https://www.happyfarmer.co/journal daily 0.75 2025-04-11 https://www.happyfarmer.co/journal/bees-are-buzzin monthly 0.5 2021-05-11 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1620699391541-RY7XHDP2RP1MMQKUIFUQ/master-pnp-fsa-8b30000-8b30900-8b30964u.jpg Journal - Bees are Buzzin’ https://www.happyfarmer.co/journal/this-week-april-11-17-2021 monthly 0.5 2021-04-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1618931025403-1P2I1Y7XQLHMMDNIFSE2/Gertie+flowers.jpeg Journal - Last Week: April 11 - 17, 2021 Gertie Listening to the Flowers https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1618931536094-HOAKPQ6A4HLWMEL6PDJH/Pancho+in+Grass.jpg Journal - Last Week: April 11 - 17, 2021 - Back home it’s a busy time. I planted a bit of sod where we, and especially the dogs, hang out the most (Pancho here in this case). I was growing tired of the wood-chipped look. Sod may be a recipe for frustration (dog’s don’t care) but it’s nice to look at right now. Especially with the spring rains we’ve had, I haven’t had to water as much as I would otherwise. I haven’t laid sod since I was a kid and it’s pretty satisfying to unroll a living carpet of green. I’ve seeded plenty of grass in the past, or at least tried to through the years, mostly to just see it die or get overcome by weeds. Sod tends to keep the weeds at bay at least in the first year. We’ll see what happens. Now the urine is becoming a major issue. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1618932168946-5HFQ0Y9KIITFNUZOYDGN/pvc+yard+pipe.jpg Journal - Last Week: April 11 - 17, 2021 - Often, one project leads to another so while I was prepping the yard for sod I dug a trench and began running some 1/2” PVC from the driveway spigot to the garden. Previously, our 100’ hose had to run through both the yard and the garden to water the chickens. Our puppy, Gertie, dealt handily with that hose, chewing and playing with it without my knowing. So I’m hoping that this new spigot setup will help avoid both another ruined hose and me having to drag it all the way to the chicken waterer again. Plus, it’s right by the garden and the grass, so handy for watering. I’ll disconnect it in the winter. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1618932227921-9R1MNM1DOYRRUB5QKZ6U/rain+barrel+coop.jpg Journal - Last Week: April 11 - 17, 2021 - Hopefully the rain barrel I installed this week will also help. I finally installed a spare piece of gutter on the pullet-coop-shed and have it draining right into a barrel I had sitting around unused. So far I’ve managed to water all my flocks free for a week! I’ve got more unused rain barrels (noticing a trend here?) and hope to get a couple more installed throughout the summer. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1618970482122-LSHF1QR5E5YCINYRE9VF/rock+path+sod.jpg Journal - Last Week: April 11 - 17, 2021 - Then there are the rocks. To lay the sod I had to pull up a rock path. Then lay it again after the sod and new water line were in place. I may place some gravel in between the rocks but not sure. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1618971164012-J7UJW5MDYEBXPHWFPW6U/path+past+gate+DOF.jpg Journal - Last Week: April 11 - 17, 2021 - I like working with rocks so I used up the rest of a rock pile I gathered last summer to finish a path to the garden I’ve been dreaming of. We are blessed with an abundance of limestone in KY and it’s fairly easy and cheaply gotten with some searching. You can see the older part in the foreground with old gravel and bits of nature taking up the cracks. The new part has some grass in the cracks, tough little tufts that I rescued from where I laid the sod. I’m liking the grassy crack look better than the crap crack. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1618971645008-DGZZ8SU6JGH5MNY7CVSF/keyhole+DOF.jpg Journal - Last Week: April 11 - 17, 2021 - That led to even another project of building a keyhole garden in an ugly spot on the way to the compost bins. Our hen coop follows the path back and to the right. And, in this pic, a covered wood storage shed that I call a “rick” is straight back. I had some redwood 4x4 left over from an old swing set that had been in the yard and used for various gardening beds so I cut it up and made a border both vertically and horizontally. I’m happy with it and will be even happier with some plant matter growing in it. https://www.happyfarmer.co/journal/now-im-curious-diatomaceous-earth monthly 0.5 2021-04-25 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1618795292641-Z8FJFPU5WG6YP82OZP9X/Cabbage+with+DE.jpg Journal - Now I’m Curious About: Diatomaceous Earth https://www.happyfarmer.co/journal/6w1jytuldn1kfr58bjumejzm8n219g monthly 0.5 2021-04-20 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1617981511976-QI62DU3JHA6H1N7UJ7KF/Seedlings.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe Yep, pretty sure that’s lettuce you see growing together with kale. See the lessons I learned from this project below for why. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1617979709699-98AO5EEDAZ484Z849688/soil+block+recipe.png Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Here is Eliot Coleman’s original recipe from Johnny’s Seeds. Notice this makes 2 bushels. I don’t even need 1/2 a bushel! As noted at the bottom, there are products you can buy and have shipped to your door from which you can make soil blocks right out of the bag. I won’t judge you if you go that route. I may even end up going that route but let’s see shall we? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1613489675976-0V7GSGUSW69WG3E20DA0/airprune%2Bvs%2Broot%2Bbound.jpg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - The soil block itself is an ingenious way to create stronger seedlings by encouraging air pruning and avoiding a root bound plant. An air pruned plant’s roots are just waiting to explore in more soil so when it gets transplanted they are ready to rock and roll. Root bound roots are limited by the container it was started in and may have a bit more trouble getting started in the garden and take longer to harden off. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1614957827960-FNMSGHMGWAJYLKJRGG2Y/scotts%2Btopsoil.jpg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Scott’s (Premium) Topsoil. .75 cubic feed advertised as “Lawn & Garden Soil Conditioner” that “Adds Organic Matter & Sphagnum Peat Moss to Existing Soil”. So not to be used in pots but rather as a soil amendment. Well, even though it lives in a plastic bag and doesn’t have the same qualities and living organisms as “garden soil” it has some of the desired qualities. I’ll be adding other stuff that will hopefully bring in some good buggers. Plus it’s only $2.48 a bag I added 4 parts of this to my mix. I also found that this didn’t need much screening. The large-ish things I found could be picked out by hand. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1614958116981-K100LEDVVTIRNN1JGAZX/evergreen+compost.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Evergreen Compost and Manure. 1 cubic foot of organic matter for $3.98 a bag. Not bad. Should make up for lack of homegrown compost that’s sitting under a pile of snow and ice right now. I added 3 parts of this to my mix. This was also very fine and didn’t need to be screened. I broke up what looked like some cow turd balls but it wasn’t gross at all. Not at all. At least it didn’t smell like cow turds. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1614958310976-7TTSXKPJCH698V79AN1D/Jobes+plant+food.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Jobe’s All Purpose Granular Plant Food. 6 lbs for $10.98. This will last multiple mixes as we only need a smidgen compared to the other ingredients. Often, available plant foods contain animal byproducts like bone meal and feather meal including this brand. I was unable to find one at the BB store but if that’s a problem for you, there are options out there. I added 1/8 Part of this to my mix https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1614959429977-7VKFGB8ZHYOXE38KY04N/Perlite.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Sta-Green Horticultural Perlite. $4.48 for 8 quarts. This will also last a while. I added Perlite and maybe should have added Vermiculite since it holds water better? I have bags of each and actually ended up sprinkling Vermiculite on top of the seeds after I put them on the blocks. I don’t know if that was a good idea yet or not. Garden Betty has a helpful post on the difference between Perlite and Vermiculite. I was wondering. I used __ parts of this in my mix. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1614960426867-H7KSQDDEFTZ2T32CVIFE/measuring%2Bbowls.jpg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - We happen to have a handy set of stainless bowls in a variety of sizes. I decided the largest of these would be my 1 Part and the smallest my 1/8th part. This was a totally arbitrary decision and they don’t have sizes on the bottom so you’ll have to make your own arbitrary decision on what containers to use. So here’s a breakdown of the recipe: 4 Parts Topsoil 3 Parts Compost 2 Parts Perlite (or Vermiculite) 1/8 Part Plant Food https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1614960771933-F17ANEEFLCH1ZQLWAA5B/Ingredients%2Btogether.jpg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Combine and mix thoroughly. I used a plastic bin with a tight fitting lid and once I got everything in there I lidded up and shook it until it seemed thoroughly mixed. It worked great! I didn’t open it until the dust had died down. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1615057500003-M087KW5YIZGPCZVF1X9A/Dry+mixed.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - The dry mixing is the easy part. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1615057569810-IKKTSLHCQWJUYORLTM7R/Just+add+water.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Just add water, a lot of water. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1615057720278-C1D507NISE3O7XL4ZN5Y/hand+mix.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Squish and mix by hand. Sort of like making bread. It should soak all the water up. You don't want too much water sitting around in the bottom that doesn’t get soaked up so add a bit at a time. Carefully drain any excess. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1615057862665-67HEQSOV0VUAPEHB6UZG/water+to+hold+shape.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - When you can squeeze out a shape and it sticks together you know you’re there. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1615058006118-F1VA7E4Z7F3MWE7JHI5B/blocking.jpg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Time to start blocking. This took some trial and error because the soil does want to fall out if you don’t get enough up in there to fully compress itself. I ended up pushing down repeatedly into the deeper soil and bringing it up the side without lifting it. This let me check it from the bottom and poke a finger on each cell to make sure it was fully compacted. And I should note that I didn’t start with the 20 blocker, I started with the 5. I don’t think I need a large production of blocks and starts so thought I’d go big first and see if this plan works. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1615058207381-MM0JD0YYRJP50JB1VDTV/First+Blocks.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - My first block rows had to be redone but you can see how it took me a couple tries to get it right. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1617977472025-R2RQ32WUZ3X677JAR3XD/soil+blocker+stuffed.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Gotta get that blocker stuffed full o’dirt. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1617977588118-QRE1NM24UBIH24AZ3XVJ/finished+blocks+1.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Don’t you just want to pop one in your mouth? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1617977749047-P6DED6UH7PXJK7BDV31U/finished+blocks.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Plant some seeds in those holes. I covered them with a small layer of vermiculite (wouldn’t do that again) and let them bask in their new little home to become healthy, delicious plant things to be replanted in the garden. Then, I learned some lessons… https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1617978037894-GK064GKGGS890X9M6LO4/growing+seed+blocks.jpeg Journal - A Soil Block Soil Recipe - Lesson #5: Try it again! I was successful (amazingly) in using the same blocks again for some brassica seeds. And they aren’t dead yet! https://www.happyfarmer.co/journal/why-hemp-bedding monthly 0.5 2021-04-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612407265398-9WMOXWPS8Z5I7XQSCGWV/hemp%2Bcanopy.jpg Journal - Why Hemp Bedding? https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612455024650-F22XPUBX9UKH4HFR4LII/chickens%252Bin%252Bhemp.jpg Journal - Why Hemp Bedding? - Maybe this sounds familiar. You go to clean out the coop or stall and the pine bedding is just gross and wet and for sure stinks more than seems possible and all that waste doesn’t seem to actually get soaked up by the bedding. Rather, the bedding just hides the waste. Then you dig around and start to clean up and you feel like you have to take most of the soiled bedding out just for it to seem remotely clean and then you end up just cleaning it all out and replacing it with fresh. The floor may even still be wet underneath! What was supposed to be “compost gold” then sat in the compost and took a long time to break down but first it had to get even more stinky and gross. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612454117459-7Q0VEZ82AY8O3HH2HG7C/1200px-Cannabis_sativa_Koehler_drawing.jpg Journal - Why Hemp Bedding? - What is hemp? For the purposes of this discussion, hemp is a plant grown specifically for the industrial uses of its derived products - including animal bedding. It grows extremely fast and can be refined into many different commercial products from paper and textiles, to biofuel and paint. It can also be eaten and parts of it are very nutritious. Hemp is cannabis but it is not marijuana. THC (tetrahydrocannabinol — say that ten times twice) is the psychoactive compound in cannabis that produces a high sensation but hemp is legally defined as having less than 0.3 percent THC. Image: Franz Eugen Köhler's Medizinal-Pflantzen, 1887 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612453807768-GOPUE22A624ENPYUEZ1E/hemp%2Bin%2Bhand2.jpg Journal - Why Hemp Bedding? - What is hemp bedding? Not to be confused with soft sheets for your bed, hemp bedding for animals is made from the soft core of the hemp plant’s stalk — often called the “hurd”. Hemp fibers have a smooth outer layer and a spongey interior making it ideal for animal bedding purposes. Hemp bedding is the superior bedding choice for horses, chickens, reptiles, and other pets. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612454916228-WEGE4AJLB59JIHV9UO10/man%2Bwith%2Bhemp.jpg Journal - Why Hemp Bedding? - History Worth Repeating. Hemp has figured prominently in the economic, social, and political life in the U.S., especially in the Commonwealth of Kentucky. The first hemp crop in Kentucky was raised near Danville in 1775. Kentucky was the greatest producer of U.S. hemp in the 19th and 20th centuries, with thousands of acres of hemp in production. The cause for state and federal laws allowing the use of, or expanded uses of, hemp has gotten more traction on both sides of the aisle in recent years. I think that’s something we can all agree on. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612455268161-UO4VRXZL4RF8I3525E3B/Hemp+Bales.jpg Journal - Why Hemp Bedding? - You get the idea. I use hemp bedding because it’s a better product in so many ways. If you want to give hemp bedding a try and live in the Central Kentucky area, it’s always in stock at Happy Farmer. https://www.happyfarmer.co/journal/something-to-crow-about monthly 0.5 2021-02-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612289497046-52QNKS6P7O01BYZV0FXE/Bret%2B%2527n%2BChet%2B4.jpg Journal - Something to Crow About? - Roosters are funny. Roosters can be pretty funny but also terrifying. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1611597182464-5TLQZV8MTLQKDXFW43B8/Homer+Rooster.jpg Journal - Something to Crow About? - My current flock rooster is Homer - a Gold Laced Wyandotte. He’s been a good fella so far and takes care of his ladies. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1611601754400-F8ZYFB2QSBG40Y9A8608/milton+rooster2.jpg Journal - Something to Crow About? - A couple of seasons ago I ended up with a beautiful Silver Spangled Hamburg rooster I dubbed Milton (at right in repose). He was scared of me and not at all aggressive. Perfect! Roosters are almost always easy on the eyes and Milton was certainly no exception. For fun, I liked to imagine him with a pipe and smoking jacket. I admired him for his doting ways. A rooster will point out anything tasty he finds to the nearest hen, a dance called “tidbitting”. “Over here ladies! A tasty morsel I found just for you!” puff puff. Hens do it for their babies too - not necessarily the pipe smoking :) https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1611955355876-FTF0G8MERD5F6FSIUHHS/zosia-korcz-gAFO9T4URjM-unsplash.jpg Journal - Something to Crow About? - A rooster will also try to protect the whole flock from daytime predators and shuffle them to a safe spot. That’s what they think they are doing when they attack you. I’ve also found that roosters don’t seem to eat as much as hens. So they do have their advantages. Photo by Zosia Korcz on Unsplash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1611940840795-S14TE5CBC9EFN88VYTQ0/sarah-halliday-fB1pCB1ZdXc-unsplash.jpg Journal - Something to Crow About? Photo by Sarah Halliday on Unsplash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612048802634-GKN9HMHHG8BYSTUCG2JO/roastchicken.jpg Journal - Something to Crow About? - So what if you end up with a rooster and don’t want it? You could try to find a home for your rooster. There are multiple Facebook groups that are specific to folks who want to sell, trade or giveaway anything related to chickens. You can also “harvest” your rooster for meat. I’ll write later about the details of harvesting chickens but to describe a harvested rooster in as few words as possible: all legs and no breast. Seriously, I don’t know why I was shocked, but under all those fancy feathers is a lot of dark leg meat. I ended up with five roosters one time. It was even my choice. It all began by going in on a small order of chicks with an acquaintance. Why not go for five cockerels? A couple of months later I had a cacophony of rooster in my yard. If I was nervous about having one rooster before, it’s nothing like five roosters. https://www.happyfarmer.co/journal/picky-chickens monthly 0.5 2021-02-04 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612360595774-U60FB7V1RFQJWUTF22CV/Chicken-Eating-out-of-Feeder.png Journal - Picky Chickens? - Wasted feed is no joke. I’ve experienced it. My hens picking through their feed to get to the “good stuff” first and getting the rest of it all over the place. Their “good stuff” is the tastiest and easiest to get to and is not what I’d consider “good stuff”. Besides the cost of feed and the time you put into it, the ladies may not be getting all of their nutritional needs met. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612361443731-G0OTZPTXV5XPBZ3Q7KTJ/chicken-pellets-food.jpg Journal - Picky Chickens? - If you feed pellets to your hens you may not feel this message. Pellets are handy and they have all the necessary nutrients. But they are processed and often have added fillers, so I feed only whole mash style to my hens, specifically the “Classic Grind” from New Country Organics. It looks more like food I might eat (I have not tried it though). Look at the label and you’ll see all-natural, organic ingredients and no soy. It also has a pleasant odor. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612360746989-MJMCTKWIAKU3Y9CL4YOU/Screen-Shot-2018-05-31-at-9.39.53-PM.jpg Journal - Picky Chickens? - Even though I haven’t eaten, nor bathed in it or in any other way digested it, I love this chicken feed. ( Full disclosure, I sell New Country brand feeds - see the Shop button above). Despite me sounding like a commercial, (can you imagine the bathing-in-chicken-feed commercial? yeah!), it’s important to know my feed source because my chicken’s behavior is specific to that brand and style of feed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612372324072-PGTCTK71CUQXSJA7O9V8/kim-gorga-bMgHCvB2AXA-unsplash.jpg Journal - Picky Chickens? - The downside of mash style feed is the tendency of the flock to pick through it. Powdered ingredients like alfalfa, kelp and any vitamins and minerals necessary, often come in a powdered form and are essential for the health of a flock. Chickens can and will pick through feed to get to the grains and seeds they want and they don’t care where all the other stuff - often the powder - ends up. If you are limited by the expanse of your backyard, however big that may be, and feeding your birds out on the free range isn’t an option, then finding the best option to feed them, an option that meets all of their natural needs, can give them just what they need. My chickens mostly don’t do much billing out because, I believe, somehow I have “trained” them and, besides the pelleted feed option, I’ve learned of a few other ways to get all the necessary goodness into your hens so they get all of the benefits of a whole mash ration. Photo by Kim Gorga on Unsplash https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612372510187-RJLS78FQ7QIPRN1EDID1/IMG_2630.jpeg Journal - Picky Chickens? - Raise the feeder. Typical gravity feeders like I use should be at a chicken’s shoulder height. They shouldn’t have to get on their tiptoes or crane their necks to eat but they should just be able to comfortably get their heads in. Get a divider for your feeder so that your chickens can’t bill out their feed as easily. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612372629132-WY9CACUKNBB9LZ8VZYQ3/wise+mountable.jpg Journal - Picky Chickens? - Get an enclosed type or “no-waste” feeder. Open feeders like gravity-fed or bowl feeders are more likely to get picked through. Enclosed feeders, into which a hen has to stick her head, will eliminate picking through since what they pick through remains in the feeder. There are a lot of DIY solutions for this type of feeder using PVC, Buckets, or even plastic storage bins. The Wise Mountable feeder at right is available in the Shop https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612373367067-3SWUPH02PUWR51XUI4J7/fermentedchickenfood-web4.jpg Journal - Picky Chickens? - Wet down the feed. This shouldn’t be done for large quantities as the feed could get moldy and rancid. Rather, this can be done with small quantities on a daily basis. Take any powder left in the feeder, pour it in a bowl, add some water, and feed the chickens separately. It is best not to get your feeder wet. A bit of warm, wet feed in the winter can be a nice treat for your girls. They’ll get more water intake and they’ll have a much harder time wasting feed. https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/5fe24f20a2d56a4298e9e7bc/1612374475719-LJG59IWEFC7LKRAEMJOJ/christin-hume-6ant2YuwAwc-unsplash.jpg Journal - Picky Chickens? - Let the feeder go empty for a day. They’ll cluck at you but if any feed is left on the ground, the chickens will find it and eat it. If there is powder left in the feeder, they will eat it. Chickens love to eat and will eventually finish off whatever is left. My flock has figured out that they need to clean out their feeder before I fill it again. 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