Farm Fare #2: Chicken Feeding Methods

GRANDPA'S CHICKEN FEEDERS

One of the best investments we have made was to acquire one of 'Grandpas Feeders'.  It took about a month to train our chickens to use it, but since then it has made our lives easier.  Now, we only feed the chickens and not the birds and rodents.  The chickens eat on demand.  We only have to fill the feeder about once every two weeks (for 11 chooks).  It also means that we can go away without having someone feed them.

Our chickens using Grandpas Feeder

If you have chickens, then it is worth getting one - Vaughan paid about $75 at the Field Days, but I don't know how much they are usually.  Here is a link to their site and a video of how it works is below:

Grandpas Feeders Website

How they work video:

EASY CHICKEN PROTEIN FEEDER

One of Vaughan's latest feeding inventions provides some extra yummy protein in the shape of maggots.  The chickens love it!

Its basically as you see.... a bucket with holes in it, some straw and a small dead animal inside!

I know it sounds awful but its not that bad.  There are holes in the bottom and sides.  You put straw in the bottom, then lay the dead animal on the straw (we use birds) and then more straw on top.  There was a bad smell for one really hot day but Vaughan is going to put a lid on top to help with that in the next version.

The flies somehow find their way in and lay eggs on the carcass.  They hatch as maggots and feed off the dead carcass.  Eventually, they fall out of the holes onto the ground and are quickly gobbled up by the chickens.

It also gave Vaughan an excuse to acquire a flash air rifle slug gun thingy to shoot those pesky Myna birds to use as fly bait.  I made a whiteboard tally chart which is tacked to the deck wall so he can compete with friends.

He loves sitting on the deck waiting for birds to come along and shoot them!!  He's such a boy at heart.