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  1. Al Gerhart

    Gravity tube feeders

    The feed was insulating the filled portion of the PVC pipe, holding some heat from daylight hours (even if it was not in the sun). As the outside air cooled so did the unfilled upper part of the PVC pipe, the air inside the upper part of the PVC tube cooled below the dew point and the moisture...
  2. Al Gerhart

    Rats

    There is a lot of very valuable advice in this post. Well done!
  3. Al Gerhart

    Feeding chickens in the coop

    Leaving food in a coop doesn't attract rats. Leaving food in the coop in a poor excuse for a chicken feeder does. ;)
  4. Al Gerhart

    Duckweed for poultry- Wolffia globosa or arrhiza

    I tried the duck weed at our farm in the Philippines. Lessons learned: Filipinos do not like strange new ideas. Brown gravy, fine. White gravy, deadly poison from white man trying to kill Filipinos. AKA, they won't use the duckweed. Cashew tree leaves and nuts shells are poisonous and will...
  5. Al Gerhart

    Rhode Island keeps eating and wasting food all day long

    Just do not put the treats in the feeder! More feed raking if you do. Best of luck re homing her. You are a kind person to go to that much trouble.
  6. Al Gerhart

    Rats

    Rats never, ever, stick around unless there is a food source. In the wild they have to hustle non stop or starve and natural predators take out most of them while exposed looking for food. Are you certain they are not getting feed out of the feeder? I see nothing to stop rats and mice from...
  7. Al Gerhart

    Can geese use a treadle feeder?

    No feeder is completely waterproof, as in dunk it in a barrel of water. But used as intended, yes. The majority of our videos from customers were from pre 2015 feeders in a promotion where we offered a refurbish kit of one of the new soft close kits, spare springs, and a wire link spare in...
  8. Al Gerhart

    Rats

    Okay, explain this for me. This is basically a sunlight activated feeder, the door opens during daylight and closes at night. It claims to be pest proof. It isn't. It couldn't be..... nothing in the design makes it remotely pest proof. Return it. Unless, you have a flock of mostly banties...
  9. Al Gerhart

    Rhode Island keeps eating and wasting food all day long

    That sort of pvc elbow feeder has little in the way of protection from feed being billed out. Really though, one chicken, you don't need a treadle feeder. It would never pay for itself with just one chicken. If you had a flock, yes, invest in a treadle feeder with full height walls on both...
  10. Al Gerhart

    Can geese use a treadle feeder?

    The Grandpa Xi feeder has the wide and close in treadle step, not good if you wish to prevent vermin from piling up on the treadle and getting to the feed. This also doesn't leave enough room for a goose or turkey to use their breast to push down the treadle. My feeder has an optional turkey...
  11. Al Gerhart

    Rodents nest in my hen house

    Rats can jump up to three feet, no bucket will hold them. If you want to get rid of rats there is one simple thing to do. Stop feeding them. Bulk feed in a metal barrel with a tight lid. Clean up the pathways to and from the feed so natural predators get some of the rodents. And buy a real...
  12. Al Gerhart

    Adding a Cat to the Coop

    Terrible idea, cats constantly lick their paws, covered in chicken poop if they live in a coop. Expect it to need re worming regularly. The correct way to deal with mice is to control the feed. Just do a forum search using rats and chickens, this topic has been discussed hundreds of time with...
  13. Al Gerhart

    Prepping for winter ugh

    The old 60 watt bulb in a cookie tin works well. Use incandescent lamps of course.
  14. Al Gerhart

    Rats here and there

    Send a photo of the feeder showing all of it and one photo from each side showing a close up of the opening/closing mechanism. Maybe we can figure out how to add some springs to provide enough downward tension on the lid/door to keep the rats out. No joy on the ducks, they are supposed to be...
  15. Al Gerhart

    Blue Jay Eating Eggs!

    Easy, huh? Annual reports, non lethal methods required, killing is only allowed on a temporary basis. And I guarantee there are some eye watering penalties if you fill out a form wrong, miss a filing, or they think you aren't following the permit rules. Every five years a nice man from...
  16. Al Gerhart

    Blue Jay Eating Eggs!

    AI Overview You're likely referring to a Migratory Bird Depredation Permit when asking about getting a permit to "kill" migratory birds under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA). This permit allows for the capture or killing of migratory birds that are causing significant damage to...
  17. Al Gerhart

    Blue Jay Eating Eggs!

    Dude, you are telling someone to commit a crime, a federal crime! Please folks, before you post take one minute to Google things: Yes, blue jays are protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act (MBTA) in the United States. This means it is illegal to harm, trap, or kill them without a permit...
  18. Al Gerhart

    Rats here and there

    So you are from down under, treadle feeders can't work upside down silly. :( Jokes aside, which kind of treadle feeder is it? I know you have a couple of inward swinging door type available there in AU. Most likely a Grandpa Xi style feeder maybe? Post some pictures of the mechanism, might...
  19. Al Gerhart

    Daytime rats eating chicken feed. Not allowed to use rodenticide in my area due to owls, Hawks, coyotes and domestic dogs of course.

    "And browse or forage is exactly what mine are doing every day from dawn til dusk on several acres in addition to feeding them twice a day." That makes all the difference in the world. And you are right, one size never fits all. Good discussion!
  20. Al Gerhart

    Daytime rats eating chicken feed. Not allowed to use rodenticide in my area due to owls, Hawks, coyotes and domestic dogs of course.

    I certainly don't discredit your long history of raising chickens, that isn't the point. Not having feed before the hens does lower your feed bill. But, chickens are browsers, eating a little often over the daylight hours. "Abstract--In mammals, time-restricted feeding (TRF) with no caloric...
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