My Three Chicks
Crowing
I have a Grandpa feeder and a Rent-A-Coop feeder for my flock of 6 hens. I’m on step 2 of training…where the feeders are set to where the top is still mostly open so the chickens get used to the step and lid movement before everything is closed up and they can’t see the feed.
2 of my 6 girls will not use it. Today they did not eat at all. I know part of the issue may be that for about a week I also provided feed separately in their normal feeder a couple of times a day. These girls had been under the weather and molting and I had seen they weren’t eating from the treadle feeder and I needed to make sure they had food and nutrition to recover so I provided them an alternate source. But they are well now so I’m back to only using the treadle feeder as the sole source today. But now I’m worried since they didn’t eat today and went to bed with empty crops
Will they eventually figure it out? How long should I let them go without eating? I’m trying to stay strong and not bring them food separate from their treadle feeder but I’m worried about them. Do some chickens never figure out how to use it? …and we are only on step 2…the top isn’t even closed and they can see their food.
2 of my 6 girls will not use it. Today they did not eat at all. I know part of the issue may be that for about a week I also provided feed separately in their normal feeder a couple of times a day. These girls had been under the weather and molting and I had seen they weren’t eating from the treadle feeder and I needed to make sure they had food and nutrition to recover so I provided them an alternate source. But they are well now so I’m back to only using the treadle feeder as the sole source today. But now I’m worried since they didn’t eat today and went to bed with empty crops
Will they eventually figure it out? How long should I let them go without eating? I’m trying to stay strong and not bring them food separate from their treadle feeder but I’m worried about them. Do some chickens never figure out how to use it? …and we are only on step 2…the top isn’t even closed and they can see their food.