Will the chickens eat the feed they have flung to the ground? The Big mess!!

[ckred213]

Ok we are working on new feeders (with the buckets and pvc) but just curious in the meantime...Will the chickens eat all the food they have flung on the ground? Part of me wants to Not fill feeder in order to force them to eat whats on the ground but they sit there pecking at empty feeder. So the "mother" in me fills it back up. It is such a waste! It now covers 1/3 of their 10x5 foot coop! Do I need to get rid of the flung food? shop vac?? I don't know..will it rot or get yucky if they don't eat it? Sorry, I am new and want to make sure they have a home that is a clean as possible.
Also I have seen mold on grass under both water and feed bowls and have now put them up on boards. Will that help that problem or do I need Bricks? concrete block?
Thanks again for any help.

 

[justplainbatty]

Ok we are working on new feeders (with the buckets and pvc) but just curious in the meantime...Will the chickens eat all the food they have flung on the ground? Part of me wants to Not fill feeder in order to force them to eat whats on the ground but they sit there pecking at empty feeder. So the "mother" in me fills it back up. It is such a waste! It now covers 1/3 of their 10x5 foot coop! Do I need to get rid of the flung food? shop vac?? I don't know..will it rot or get yucky if they don't eat it? Sorry, I am new and want to make sure they have a home that is a clean as possible.
Also I have seen mold on grass under both water and feed bowls and have now put them up on boards. Will that help that problem or do I need Bricks? concrete block?
Thanks again for any help.

Messy birds! No, they will ignore most of it, especially if it is wet or has poop in it. For now, when they first bill it out, remove the feeder. Sweep up the wasted food and throw it way out in the yard somewhere for the wild birds and mice. Hurry up with those new feeders!

I have a bird in hospital right now. She billed a ton of food under her towels this past week. I put her out for sun therapy, washed her towels and I must have dumped a half pound of food/oyster/grit/scratch out by the wild bird feeders from her!!

 

[DrTacosMD]

I use a lid under a hanging feeder to catch all the feed that my chicks fling around. It catches a lot of the feed and then I just shake it to make a big corner pile and remove the feeder to force them to finish the remaining feed on the ground.