Where feeder should be - pros and cons

[Devorah]

Yes you can use it to supplement their "usual" feed - I feed fermented in the morning but leave dry feed out all day.

As far as amount, "it depends." I'd start small and see how much they eat, and adjust from there. As a point of reference I put out maybe about 4 cups of FF in the morning, for 10 hens, and it's gone in a few hours.

No reason you can't try FF on chicks, though since I start my chicks on dry feed (as I want feed available all waking hours for them) they're not eager to try the "new" wet or fermented feed and I usually have to offer it repeatedly before they'll try it. As I have hens I don't worry about it going to waste (the hens will happily eat it) - otherwise I'd make it in very tiny batches at first, until I knew the chicks would eat it, just to avoid waste.

Thank you! I really appreciate this info. It gives me a point of reference.

 

[Rise722]

With the feeders, it needs to be somewhere where the weather won't get to it. If it's out in the open and it rains, you have wasted feed. I use 5 gallon buckets with these things attached.




View attachment 3056039


I keep them in the covered part of my run.

Where do you purchase these?

 

[SilverBirds]

Where do you purchase these?

I got them on Amazon. They might sell them at TSC or some other place but I'm not sure. Had them for 4 years and they've held up really well.

 

[RubelliteRose]

Where do you purchase these?

If you can't find the attachments, this thread is a good tutorial on how to make them with pvc elbows.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...cket-feeder-for-about-3.834227/#post-12233274

 

[knitchick]

We made our own feeder using a large clear tote with locking lid and these feeder spouts with seals...

 

[Wendy Bee]

I just use these feeders. Three for 24 chickens. I bought ours at Tractor Supply. I like that I can clean them periodically and it takes little time to fill them. I bought a couple (one and a spare) of flexible handle bins at Dollar Tree that hold several pounds of feed. They squish, funneling the feed into the tops of the feeders easily.

I originally thought I'd like a hopper-type automatic feeding system, but I've found that I like to spend a bit of time with the chickens in the evening, observing to see how everyone is doing and talking to them while I tend to their food and water needs as they snack on some scratch. I also like that I can place feeders in three different locations, ensuring that those lower on the pecking order always have access to a feeder.

After raking the deep litter into piles in the evening, I also will take an old large serving spoon and scoop some crumble out of the tops of the feeders and put in small piles onto bare places in the run. It gives them something to do in the morning before I get to the run to let them out, or if they're stuck inside because of snow. I make ten or twelve small piles of feed for them to scratch and peck at. I don't find any feed is wasted - they seem to find it all!

Screw hooks in a beam/rafter with chain and an S hook is all that's needed to install. I adjust the height so that it's both comfortable for them to eat and so that they can't kick wood shavings into the feed. I'll probably install alternate hooks in the rafters to move things around every now and then as a boredom buster.

The run door stays open about 10-12 inches during the day. I have not seen critters other than the chickens access the run. We have five cats and a dog, so I think there's enough activity around that critters other than chickens getting their food isn't an issue.

When the door is closed, every opening is covered with hardware cloth, protecting chickens from predators and feed from rodents.

 

[LizzzyJo]

I would shy away (in my weather) from a big tote of food with any sort of opening. We sometimes have sideways rain and snow that would get it wet and mold it on the inside ruining possibly 50+lbs of food in one go. I hang the food so that they can't scratch it out. They're fed in the run, but I bring the food in the coop with them at night if I get the sense that the mice have been chowing down. I have a sealed henhouse (no mice), but they can get into the run.