Dandelion Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 The first two hens we had in our eglu were well-behaved Omlet rangers, who ate their layers pellets from the Grub container, and were fairly tidy birds. (They could decimate a garden, but we won't go into that....) With the demise of one of the rangers we now have two new hens - a Blacktail and a Rhode Rock, and one of the original birds. They seem to have developed a habit of emptying out the pellets onto the floor so they can scratch in the wood chippings, but I'm a bit concerned about hygiene and the quality of the feed as it lies on the ground. We have the run covered so it doesn't tend to get wet, and change the flooring every few months. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
splodge88 Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Yeah...our old (omlet) hens used to do that...and so do our new ones -.- seem to like it all mushy. I do advise you to try and clean it up...we let it get a bit damp last winter and the ground got all mouldy You can buy containers so they can't spill it...but where's the fun in that, eh? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cyclonetog Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Chickens generally have very sturdy digestive systems and are pretty good at avoiding stuff that isn't good for them, I wouldn't worry. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Redwing Posted November 9, 2011 Share Posted November 9, 2011 Gravity feeders with 'fins' would help, hung at chicken back level or even chin level means they cant hook food out easily http://www.farmway.co.uk/smallholder-82/drinkers-and-feeders-69/poultry-feeder-hopper-3714.htm Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
blueandwhite Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 One of mine does that. I've put a large cat litter tray underneath the grub and secure it with washing line pegs (to the run), so I can empty it out every few days. Some does still get on the floor so at the weekend I just rake it up (I only have bare earth and a bit of hay in the run so it is easy to do that). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackian Posted November 10, 2011 Share Posted November 10, 2011 I do the same as blueandwhite, I used to be concerned when it went all over the place .As I only have bare earth I thought it would be difficult to rake up , but now I have a large seed tray and the odd bits and pieces get raked up as and when. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dandelion Posted November 23, 2011 Author Share Posted November 23, 2011 Thanks for the suggestions - very helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
docsquid Posted November 24, 2011 Share Posted November 24, 2011 I've just put in one of the feeders that redwing suggested for the same reason - and they hate it! Probably because they can't scatter food onto the floor. Some of them are more messy than others. Our blackrock, Blodwyn, is VERY messy and chucks food all over the place, but the bantams are generally tidy eaters, as is my CLB x Marans and one of the rangers. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
