A Family Guide To Keeping Chickens (21 page)

This popular design is readily available in a variety of sizes. The food is held in a central cylinder and trickles into the surrounding trough, which may be divided into partitions – useful for energetic eaters.

Check there is space under the cylinder for the food to flow easily into the trough – some models are adjustable.

The cylinder should have a lid and may feature a circular ‘rain cover’. This helps keep the food in the trough dry and is essential for outdoor birds. Be wary of designs that have a central rod passing through the lid as these can leak in heavy rain.

Raising the feeder above ground level helps prevent the chickens from scratching out the food and keeps it free of debris too. Some feeders have legs and you can also buy feeder stands – or be self-sufficient and use a couple of bricks.

A hanging feeder keeps food well off the ground and also away from rodents.

Open troughs can only be used under cover – although some designs feature a lid. Troughs with partitions help prevent chickens from scratching out the food.

The peck feeder consists of a container on legs with a spring inserted underneath. The chickens release the food by pecking at the spring. You can buy these complete or purchase a spring to make your own.

The treadle feeder is a box-like device that opens when the chicken stands on a metal plate.

Peck and treadle feeders protect food from wild birds and vermin, but are generally larger and more expensive than cylinder feeders.

The ‘Blenheim’ feeder features a partitioned trough, rain-hat and legs

The ‘Brittany’ feeder can be hung up, and also has a rain cover

An open trough with partitions

Feed cups clip on to wire, and have many uses

Designed to clip on to wire mesh, a couple of these are useful if you need to segregate a bird.

Metal feeders are usually galvanized, although some are enamelled steel. Metal is more expensive but more robust than plastic. Lightweight plastic feeders may be blown or knocked over and damaged. Chickens can give their feeder some abuse – my cockerels balance on top of the feeder and rock it until it falls over!

A 7 kg galvanized feeder

Buying an extra-large feeder to save having to refill it every day can result in stale or mouldy food. However, the feeder should be big enough to contain enough food to last the flock at least a day. An average-sized chicken needs roughly 120 to 150 g of food daily, but the senior chickens will eat more (because they can). You will need to feed above the minimum to ensure the lower orders get their share.

Extra feeders help prevent squabbles and bullying.

Chickens need flint grit to enable them to process their food (see
Chapter 6
). You can buy a grit hopper or use a small feeder.

A scoop for transferring food from bag to feeder is handy – or you could use a cup.

Choosing a Poultry Drinker

A poultry drinker prevents water from being spilt and helps keep it clean.

The water is contained in a tower and runs into a surrounding trough. In cheaper models the tower part is filled, the base placed on top of it and the whole lot turned over – with large drinkers this can be a messy business, leading to wet feet.

It’s worth paying extra for a drinker that can be filled from the top if catering for several chickens.

Chickens with beards, muffs and crests need a narrow-lipped tower drinker to prevent their feathers from becoming soiled.

An ‘Easyfill’ tower drinker

This type of drinker resembles a bucket lying on its side. A plate over the wide end keeps the water in, with a trough for the chickens to drink. The design keeps the water clean and out of the sunlight – it has had some good reviews.

Bucket drinker

Chickens drink a surprising amount of water. An average laying hen will get
through at least 500 ml a day. The drinker should hold more than enough water to last the flock for a day or you could supply extra drinkers to avoid arguments (water can be guarded almost as zealously as food).

Water will evaporate more quickly from small drinkers in hot weather.

Drinkers can be plastic, galvanized or enamelled steel. Some metal drinkers have glass tops so you can check the water level easily. In plastic drinkers the water is visible through the white plastic tower.

Metal drinkers are more robust but can’t be used with apple cider vinegar. If adding this supplement to the drinking water, you will need a plastic drinker.

Plastic drinkers can crack, especially if the water becomes frozen. Some of the cheaper plastic drinkers don’t last very long – and the tower usually pushes directly on to the base, with only one hole for the water to escape. If that becomes clogged up, the chickens will go thirsty. Better designs have a base that locks into position.