I had read that they love to scratch, but what I didn't understand is that instinct extends to anything and everything on the ground, and silly me ~ I placed their feeder on the ground. They've been scratching it out all over the place, making a mess and wasting food in the meantime. They've gone through, probably, 3 pounds of food in as many days. Perhaps that is normal, but I'd like it to be going into their bellies, not spread over the ground and mixed with poop!
So, I swung by the local feed store to look at different types of feeders. I was thinking of those nifty little contraptions that are made to hang in the corners. They sure are tiny, though. I don't want to be out there filling them up breakfast, lunch and dinner! So, I asked the helpful young man who was there and he informed me that chickens need their feeders to be at chest level so they can peck the food easier. (Something about not being able to peck at anything head-on, but rather having to swipe at it, which knocks it around... not sure I understood that properly, though.)
He said he just has his propped up on bricks. It struck me that I'd read several places online that people had their food and water up on bricks. I guess I just didn't understand why. Well, that's an easy fix! And free! We have several bricks and cinder blocks laying in a scrap pile next to the garage!
I came home and dinked-around with different combinations of bricks and here is what I came up with:
So, now, hopefully the food and water will be easier for them to use, and they won't make such a mess of it!
(He also mentioned that mounting the feeders puts them closer to the roof and takes away any room for the chickens to jump on top of them and try to roost there. I have noticed that Pepper really likes to perch on the water, so that will certainly help there!)
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