Important Factors To Consider Chicken Feeders

What's the big deal about a chicken feeder? Can't you just put the feed in a bowl and give it to them? Or throw the scratch on the ground? Well, you could, but that wouldn't be ideal. Here are some important factors to consider when designing or purchasing a chicken feeder.

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Keep it clean

If you allow your chicken feed to sit in a tray or container, it is open to contamination from a few sources. One is that the chickens tend to jump up on top of things to roost or perch. From there, they defecate. If they jump up onto your food dish or feeder and defecate into the food, they can get sick, and possibly die, from bacterial contamination.

The solution to this is to raise the feeder up off the ground high enough that it's convenient for them to eat from. Place it so it is about head height or slightly lower. The other way to get around this is to make sure your feeder has a design that discourages roosting or perching.

Keep it dry

Having the food on the ground means that water can get into it when it rains, if your coop leaks. The mold and bacteria that grow can kill your animals. That's another reason to lift the feeder up off the ground. Hanging it allows for easy removal to refill it, and it can be adjusted for height.

Keep it going where it's supposed to

One of the biggest problems is that chickens are messy when they eat. They often toss their heads sideways as they eat, causing food to go flinging far and wide. Another thing they do is scratch. If you leave the feed on the floor or in a low container, they will scratch and scatter it all over, wasting your money.