders you can buy that will help to minimize this. As others have mentioned, my choice has not been to buy a new feeder, but to simply limit the amount of food I give them daily so they are not getting more than they fully consume. If they spill it, they have to eat it off the ground, but there's no re-filling of the feeder until the next morning when they will receive their rationed amount for the day. There are a lot of good ideas for no waste feeders online. There are some home builds you can find here on BYC.

https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/category/feeders-waterers.26/

 

[aart]

Even with plain old crumble they will bill it out, some birds way more than others.
Think it has to do with their instinct to scratch and eat off the ground.

I've eliminated feed ending up on the floor with this DIY feeder:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-waste-free-funnel-bucket-feeder.67218/

 

[sjthawk]

Thanks all for replying allot of great tips and advice thanks

 

[ChickNanny13]

I converted to fermenting their Flock Raiser crumbles No more waste & alot of benefits