Wasting feed!

[NotTheMomma]

I thought chickens could be messy eaters! They were NOTHING like these quail. They raked out every bit of the food, and THEN start eating! Problem is, their cage has a wire bottom, all the food ends up on the ground! What can I do to prevent this? I'm afraid I'm going out there one morning, and they'll have eaten each other because they've dumped all the food.

This is my current set up, and it is NOT working. I have the quart mason jar feeder like for baby chicks, and it's sitting in a pie pan. Doesn't matter. They rake it out of the jar feeder, and then out of the pie pan. STUPID BIRDS!

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

I bought plastic containers and drilled holes about head high in them, this way they have to stick their heads in to eat. No waste at all. and it isn't all over the floor . I also have one that is a 5gal bucket that I did the same thing with.

 

[NotTheMomma]

Awesome! I have a plastic coffee can that should work then! Getting out the drill this afternoon and seeing what I can do!

 

[chicken_angler]

Good luck. I have my quail eat out of a gravity fed hopper that I made. I dont put any bedding down in front of the feeder because the food is the bedding. I let the feeder run empty sometimes so that they will eat off of the floor and clean up their mess. Lol

Cody!!

 

[lagpmgdsls]

I just switched to hanging feeders and that seems to be working much better. Still some waste but not nearly as much as the floor feeders. I was using the chick feeders...the metal ones with several openings. ...tons of waste with those.

 

[chicken_angler]

Quote:
I remember going to TSC one day and I saw those feeders in their chick bins. The bantams were so small that they could go inside of the feeder and get their food. Lol

Cody!!

 

[LilRalphieRoosmama]

Yep - they sure do! This is what I use and it works GREAT - little to no waste at all:

https://www.backyardchickens.com/forum/viewtopic.php?id=130209

His ebay ID is jimsbirdhouse and I can also forward his email address upon request. I have to say that the feeders are well worth every penny (and they aren't that expensive.)

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

Here is a picture of one that I made. I've used 5 gal buckets also.

 

[shelleyd2008]

I have used the bases of the chick bottle feeders, and have also made some out of a cut-down butter bowl. I only have major waste issues when I have the bottle on the little feeders. The bowl had a lid with holes cut into it so they could eat but not scratch. Anything they would flop around with their beaks would go right back in.

I like the box with the holes thing though, if I had enough room in my cages, that would work well I'd think. As long as you keep the food level high enough that they can reach it.

 

[Little Ameraucana Mom]

I have bantams and you'd be surprised how low it can go and they can still reach it . Just don't get the holes to high that they have to reach. This is really smaller then it looks in the picture. it takes up less space then the round feeders I had in there from TSC.