Best Wild Bird Proof Chicken Feeder?

[Aquatic_blue]

I have absolutely had it with sparrows and doves...UGH! I'm tired of feeding them with the chicken feed that we pay for. They help us run through feed probably twice as fast and I'm tired of wasting money. We currently have a 5 gallon bucket with two pvc pipe pieces attached the chickens can reach in and get some food. It was a good spill proof way to feed them and we could keep it away from mice and rats. Unfortunately, I have seen the pesky sparrows reach in and get some chicken feed. I opened the top of the bucket to check their feed one day and a sparrow flew out. My husband opened it one day and a dead sparrow was inside so he changed the whole feed bucket. I found another dead sparrow inside it today...I guess when the food runs about 1/3 of the way full the sparrows go up inside and then shuffle the food enough to where they get stuck. So this type of feeder is great, but isn't helping in the midst of our sparrow problems.

We wanted to order one of those metal feeders that the chickens step on and it opens for them to eat. We figure the sparrows and doves aren't heavy enough to open it. Unfortunately, a lot of these we are finding are on like a long back order.

Are there any awesome feeders that sparrows or doves wouldn't be able to get into?

We are unwilling to do a complete fenced in run at this time as that would require lining our already existing fence with poultry netting or a mesh wire to keep the sparrows from slipping through and that may get more pricey than a brand new feeder that would keep them out.

 

[GC-Raptor]

I use deer netting over my pens to keep out hawks.
It's 3/4" mesh won't allow song birds though.
I got mine at TSC for around $10. last year.
It's been up for over a year.

Of course it won't keep out mammals, like raccoons. GC

 

[neo71665]

Look at the DIY no waste feeder bucket. A small bird would almost have to climb into the pvc 90. Even if they did my chickens would most likely be having song bird for dinner before it got back out.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

I use deer netting over my pens to keep out hawks.
It's 3/4" mesh won't allow song birds though.
I got mine at TSC for around $10. last year.
It's been up for over a year.View attachment 2269713View attachment 2269714
Of course it won't keep out mammals, like raccoons. GC

I may take a look at it at our TSC here. We currently don't have the birds in their own run at all because it gets way too hot and they like to use the trees in the yard for shade. They free range around the yard all day. Unfortunately if we leave a gap big enough for a chicken then it's big enough for those sparrows. We have plans for a close in run at some point to deter hawks and such, but the heat is hindering us a little as we want to make sure they have adequate shade and such without bothering neighbors.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

Look at the DIY no waste feeder bucket. A small bird would almost have to climb into the pvc 90. Even if they did my chickens would most likely be having song bird for dinner before it got back out.

We built one of these:

These are not pictures of our buckets, just a similar one online. We put a lid on it, too, of course. Our pvc pipe is a bit smaller, though...but we still have had sparrows get trapped inside the bucket or they manage to sit right inside the pipe and feed on the food...these feeders aren't working, unfortunately. We need a different solution.

 

[RojoMarz]

We wanted to order one of those metal feeders that the chickens step on and it opens for them to eat. We figure the sparrows and doves aren't heavy enough to open it. Unfortunately, a lot of these we are finding are on like a long back order.

This is the best Rat proof Feeder. @Al Gerhart has a better design than other treadle feeders. I ordered one in June (I was tired of feeding chipmunks) and it shipped immediately. No more free buffet for the chipmunks.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I have plenty of the extra large, large, and small feeder and the MA 2017 (similar to the cheap Chinese aluminum feeders). The medium feeder has nearly sold out this spring and early summer. Massive run on feeders. I thought I had enough till early spring 2021. I have three or four dozen medium feeders left and I am working on a batch of 400 made here in the U.S. that hopefully will last till early spring 2021 till this Chinese virus mess is over and the supply chain works again. The U.S. made feeder will be more expensive of course, around $15.00 more per feeder, I think.

And yes Aquatic Blue, the rat proof feeders stop birds with zero problems. Just follow the directions, watch the assembly videos, then if you have problems EMAIL! With pictures, and I can walk you through any problems. You will need some basic tools like a cresent wrench and pliers or have someone that is handy with tools.

Thanks for the good words RojoMarz. Holler if you ever need parts to keep your feeder going.

 

[Aquatic_blue]

I have plenty of the extra large, large, and small feeder and the MA 2017 (similar to the cheap Chinese aluminum feeders). The medium feeder has nearly sold out this spring and early summer. Massive run on feeders. I thought I had enough till early spring 2021. I have three or four dozen medium feeders left and I am working on a batch of 400 made here in the U.S. that hopefully will last till early spring 2021 till this Chinese virus mess is over and the supply chain works again. The U.S. made feeder will be more expensive of course, around $15.00 more per feeder, I think.

And yes Aquatic Blue, the rat proof feeders stop birds with zero problems. Just follow the directions, watch the assembly videos, then if you have problems EMAIL! With pictures, and I can walk you through any problems. You will need some basic tools like a cresent wrench and pliers or have someone that is handy with tools.

Thanks for the good words RojoMarz. Holler if you ever need parts to keep your feeder going.

Thanks for letting us know what you have right now. I think we did come across this website in one of our searches so I'll take another look through =)

 

[ReneeCase]

How large are you feeders? Your web site says that the medium feeder holds 25 lbs. of chicken pellets but it looks so small for that. Can that be true?

 

[Al Gerhart]

How large are you feeders? Your web site says that the medium feeder holds 25 lbs. of chicken pellets but it looks so small for that. Can that be true?

Sorry for the late reply. BYC is a pleasure but my schedule is so busy I rarely get the chance to check in.

But yeah, the medium feeder holds 26 pounds of pellets. I was working on a new prototype the other day and loaded up an old feeder with corn and got 30 pounds in it. The prototype is 2" shorter and a fraction of an inch smaller in width, trying to get the oversize charges down on that medium feeder by shrinking the outside while maximizing the interior space. The prototype actually holds one more quart of feed despite the smaller size.