WHOA! How much do 3.5 week old chicks eat?

[lilstar]

Last night before bed I completely filled their feeder. First filling the base, then filling the 1qt feeder thing. It was FULL!!! This morning, the feeder tower thing is empty and the base, most of the way empty. there are 6 chicks, 3.5 weeks old. Is it normal for them to eat that much just over night? Were they picking it out and throwing it out around the brooder or what? I could swear they don't normally go through it that fast. I fully expected it to be at least 24 hours before it got THAT low?!

 

[terrilhb]

They throw it everywhere and eat alot. They do go through alot of food when little. Welcome to the madness of chicks.

 

[Buugette]

Don't you know that they are not "chickens"... they are "pigs"...

 

[terrilhb]

 

[debid]

Mine never ate that much and there are 10 of them. Of course, they were supplementing themselves with insects all night...

Is your brooder mouse-proof? Mice can get through a hole the size of a dime.

 

[speckledhen]

WHOA! How much do 3.5 week old chicks eat?

Not as much as they waste.​

 

[debid]

Oh, and I've read the suggestion to put their feeder in a pie pan so the billed out food stays by the feeder for a second shot at being eaten. That might make all of the difference for you.

 

[Breezy_Living]

I'm experiencing the growth spurt too!

A bag of starter food lasted me through the first 3 weeks, and within this last week I've gone through 30% of a second bag!

 

[Marcymom3]

My chicks are a few days older than yours and they scratched their feed onto the floor and subsequently throughout their box. I put the feeder on a round tupperware container about three inches high. That seems to have stopped the problem HOWEVER they are eating machines right now! Maybe they are in a growth spurt.

I also raised the waterer and have had lots less pine shavings in it.

 

[ninabeast]

I kept raising my feeder when they were little, and it seemed to help. If you keep the feeder (and waterer) at about back height, it's harder for them to throw around.