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

[Steph101]

It's always been a problem, but I would now estimate that my girls flick around HALF of their pellets out of the grub feeders, even when I only half fill them. It's an expensive game, as I use the Allen and Page Ex Batts Feed, then mix in bokashi bran, limestone flour, diatom, poultry spice, garlic powder, and occasionally Flubenvet...! It ends up getting heaped up in big piles in the run, compacted on top the rubber chippings I've out down, which I ordered from Alison Wilson on Hook Farm who told me all I had to do was get the hose and and wash everything down .... ha! Yeah, right!

 

Anyone else having similar problems? I love my girls to bits, but this is driving me mad!

[stoice]

My girls were doing this - turns out they were trying to eat just the bokashi and not the pellets. I switched to mash with bokashi bran in it and have a lot less wastage at the moment. I do have a 'flinger' in my flock though so how long this lasts I don't know for certain. I now have a grub with pellets only and a grub with mash and extras.

[Guest]

Hi

 

I am new to chickens but mine have a feeder suspended at head height which did seem to help initially. But I only feed them layers with extra grit in. I have noticed that if the treats are less they do seem not to waste as much. I just sweep it up in the dirt to fill in the holes they excavate or leave it on the floor for the following day.

 

It seems to disappear eventually.

 

indie

[katieadams]

You could try just putting the basic food in there, and treats elsewhere, so there's nothing to root round for? Maybe a treats bowl in the afternoon once they've eaten their basic feed, with all the extras in there so they're still getting all the fancy stuff?

[The Dogmother]

I nveer use grubs for that reason, also because they're useless if you have more than two chickens and the food always falls out. I've got a gravity feeder and use a glug too.

[Steph101]

What's a gravity feeder, Claret? Any chance you could show me what one looks like?

[Redwing]

This is a gravity feeder

 

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/NEW-1-5KG-HANGING-CHICK-FEEDER-CHICKENS-BANTAM-POULTRY_W0QQitemZ170333623821QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Poultry?hash=item27a8acd60d&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1686%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318%7C301%3A0%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50

 

I use a deep dished one for my table birds who were always flicking food out

 

I made one of these for my Pekins who are world champion flingers:

 

http://www.pekinheaven.com/main/modules.php?name=Forums&file=viewtopic&t=485

 

You could use a larger 4l milk bottle for hens

[C&T]

Had a similar problem, but turned out that they were just trying to get to the Bokashi. They love it - and will move everything out of the way to get at it.

 

They now just get Bokashi is porridge.

 

The other thing I changed was putting their food into the Glug rather than the Grub. I think someone else on here recomended it... Not sure who though??

 

They will now have an occasional flick - but it's as though they are just making sure that they are still able to, rather than really wanting to...!

[The Dogmother]

The other thing I changed was putting their food into the Glug rather than the Grub. I think someone else on here recomended it... Not sure who though??

 

Was probably me I sold my grubs and now just use a glug and the hanging feeder.

 

Thanka Tasha. I find that the feed stays clean in the gravity feder as they can't get into it to scratch around or poo in it.

 

Tasha - contrary to what people say, pekins are world champion scratchers!

[Redwing]

Tasha - contrary to what people say, pekins are world champion scratchers!

 

I have never seen so much mess in my life what with that and their Aubiose flinging activities..... Those two chicks make more work and mess than the rest of my lot put together!

 

They are adorable though

[C&T]

The other thing I changed was putting their food into the Glug rather than the Grub. I think someone else on here recomended it... Not sure who though??

 

Was probably me I sold my grubs and now just use a glug and the hanging feeder.

 

 

In which case - thank you very much!!

[The Dogmother]

Tasha - contrary to what people say, pekins are world champion scratchers!

 

I have never seen so much mess in my life what with that and their Aubiose flinging activities..... Those two chicks make more work and mess than the rest of my lot put together!

 

They are adorable though

 

I don't know how many times I've been told that they don't scratch because of their leg/foot feathers load of twaddle! My Lavinia loves to scratch on anything that makes a lot of noise.. tarpaulin, paper sacking, corrugated plastic

[teee]

Hi steph101, am interestered in the rubber chippings, are they good would you recommend them as i am having to move my girls every few days cos i cant bear to see them all messy and where did you buy them from Lots of questions i no but think this would suit my girls more... and there mum

( Not sure if its the rubber chippings you dont like or the food on them ,is hard to clean of let me no please)

 

Tina

Matilda

Hilda

and Tino the boxer

It's always been a problem, but I would now estimate that my girls flick around HALF of their pellets out of the grub feeders, even when I only half fill them. It's an expensive game, as I use the Allen and Page Ex Batts Feed, then mix in bokashi bran, limestone flour, diatom, poultry spice, garlic powder, and occasionally Flubenvet...! It ends up getting heaped up in big piles in the run, compacted on top the rubber chippings I've out down, which I ordered from Alison Wilson on Hook Farm who told me all I had to do was get the hose and and wash everything down .... ha! Yeah, right!

 

Anyone else having similar problems? I love my girls to bits, but this is driving me mad!

[Steph101]

Hi Teee

 

I got the rubber chippings from here (see link below).

 

http://www.chickenkeeper.co.uk/shop/80-rubber-chippings.html

 

The lady that delivers them is called Alison Wilson. I read about them in Practical Poultry, and there was a section on mud management. I've heard they also sell them at B & Q though.

More expoensive than wood chippings, they are indestructable.

As you can see from the website, Alison recommends that you simply 'hose them off' to keep them clean, and she told me on the phone that the muck simply 'drains down', but I can assure you that I've stood there raking, hosing, and jet washing even, and must have used gallons and gallons of water, but once that food is dried on, and if there's a lot of it, it's really difficult to shift. I'm thinking that I'll have to just rake them out and throw them away eventually, as if they were wood chippings, as it's obvious there's only so much you can do. I may end up just putting the chickens on slabs after all. I did consider this, but I thought it would be nice for the chickens to have somewthing more natural to scratch and rummage around in. I hope others have had more success - I've just ended up with a soggy swamp. Maybe it helps to have fewer chickens.

[The Dogmother]

I have a dozen girls and keep them in a covered run on Aubiose. I never have any problems with it.

[Steph101]

I'm sure mine would be fine on Aubiose too, as all would have to do is rake it out.

[yelsel20]

Oh, yep! Same problems. My girls fed on mash rather than pellets and I find they waste more than the consume. On advise I purchased a large hopper with rain protector to see if this made any difference - NOPE! I've tried reducing the amount provided each day, then using only the hopper, moving Grubs around to see if colour had anything to do with it all to no avail. Wastage driving me potty.

 

There must be someone who has a solution to this problem.

 

Mabel, Edna, Olive

Grace, Flavia

Erin

Bantams: Belle, Clucky, Rosie, Ruby

[katieadams]

B&Q do do rubber chippings but only in brown - dunweedin is the company that make them in all the pretty colours you can order online

[Phoebe]

I would recommend auboise too - it is absorbant and they love scratching and digging in it.

As to flinging food out, mine stopped as soon as I stopped putting bran in with it; as others have said, they are looking for the bran. Now they het it in a couple of separate pots first thing and eat it for breakfast as soon as they are let out