Grandpa's Feeders Automatic Chicken Feeder - Sturdy Galvanized Steel Poultry Feeders - Rat Proof & No Spill with Weatherproof Lid - Standard Size for 6-12 Chickens 10 days (20lb Feed)

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Sometimes had to adjust them for light birds, but even our bantams were able to figure how to open them to eat by walking along the step until it opened for them. The feeder doesn’t have an lip either so they had to add a wire grid in an attempt to stop the birds from raking feed out onto the ground, unsuccessfully according to one review. One a brighter note, if you’re looking to reduce the wild birds stealing feed like I was, go to backyardchickens. Grandpa’s Poultry feeders have a cantilevered lid over the feed trough that lifts to expose the feed when a chicken steps onto the attached platform and closes when the chicken steps off it. We haven't had them poo on any other part of the feeder, but I suppose they might perch on the roof of the hopper.

It makes sure rodents and wild birds, both of which can bring disease to the flock, can't get access to your grain. Not a problem of it is easy to clean but more so if the nooks and crannies prove impossible to reach. I quickly realized that the actual and potential costs of rodents in the feed and around the chicken coop can far exceed the cost of one of Grandpa’s Feeders.Chickens are copy cats if they see another chicken doing something and there is food involved, they are straight onto it!

There is a larger version available that can hold twice as much as well though if you have a large flock. At least a half dozen mice and several big rats were racing around the feeder stuffing themselves, leaving, then coming back for more. I do however still have it in the open position after 4 weeks because the motion freaked my chickens out so bad they wouldn’t come out of their house😏 Not too worried about birds or rodents in their enclosed yard. I find the powdered feed remnants always sit at the bottom front of the feeder which causes the rest to not fall down as intended.We provide videos on how best to introduce your chickens to their new favorite feeder with step-by-step tips on teaching them to use it successfully. I genuinely only recommend products that I have bought myself and love, or that someone I know and trust has and loves. After installing and the 3-4 weeks of training I noticed I was using about 10-15% less feed every month. I've been eyeing the Grandpa's Feeder after all the rave reviews on Youtube and other places, but I'm wondering if this feeder will repel bugs, especially ants. I'm really pleased actually, as I am going away on Sunday for a couple of nights and now I don't have to ask my neighbour to set the feeder every morning when she opens up.

My birds did take a little longer than normal but they soon realised that stepping on the treadle plate meant food and they were quite happy to walk over, step on the treadle and eat when they were hungry. It took my older chickens an extra two weeks at the half open setting to get used to the movement and noise, but they did get used to it. There are eight separate pivot points on the door/treadle assembly, eight nuts that might fall off, eight rotating bolts that will wear over time and become sloppy. Mice and rats can carry disease-causing organisms on their feet, contaminating ten times the amount of feed they consume with droppings, urine and hair. Poultry feed is expensive and even a modest amount of feed being wasted daily will soon add up over the course of a month, not to mention the associated risk of disease when rats or wild birds are involved.

Rodents are known carriers of approximately 45 diseases, including salmonellosis, pasteurellosis, leptospirosis, swine dysentery, trichinosis, toxoplasmosis and rabies. A better design would have used two fasteners to hold the step on the treadle bar instead of the eight fasteners used. I placed a camera in the coop to see what was going on during the night and sure enough it was the rats eating the feed. Provide food in an easily accessible manner for your chickens and poultry so you can get away from home, and take a well earned holiday, leaving them with enough food in the feeder for ten days or more.

I've had this feeder now for about ten years and it's not as shiny now, but showing no other signs of wear. So a bit of background we produce all our own corn on the farm and that along with layers pellets makes up the majority of the chickens feed. The first thing to do is to place bolts in the top position which holds open the lid and of course fill the feeder up. The hens were pretty wary of it on Monday (especially big bum Bella who is a wuss) but hunger got the better of them and they were hopping on and off the treadle (cautiously) quite quicky. I got the benefits in terms of the money saved by keeping rats out the coop and run, those benefits I’m still enjoying now.She had to prop it partly open for ages and then gradually get them used to using the treadle; it took weeks! Because not only can they get through the tiniest of holes, they can jump up to around three feet off the ground. Perhaps the most important part of an “automatic feeder” is to have food available whenever the chickens want to eat.