Do your port ("bucket") feeders keep house sparrows out?

[texsuze]

I've reached a critical point in the nuisance sparrow population at my barn and have ordered a live trap that can hold several sparrows at one time. I'm also looking at changing from hanging feeders (they worked great for about 10 years) to a tote or bucket feeder with the port holes in the sides. I have a DIY kit (2 feeding ports) from Rent a Coop. I use Flock Raiser crumbles exclusively. I've tried the pedal (treadle) feeders with zero success in critter prevention and won't go back to using them. Due to fire ant presence I prefer to hang my chicken feeders. For those who are using the 'port' feeders:
--Do they seem to prevent or slow sparrows and/or other wild birds from feeding on chicken feed?
--For breeds like BA or EE, is there enough head clearance inside the port to prevent comb/wattles from being abraded?
--What was the biggest challenge to getting your chickens to accept this type of feeder, or to transition from another style feeder to a port (bucket) feeder?
--Given the orientation of the 'elbow joint' feeding port, how does feed make its way up inside the port enough for chickens to access?

Thanks for responding to what is probably the 100th time this topic has been covered here!

 

[puddle_drinker]

I've reached a critical point in the nuisance sparrow population at my barn and have ordered a live trap that can hold several sparrows at one time. I'm also looking at changing from hanging feeders (they worked great for about 10 years) to a tote or bucket feeder with the port holes in the sides. I have a DIY kit (2 feeding ports) from Rent a Coop. I use Flock Raiser crumbles exclusively. I've tried the pedal (treadle) feeders with zero success in critter prevention and won't go back to using them. Due to fire ant presence I prefer to hang my chicken feeders. For those who are using the 'port' feeders:
--Do they seem to prevent or slow sparrows and/or other wild birds from feeding on chicken feed?
--For breeds like BA or EE, is there enough head clearance inside the port to prevent comb/wattles from being abraded?
--What was the biggest challenge to getting your chickens to accept this type of feeder, or to transition from another style feeder to a port (bucket) feeder?
--Given the orientation of the 'elbow joint' feeding port, how does feed make its way up inside the port enough for chickens to access?

Thanks for responding to what is probably the 100th time this topic has been covered here!

If the wild birds have a bird feeder with sunflower seeds available, they will go to the sunflower seeds vs. poultry feed. If house sparrows are on your bird feeder and it's in range of your pellet/bb gun, you can shoot them. Same for European Starlings since they are both invasive species. I've also noticed that wild birds in my area will eat up crumbles, but aren't fond of pellet feed. Food for thought..

Also a strawberry jam and borax mix, about 70/30 is good for taking out an ant colony. Once they find the mix and start eating it, the colony will die in roughly a week. The borax kills their gut microbes so they can't digest food, but it takes some time. Meanwhile they feed it to the whole colony.

Sorry I didn't actually answer your question. House sparrows and ants (normally carpenter ants for me) are my trigger words.

 

[0die]

I've been getting sparrows and doves in my coop and hitting the feeder. Getting annoying. thinking about some kinda curtain thing around the pop door to discourage them

 

[texsuze]

Thanks for replies, but actually hoping to hear from folks who are currently using bucket feeders with the elbow joint-type 'ports' (openings) and whether sparrows are eating chicken feed from those feeders, or getting inside those type of feeders.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Curios as to why the treadle feeder failed on something as easy to stop as sparrows.

What type of treadle feeder and how did it fail? Might learn something new from the answer.

Thanks

 

[fowltemptress]

My mother still had problems with sparrows using that type of feeder. She's switching to these.

 

[FNF]

I also have sparrows that drive me crazy. They swoop through the auto-door into the run. I had a treadle feeder but somehow the chickens still made a mess and it was easy pickings for the flying mice. I just got a bucket feeder with the elbow ports on it. I don't have too many observations just yet as I'm trying to get my chickens to switch over. I've been putting scratch right at the mouth of the port to get them to stick their heads in. I think they are starting to get it but I don't want to remove the other feeder just yet until I've seen them use it routinely. I don't think the sparrows will be able to easily access it at the very least.

 

[texsuze]

Thanks, FNF, hope your bucket feeder works. That's what I'm leaning towards.

Bunnies and squirrels learned to use my treadle feeder before my hens did; at that time I didn't have sparrows, but after a squirrel got trapped inside the feed hopper I went back to the standard hanging feeder. Also got tired of hearing the door clunk, clunk each time someone (hen or bunny or squirrel) stood on the pedal. My 9 y.o. BA never learned to use the pedal feeder so I still had to have alternate feed station for her. Can't have a feeder that sits on the ground, either, due to persistent fire ant populations.

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Thanks for replies, but actually hoping to hear from folks who are currently using bucket feeders with the elbow joint-type 'ports' (openings) and whether sparrows are eating chicken feed from those feeders, or getting inside those type of feeders.

I use port feeders and don't have any issues with the birds using them, or wild birds getting into them. Just be sure to dump out all the powdery feed that's left in the bottom before each refill, especially in our humid summers.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Bunnies will never be stopped with a treadle feeder, they weigh more than a hen and have a longer body. Squirrels can be stopped but you have to double up on the springs and put the tension directly on the door. We have a retrofit kit for our older feeders if anyone has one of our feeders.

Ditto on treadle feeders that hens rake feed out of. There is a feeder lip extension and you can choke off the throat of the feeder to lower the amount of feed in the lower tray. The only thing is that it has to be a uniform feed like crumbles or pellets or the hens will treasure hunt and rake out feed. Not much can be done for fire ants other than an oil moat around the feeder. Not sure how well it would work with loose litter around.