Wasted feed

[Iluveggers]

I bought a black rubber dog bowl & put my feeder in it. There is almost no crumble on the ground anymore. At night when I pick up feed to bring it in until morning, I just dump the feed that got scratched into the bowl back into the feeder.

 

[Wolfie2]

Thanks for all the replies!
The birds ARE raking it out. I have watched them eat and each peck into the pan looks like a miniature explosion
I have an "old fashioned" gravity feeder hung from the roof and the bottom of the feeder is maybe 10" above ground level. I have to lower it for younger and/or smaller birds. Not sure it helps But I have it this way as a rat deterrent1
I have, over the years, experimented with barrel gap over the years, Not for this problem but for keeping fee gravity flowing into the pan. Now it is as high as I can get it and yes, The pan is full. I will experiment and see if this helps.
I fed crumbles when I first got back into chickens several years ago and the birds I had then preferred the pellets. I guess, out of habit, I have continued to feed that. I will take that into consideration. And maybe It will help with the barrel gap too, The crumbles should feed easier than pellets.
Every since my original post, I have been feeding briefly in the morning and evening and any time there is food on the ground the feeder does not get put back until they have picked it up. One reason I think I do not have a rat problem is that usually, most of what's left on the ground in the evening is still there in the morning.
They are not going hungry as they are in a pasture several hours per day.

 

[aart]

bottom of the feeder is maybe 10" above ground level. I have to lower it for younger and/or smaller birds. Not sure it helps But I have it this way as a rat deterrent1
I have,

Add a couple bricks next to feeder for the shorter birds.
10" is nothing for a rat to jump.

Best of cLuck......feed spillage is one of the biggest PITA's of chickeneering.

This is what I ended up with...
https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/aarts-waste-free-funnel-bucket-feeder.67218/
even that is prone to piling up and billing out by one or more birds.

 

[Kanekoded]

I feed whole grain organic and I had issues with a couple of hens scratching through the feed to get to the tidbits they wanted to eat, leaving quite a bit of feed all over the ground. Anyway, I solved the problem by putting the feeder in a closed cardboard box with 3 1/2 inch holes cut in the sides just big enough for them to get their heads in. I used the box for many months until I bought a lidded bucket and one of these kits. They are fairly inexpensive and work like a charm:

https://www.amazon.com/Chicken-Poultry-Gravity-Automatic-Buckets/dp/B09Q94HLJH/ref=sr_1_7?crid=181QCE47WVQ78&keywords=poultry+feeder+kit&qid=1672250449&refinements=p_36:-1500&rnid=2661611011&sprefix=poultry+feeder+kit,aps,121&sr=8-7

 

[3KillerBs]

I have an "old fashioned" gravity feeder hung from the roof and the bottom of the feeder is maybe 10" above ground level. I have to lower it for younger and/or smaller birds.

I hang my feeder up at the level of the largest hens and then I put a concrete block or a log or some such thing next to it for the shorter birds to stand on.

 

[jreardon1918]

We have a been pretty successful with our homemade PVC feeder. This picture shows some pellets on the ground. But is was taken just after filling. After it is filled they generally start by eating what we spill on the ground. The girls have to curl their head into the pan to eat. I just read above about a lip on the bowl end. I could see where that would improve this design. This design also works great for crumble.

The feeder is a 3'x4" PVC tube. With a 4"cover and a 6" base. There is a notch cut at the bottom which allows the feed out. The base is deep enough to prevent waste on the ground. Feed lasts about 7 days for 8 pullets/hens.