- Nov 18, 2010
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So, I've had chickens for only 4 months...I got 6 chicks (5-8 weeks old) in November. In the coop we have a home-made feeder with a "hopper" in the back to self-dispense food. Usually I have to fill the hopper 1x/week. Lately, though, I've been noticing the chickens jumping on the edge of the feeder and just spilling the food out. It ends up getting dumped in the pine shavings and disappearing. The feeder is now only lasting 2-3 days rather than a week between re-fills. So, does anyone know why they would be spilling their food? They shouldn't really be bored...they "free-range" pretty much everyday for at least 4-6 hours, if not longer (although, until the snow melts, "free-range" means they get scratch thrown on the shoveled driveway). Any ideas?