Rats!

[Bicoastal]

@Simkie

Oh, too–why are your hens wasting so much? Are they kicking out feed looking for the best bits? Are your feeders hung high enough? Do they just not really like the feed?

I don’t think they are intentionally sifting through the feed. It is a crumb feed and every morsel is the same as the next. As they peck, crumbs go spraying after each strike of their beak into the feeder. When I muck out the coop after using a gravity feeder, there is feed on the floor under the feeder. I may go weeks without using the gravity feeder, then have to use it for a weekend away. Bang! The rodent buffet is back.

I have tried the no-waste bucket feeders and the waste was worse. They were kinda scooping out feed as they withdrew their heads. Other people swear by them .

I don’t expect I’ll ever eliminate every rodent. Every place I’ve known that had poultry, also had rodents. But I need to prevent it from getting to my neighbors’ apocalyptic level.

[Simkie]

@Bicoastal

I don’t think they are intentionally sifting through the feed. It is a crumb feed and every morsel is the same as the next. As they peck, crumbs go spraying after each strike of their beak into the feeder. When I muck out the coop after using a gravity feeder, there is feed on the floor under the feeder. I may go weeks without using the gravity feeder, then have to use it for a weekend away. Bang! The rodent buffet is back.

Do you hang your feeders? If your coop is well protected with hardware mesh, how are the rats gaining access?

I’m not sure what I’m doing so differently to not have any waste, but I hang the feeder, and use a crumble. I have several different groups of chickens and I don’t think my birds are special or anything! But some small changes with your feeder might help keep waste down?