Keeping chickens out of lambs feed

[xoxoGOATSxoxo]

This is our first year having chickens range while the lambs are on grain.

We expected the chickens to be in the grain, so we've sealed off the lamb room at feeding time. That is, screened the windows, blocked the swinging doors from swinging with buckets, and blocked the outside door with plywood. But the lambs are on a free choice program, twice a day, so they always have a little grain left during the day and some at night, though they do eat most of it during feeding time.

Even though the room is "chicken-proof", we usually find a chicken or two pecking away at the grain. Houdini chickens.

The lambs dont like being blocked off from outside, and we'd like them to have access to grass more often than when the chickens are locked up. We cant lock the chickens up all the time because we have only a coop, no pen.

Is there a better way to keep the chickens out? A different style of lamb feeder, perhaps? Right now we have several trough types.

[Cyngbaeld]

Let the chickens clean up after the lambs and give the chickens a higher protein feed in their own feeder.

[xoxoGOATSxoxo]

It is, I believe, a 16% layer feed though I dont have the tag here. Should I switch to maybe a gamebird feed? Or mix layer and gamebird?

I'll try it, thanks!

[Cyngbaeld]

I feed gamebird with oyster shell added on the side. Then the birds can eat all the corn they want as well. It works out to an adequate intake. They'll balance their diet fairly well given the opportunity.

[tinknal]

Make your life much easier and just stop worrying about it.

[xoxoGOATSxoxo]

Originally Posted by tinknal

Make your life much easier and just stop worrying about it.

I can't. The lamb feed is expensive and the chickens will literally eat nearly all of it.

Actually, they'll eat anything. They eat their food at night, even though its still out for them during the day.... but during the day they'll try to steal food from the cats, they'll try to dig up and eat the seeds we just planted, they'll clean up any kind of sheep/goat grain or spilled rabbit food (which is admittedly useful), we hide the ducks feed during the day because the chickens will eat it all, plus they scratch around all day in the grass and animal pens. Must be a chicken thing, because the guineas only ever eat their food or any sort of grain you throw at them, and then they range all day. The dont roam the barns searching for the other animals feeds.

[Cyngbaeld]

I wonder if the lambs could eat from one of those auto dog feeders? I used to keep one for my dogs and cats so the birds (including the stinking jays) couldn't take all the dog food.