Automated chicken feeder/Programming thoughts and help

[Lumikko]

Alright...looking for suggestions here! I have two Cornish Cross roosters who are meal fed. They receive 1/3 cup each twice a day which is all good and lovely when I'm home but if I'm working late or out for the evening they end up eating dinner very late. I've tried the automated cat feeders where you set the time/amount and, while they work well, the Cornish Cross boys become obsessed with them and will just sit there staring at the feeder waiting for food to be dispensed. This is also tricky with the two of them as I'd either need two feeders and hope they don't both try eat out of the same one or someone isn't getting much for dinner.

My current thought process is some sort of sprinkler type system where the food is dispensed from above and not all in the same spot. While I won't be able to guarantee they each get 1/3 cup each, they are both going to get food. Does anyone have experiencing creating such a thing?

Thank you in advance!

 

[NatJ]

(Note: I have no direct experience, so my ideas may or may not be helpful.)

Have you watched them when they are eating from the feeder? Do they both eat, or does one push the other aside? If they both eat, you might just continue what you are doing.

If only one eats at a time, then two dispensers might work. You would need to watch a few times and see whether that works or not.

If you divide their cage, so they each have half the space and their own feeder, you could be sure each one gets the right amount of food. (But then they would be separate, and each would have less space to move around, so that might cause new problems.)

Depending on the style of automated cat feeder, maybe you could put it above their pen, turned sideways so the food dumps out and scatters.

You might look into fish feeders, game feeders, and other styles of automatic feeders. Some are meant to drop the food straight down, while some scatter it around. I see lots of options, but I don't know whether any would be quite right for what you need.

Is it important for them to eat at consistent times? It might be fine to feed their dinner late, or early, or just give them a double breakfast and no dinner. (I don't know whether changing schedules would work or not.)

 

[Al Gerhart]

Chickens are much smarter than horses and will not overeat. Anything electronic isn't going to last forever in a corrosive environment like a chicken coop. Just get a basic treadle feeder. The one at the top of the pecking order will eat first then the other get to eat even in worse case scenarios. Knowing that feed is always available reduces competition in a flock, they will do fine.

 

[NatJ]

Chickens are much smarter than horses and will not overeat.

For most chickens, that is true.
But OP said they have Cornish Cross, which are the one kind of chicken that WILL overeat.

So unfortunately, in their case, the feed does need to be limited.

Just get a basic treadle feeder. The one at the top of the pecking order will eat first then the other get to eat even in worse case scenarios. Knowing that feed is always available reduces competition in a flock, they will do fine.

I agree that unlimited feed would make sure the lower-ranking bird gets some too. But unfortunately, unlimted food for Cornish Cross does not work for anyone who wants them to live past the usual butchering age. Since OP only has two, I am assuming these are pets, and that OP wants them to stay healthy as long as possible.

(If they are meant to be butchered, then of course the obvious solution would be to do that around age 8 weeks, and then there would be no more concern about feeding them after that.)

 

[Al Gerhart]

Those are excellent points.

But the bird is a cross breed, no need to keep any of them alive after their genetically engineered expiration date so to speak.

Sounds like something from Blade Runner, doesn't it.

If they are pets not a lot of thought went into choosing them.

 

[Lumikko]

Those are excellent points.

But the bird is a cross breed, no need to keep any of them alive after their genetically engineered expiration date so to speak.

Sounds like something from Blade Runner, doesn't it.

If they are pets not a lot of thought went into choosing them.

Thank you all for you input on this one!

To comment on the keeping them as pets thing, there's a lot of misconceptions about Cornish Cross chickens. They are absolutely, 100% engineered to be slaughtered at 8-9 weeks. But, with appropriate care, they can live 5+ years. All of the Cornish Cross here were found in parks or rescued by activists. They live happy little lives and just require some specific care that other breeds do not.

I would not recommend buying Cornish Cross as pets. But my rescue crew are doing just fine.