Grandpa’s feeder: chickens throwing feed out

[cep55]

Hi everyone, I hope you’re all enjoying the holidays.

I wanted to see if anyone has the problem I’m having with the Grandpa’s feeder: when I fill it up, within a couple of hours my girls are scattering a lot of feed all over the run. (And they don’t seem to eat most of the scattered feed, so it’s wasted.)

I haven’t seen exactly how they’re doing this (need to get my cameras running again), but wondering if there’s any way to prevent or minimize this behavior?

I appreciate any suggestions!

 

[Al Gerhart]

Grandpa feeders were the market leader, the only choice for about a decade and they got fat and lazy and entitled. The feed waste, caused by their refusal to design the feeder properly with a half inch lip extending into the feed tray, was obvious. But with no competition, they didn't need to improve. Now they coast on their brand name but really it is a crap feeder in my opinion.

But you didn't ask for confirmation or to hear me b*tch, so here is a fix for you. First, if it doesn't have a metal grid to prevent feed raking, make one out of chicken wire. Second, add some sort of lip to the inside front edge of the feed tray. You could clean it well with alcohol and use something like self stick weather stripping. Even a quarter inch projection into the feed tray will help.

Next bit of advice, you didn't specify what kind of feed they are billing out. Any mixed grain feed will have more billing and raking than a homogeneous feed like pellets or crumbles. Or if you are tossing treats into the feed tray, any thing they might want to search for will cause feed raking or billing.