The best feeder for 8 day old chicks?

Genuine question for the homesteaders, the backyard flock people, and the pastured poultry crowd. What is actually the best feeder for 8 day old chicks?

I have been through the rotation. Plant trays got stomped flat. The standard round chick feeder turned into a roost, a toilet, and a wrestling mat depending on the hour. So I cut a three inch PVC pipe down the length, ripped about a two inch slot, and laid it on the brooder floor. It is winning so far. Less waste, less manure in the food, no one standing in their own dinner.

But “winning so far” is not the same as “best.” I have got 250 Freedom Rangers coming up behind these and I would rather steal your idea now than learn the hard way in three weeks.

What are you running? Drop it in the comments, photos welcome, hot takes encouraged, and yes I will absolutely argue about nipple waterers in the replies.

Run-a-Muck Farms, Dover, Pennsylvania

#freedomrangers #pasturedpoultry #homestead #backyardchickens #yorkcountypa