Poorly chicken

[Debaser]

I bought myself a teadle feeder and for the last week I've had a brick on it so the girls can get the food.

Do you think there've "learned" that the food is there now and I can take the brick off?

I don't want the girls to go hungry!

 

Thanks,

 

Dan

[Egluntyne]

I'd say so. That is what I did with mine.

 

You might find that they are a bit startled at first when it bangs shut, but they will get used to it.

[Busybird]

I would be interested to know what treadle feeders you use and where you got them

[Egluntyne]

I got **this one** from Flytesofancy.

[Valkyrie]

Same as mine - but my girls hate it. Also if you choose the same one, make sure it's in a dry area because I found that although the food is dry inside the container, the rain splashes onto the flap and drips down into the trough - lots of mouldy bits start to grow then.

[Busybird]

Thanks for this - not sure what to do though

 

The four chooks in the cube have, once again knocked their grub off the run bars sending pellets everywhere. As it is raining this will soon become a soggy mess that I worry will attract vermin overnight. Not much point in being careful to bring the food in overnight when half of it is spilt over the run floor

 

I thought a treadle feeder would be a good solution but there are obviously issues with that too. Will need to consider...

[BarbaraJ]

Mine knock the grubs off especially when the food is lower. They are much better with this

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/3-KG-KILO-POULTRY-CHICKEN-FEEDER-HEN-CAN-BE-HUNG_W0QQitemZ290370508617QQcmdZViewItemQQptZUK_Pet_Supplies_Poultry?hash=item439b6e5 hung from the roof of the WIR, keeps it dry and rarely any gets knocked out.

[Busybird]

Oh thanks for that BarbaraJ I think I have seen some like that at our local agricentre. At that price I could try one and see how they get on.

 

Just a thought - if you hang it from the roof of the run don't they set it swinging? I have visions of hungry hens being bashed trying to get food from a swinging feeder

[Valkyrie]

I hang a feeder inside the cube run. Yes it does swing, but they learn to duck - but then it only swings a little bit. I had the treadle feeder outside because the pigeons keep eating their outside food (even if it's in the greenhouse - pesky varmints) and my girls free range all day, only getting shut in the cube about an hour or so before they go to bed.

[Debaser]

Thanks for the replies,

 

The girls were initially weary over the banging noise as mentioned but they now seem fine.

 

Cheers,

 

Dan

[Lewis]

Does anyone know how bantams get on with a treadle feeder?

[Valkyrie]

Yes - Mini likes sitting on top of it. Although I think they are too light - if it's too heavy for pigeons to operate it, it would have to be a very overweight bantam that could get any food (but that is my particular one).

I don't think it helps that the paving consists of an uneven surface, so wobbles rather alarmingly.

[Lewis]

Might give it a miss then if she can't use it, as CnN wouldn't be able to

 

Tom helped me too, so thanks

[Chucky Mama]

Does anyone know how bantams get on with a treadle feeder?

 

You can alter them so that lighter birds can activate it - that does work as I had to change ours so that the wood pigeons couldn't activate ours. I am still undecided about my treadle though and don't know that I can recommend them yet. Our girls can empty the contents which then falls beneath the platform which makes a heck of a mess and is a pain to clear up, also I have had problems with the food getting damp inside, clogging and preventing the free flow. I have stopped using it for the moment.

[patsylabrador]

I've been using a square, plastic Jacob's cracker box for quite a while now for my bantams. There's virtually no spillage, it seems to have just the right proportions to hold a nice lot of food and hold in the bits that get scattered when they feed. All three can feed together, I can bring it in easily at night and of course it was dirt cheap. I tried other feeders but there was always soggy spillage everywhere.

[Valkyrie]

Now that sounds interesting - is it an open box or have you customised it? I have a couple of old casserole dishes and flowerpot drip trays that I use up near the house which have to be rushed into the greenhouse if it rains.

[patsylabrador]

Now that sounds interesting - is it an open box or have you customised it?

Hi, did you mean the cracker box? It's just open, as it came, but it's in a covered WIR so the contents stay dry.

[Valkyrie]

Ah, I wondered if you had cut a hole in there somewhere! I've tried the open dishes etc in the cube run but the monkeys chuck aubiose in it - and the peanut feeder So it's the swinging feeder in the run and dishes outside (or at the moment in the greenhouse as we have drizzle today). With regard to spillage outside - I agree it got stuck under the treadle which also wasn't good when wet, although I could easily lift the thing up. But with the other dishes outside the wild birds (blackbirds and robins and those pesky pigeons) finish the spillage long after the girls are tucked up in bed - as long as there isn't very much so as to attract vermin that is.

[Bob Storey]

I have has 2 5 KG Mac Eoin treadle feeders for 5days with entrance pegged down for easy access and apart from 1 hen, the other 8 will not use it.      
They are 3/4 year old hens so maybe they are fixed in their ways and are afraid to enter to feed trough.       Have tried everything such as scattering food on entrance and raised backplate to maximum.     These hens are starving.     Any advice?

[Bob Storey]

On 3/23/2010 at 9:50 AM, Chucky Mama said:

 

You can alter them so that lighter birds can activate it - that does work as I had to change ours so that the wood pigeons couldn't activate ours. I am still undecided about my treadle though and don't know that I can recommend them yet. Our girls can empty the contents which then falls beneath the platform which makes a heck of a mess and is a pain to clear up, also I have had problems with the food getting damp inside, clogging and preventing the free flow. I have stopped using it for the moment.

I have had 2x5Kg treadles in situ for 10 days and still they don't work for all hens even though they are starving and given up egg-laying.

 

On 3/23/2010 at 9:50 AM, Chucky Mama said:

 

You can alter them so that lighter birds can activate it - that does work as I had to change ours so that the wood pigeons couldn't activate ours. I am still undecided about my treadle though and don't know that I can recommend them yet. Our girls can empty the contents which then falls beneath the platform which makes a heck of a mess and is a pain to clear up, also I have had problems with the food getting damp inside, clogging and preventing the free flow. I have stopped using it for the moment.

Wonder why its not designed as a solid platform so that it would be more acceptable.

 

[Bob Storey]

On 3/19/2010 at 1:40 PM, Busybird said:

Thanks for this - not sure what to do though

 

The four chooks in the cube have, once again knocked their grub off the run bars sending pellets everywhere. As it is raining this will soon become a soggy mess that I worry will attract vermin overnight. Not much point in being careful to bring the food in overnight when half of it is spilt over the run floor

 

I thought a treadle feeder would be a good solution but there are obviously issues with that too. Will need to consider...

I have been unable to get my supplier to refund unless I return at my own expense for them to examine maintaining that nobody else complains. They maintain all other purchasers have been happy with their treadles and that they work 100% so why would I chance a return to those who will not accept that for me it does not work.

 

[Beantree]

As you say, your hens are older and are used to their original feeders. I've looked at the design and can see that having to put their head into a dark strange place to eat isn't going to happen. We have grandpa feeders (unused as yet) and they are an open design where the lid lifts so they can look down into it and then they are trained to use it in stages. Haven't heard any complaints about them, aside from the time it takes to train them and treadle balance issues.

Before they starve to death it might be an idea to change back to the old feeders. Why did you buy these?