Grandpa’s Feeder help

[BoomChickWow]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1097949193929176

I had to guide some of them up the ramp at first

 

[FrannyLW]

https://www.facebook.com/video.php?v=1097949193929176

thank you!!

 

[FrannyLW]

I had to guide some of them up the ramp at first

can I ask where did you get the plastic for the ramp? I'm looking at things I could use nothing jumps out at me.

 

[BoomChickWow]

can I ask where did you get the plastic for the ramp? I'm looking at things I could use nothing jumps out at me.

I got it at Michaels!

 

[glennyg]

Help!! I was excited to get to grandpa’s feeder but now I feel like it’s stressing out my hens and me! I did as instructed, kept it at level one for a week, and then moved it to Level 2. They are terrified of the movement. I tried making a ramp to it, putting a nesting pad on the treadle step, blocking off sides… they didn’t eat for 2 days. I set a couple of them on it and they ate but they won’t step in it on their own because when it moves at all they freak out! They would rather peck around in their run and fuss. It stresses me out to let them go without feed for multiple days. So I stopped trying a while and restarted the process. They were fine with stepping on the treadle to eat but now that I moved it to level 2, same thing. Any suggestions or hope? How long do I let them go without eating their feed? 2 of them just started laying within the last few weeks and I don’t want it to affect that.

I used a fishing sinker for a week or two on the foot plate to stop the lid closing quickly. I had it so I could gradually move it toward the feeder over time which reduced the counterweight effect the chooks got used to using it. I also put some artificial turf under the foot plate so it didn't clank against the tile it sits on. I added more barrier to the sides because some chooks were leaning in over the provided ones, risking injury.
I had a problem later with juvenile mice getting in because there were 3 or 4 short pieces of rubber stuck to the trough lid (I assume to reduce noise) that left a gap big enough to squeeze through. My chooks were used to the feeder and I removed the insulation without any issues.

 

[Al Gerhart]

This is one of the major design flaws in the Grandpa feeder, having to leave the darned feeder open for weeks while training which also trains the rats and squirrels. A chicken ought to learn from day one that the lid is going to move when they step on the treadle but having the stupid lid overhead, well most humans would refuse to eat at a table with a freaking door able to come down at any moment.

You are better off ignoring their training advice and just start off with the door going up and down as they learn to use it. Or if you are within the Amazon return limit, send that sucker back. Grandpa does offer a liberal return policy too, two years I believe. Get a feeder with a spring loaded inward swinging door, some chickens still won't like that but they will like it better than the guillotine style door on the Grandpa feeder.

Good luck.

 

[whatthechickens]

+1 to what Al Gerhart wrote.

My chickens use Feed-o-matic (get big one it is sturdier) which has inward swinging flap.
There are probably many similar brands this one was nearby.
One hungry hen learnt how to use it within about 15 minutes and showed the rest. I have it raised a bit from the ground and use pellets and have no spillage.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I just saw the reply to this old thread when answering a newer thread on the Grandpa feeder and feed waste.

The feed o matic, if it is still available, is better than a Grandpa Xi feeder but still not a great feeder. It does have the inward swinging door, but other than a little spring that can help change the amount of pressure needed to trip the treadle, it has zero pre loading on the door. Meaning the smallest rat or large mouse or sparrow can just push the darned door open.

Plus it is plastic where it matters most; the feed tray. Mice and rats and squirrels just chew through the plastic.

The manufacturer dumped these on the U.S. market starting a few years ago. Very pretty, well marketed, nice box, but it was a deeply flawed feeder with plenty of negative reviews including plenty of chewed through feed trays. Also, the birds had to lean way forward to get to the feed, something most prey species do not like to do. They did have an all metal version which was a much better feeder but they had made some turds that would no longer sell in Europe so they dumped them for cost, around $40 per feeder if you bought a pallet of them.

Of course you wouldn't want to dump a bad product in your own market, it kept ruining their reputation and lead to product returns, so they exported them cheap to the U.S. where they were the new kid on the block. One seller put a bright red text warning on their product page, Hog Slat I think it was. The rest just sold them cheap and screwed the consumers. That said, they were better in some ways than the Grandpa Xi feeder.