4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Gilles]

Early days (we have only had the girls for just two days) - but they don't use/like the 'glug' or the 'grub' and often if they do use the 'grub' it becomes too much of a competitive issue. Does anybody have experience with regard to other, non Omlet, feeders and drinkers?

 

Many thanks

 

Gilles

[..lay a little egg for me]

Hi Gilles

 

Congrats on getting your girls!

 

We have a set-up from the Domestic Fowl Trust and they provided us with a tube feeder and tube drinker (which, I believe, is what all other non-eglu chicken keepers use). No problem at all with the girls getting to the food/water - because you put them in the middle of the run, the girls can spread out around the perimeter of the feeder so if one pushes another out of the way, there is always room on the other side for the loser!

 

I also like these feeders/drinkers because they ensure the food/water is always fresh as it feeds down from above. If you look on the DFT website, you will see the kind I mean (links below). You can get similar feeders and drinkers from places like Countrywide. Both feeder and drinker allow plenty of room for the chooks to get their heads in it (we have hung them from the rafters of the house we have, but they could be placed on bricks or something to bring the height up so they don't poop in it . ). We have the "5lb galvanised drinker with top" (found on this page http://www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk/feeders1.html) and the "4.5 litre galvanised poultry drinker" (found on this page http://www.domesticfowltrust.co.uk/feeders3.html). With our four girls we find we have to fill them up every day. If they had not come as part of the package, I think, in hindsight, I would get bigger ones so we could go away for a night without having someone come in to check on the girls.

 

Hope this helps

[Laura & CTB]

It will take them a few days to get used to the glug and grub as they are completely alien to them.

 

I did change from the grub to a galvanised feeder after a while though but only because of the mess - even with a tray underneath the grub they were throwing mash everywhere the galvanised feeder is much cleaner

 

I'd keep an eye on them but am sure they will settle down and get used to it - they wont starve themselves and I'm guessing that the competition is pecking order issues not related to the grub itself - you might want to put an extra food bowl out for a while until things calm down.

[Hen Watch]

Hi. They will take a few days to get used to the glug and grub.

 

My lot now will eat and drink out of anything - water in flower pots, food in old ice cream tubs etc..... I have 4 chickens and I started with 1 set of grub/glug feeders as supplied with the eglu, but after a few months I did get a 2nd set. For the grub feeder especially this has been useful as all 4 chooks can rush out first thing in the morning and have space to stuff their little faces..

[Abbey Road Girl]

Mine had no problem with the Glug (or Grub) whatsoever. But if anyone finds their chooks puzzled by the Glug, you can be a bit sloppy when topping up the water and your hens will probably figure out that the strange thingy is a source of water.

 

They are smart and resourceful (in their own ways ) so will be likely to figure out how things work.

[beach chick]

hahaha! I SO know what AbbeyRoad Girl means...!