The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Livestock => Poultry & Waterfowl => Topic started by: Steph Hen on August 08, 2013, 08:20:52 am
-
I have a round, plastic feeder, (clear top ~10" high and a red bottom ~8" diameter) but the chicks seem to enjoy flicking their crumb over the floor.
Then I have a couple of different troughs, one's plastic, with wire partitions every couple of inches, but the smaller chicks climb in and then panic before they realise they can climb back out.
I have one galvanised feeder trough, without partitions, but quite narrow - it has a rail on the top, but they quite enjoy trying to perch on this, sometimes tipping the feed out >:(
So I wondered what do other people use for little chicks, teen-chicks (6-12 weeksish) and adults?
I like the look of the ones with the big hoods, but there doesn't seem to be a huge amount of space around each one for them to all feed together... any thoughts?
-
I use the 2.5 kg feeder for 6week + growers (bearing in mind I rarely have more than 10 at a time
http://www.solwayfeeders.com/products/25kg-outdoor-ascot-feeder-with-rain-guard-p1818-c397.html (http://www.solwayfeeders.com/products/25kg-outdoor-ascot-feeder-with-rain-guard-p1818-c397.html)
and this one for the layers
http://www.solwayfeeders.com/products/12kg-feeder-with-rainguard-and-12ltr-drinker-p6112sp-c397.html (http://www.solwayfeeders.com/products/12kg-feeder-with-rainguard-and-12ltr-drinker-p6112sp-c397.html)
and I use a pheasant feeder for those in the field.
For chicks, if they are inside I have bog stantard troughs. If the are outside with a broody they just have it in a shallow tray.
-
We find that growers make a terrible mess scratching in their hoppers and so we suspend them (the hoppers not the chicks ;D ). Also do the same for adult hoppers.
Chicks and growers water hoppers are suspended or raised by placing on pieces of wood ... again helps to keep clean.
-
I use plastic guttering. I use a piece of three by two timber as a base and then fix the guttering on it and block both ends with timber so that the food doesn't spill.
-
Thanks for your replies so far!
I like the idea of suspending them - I raised drinker/feeders up on wood and stuff in the brooder, but they still climbed inside. Like idea of suspending!