Weather proof feeder

[Al Gerhart]

No, no it isn't. If the chickens can reach the feed a rat can jump much higher. Bucket feeders work fine until you attract rodents.

 

[Loving my girls]

Update on my treadle feeder.

I HAVE NO RATS


I have had a camera on it for a week and no rats, mice, gerbils or any other rodent are getting any food. Only my girls

 

[Bawkbok]

Update on my treadle feeder.

I HAVE NO RATS


I have had a camera on it for a week and no rats, mice, gerbils or any other rodent are getting any food. Only my girls

That's great. How did you train them to use it? I've seen videos and read varying comments on treadle feeders works or they don't for different folks. What worked for you please?

 

[Loving my girls]

It was quite stressful for me.
Step 1
I took away their old food completely (very important) and wedged the treadle feeder wide open.
Step 2
It didn’t take them long to see the food and start with the pecking. The younger ones (1 yr old) figured it out first but I knew that once one figured it out the others would catch on. Gradually I reduced the opening (generally a couple of weeks - yeah it took that long)
Step 3
Each time I reduced was a worry and occasionally I increased it again. But after a lot of anxiety they figured it out.
I wedged it open with pieces of old wall tile that way I could remove a piece very slowly.

A couple of pictures may help

Happy Christmas

Hope this helps

 

[Al Gerhart]

You know, that style of feeder shouldn't require blocking the treadle open. Inward swinging door feeders take less time to train. Two reasons why you shouldn't. And one reason why most manufacturers tell you to do it that way.

One reason, by blocking a feeder open you are teaching the birds that the door or lid isn't supposed to move nor the treadle. They find the feed fast, no doubt, but when you change the opening the hens freak out when things start to move. Now, with an overhead lid like the Chinese made Grandpa feeder or one of its many Chinese made clones, you do need to block a door open. Far better to start off the way the feeder will be used. Use your toe to trip the treadle to show them the feed, maybe toss some treats into the bottom opening, then watch them. If one doesn't step up right away, go do something else for a half hour. Rinse and repeat if needed. Might block the sides of the feeder to force the hens in from the front, milk jugs with dirt or sand filling.

Second reason, leaving the door or lid open teaches the rodents or wild birds where the feed is, it trains them along with the chickens. That sort of feeder is like the Chinese made Grandpa feeder, no spring pre load on the door so once the vermin knows the feed is there the learn to push the lid open to get to the feed. You have to have enough spring pressure to prevent the lid or door from being pushed open. That said, even a poor treadle feeder is better than no treadle feeder and in your case it worked.

The reason most of the manufacturers tell you to block the feeder open for weeks? To cut down on returns. They need to get past the 30 day return window on the product. It takes a few days to get delivered, might sit around another few days before the flock owner has time to install it, then usually they recommend a three week training schedule with the door being partially open. Human nature is we second guess ourselves, it might be our fault, so when the hens don't pick it up we try a bit longer and find out the item is no longer returnable. Some companies offer longer warranties but once you read the warranties you find out they only cover manufacturing defects, I've seen lots of customers upset at the companies selling on Amazon for not honoring their own website warranty. But offering those warranties gives customers a sense of safety and when a customer gets pissed off and writes a bad review all they have to say online is "return the product" and they look good online while still not allowing returns.

It seems you are in France, correct? The choice of products is limited there, that one is not great but it isn't as bad as some of the other treadle feeders available in the EU market. Britain actually has one very nice treadle feeder. The only fault I've seen with that kind is the treadle wire bending. It is just wire, a flat bar would be far better, 10 times stronger. But you can bend it back a few times before metal fatigue causes it to break. If you can, use a torch to heat the wire up before you bend it in the area it bent the most, then let it cool slowly.

 

[Loving my girls]

I understand your comments but this feeder does have a spring, two in fact, which is moveable depending on the weight of the hens. They learnt very quickly that the treadle did the job as they had to get close to feed and this opened the door.
According to my movement detector camera we have no rats (or mice for that matter) anywhere near the feeder or entrance to the hen house anymore when we did have about 17 sighting per 24 hour period.
As for the wire bending, I guess it could but I doubt it as it is very thick and galvanised. I have had a second specific look and I can’t bend the wire.

As I say I understand your comments and these are mine.

 

[Loving my girls]

It seems you are in France, correct? The choice of products is limited there,

Ah yes but we invented the wheel last week and we might even get the Internet soon

I’m sure you didn’t mean to sound so patronising

 

[Al Gerhart]

It wasn't patronizing at all.

Just that the best feeders are U.S. made and one or two models coming out of Australia.

Facts are never patronizing.

 

[Loving my girls]

It wasn't patronizing at all.

Just that the best feeders are U.S. made and one or two models coming out of Australia.

Facts are never patronizing.

I think generalisation such as that can be questionable.
I am very pleased with my feeder but am quite prepared to accept that there are many others made throughout the WORLD, that can be just as good and even be better. As I cannot test them all I could not possibly say that my feeder is the best nor that the best feeders only come from specific countries.

 

[Bawkbok]

It was quite stressful for me.
Step 1
I took away their old food completely (very important) and wedged the treadle feeder wide open.
Step 2
It didn’t take them long to see the food and start with the pecking. The younger ones (1 yr old) figured it out first but I knew that once one figured it out the others would catch on. Gradually I reduced the opening (generally a couple of weeks - yeah it took that long)
Step 3
Each time I reduced was a worry and occasionally I increased it again. But after a lot of anxiety they figured it out.
I wedged it open with pieces of old wall tile that way I could remove a piece very slowly.

A couple of pictures may help

Happy Christmas

Hope this helps

Thank you for sharing your process. This helps alot.
Merry Christmas.