4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[redcharlie43]

Does anyone have one of these? Chucky Mama suggested I get one to try and sort out my rat problem. It seems like a good idea but I have just looked on the website and it seems very noisy every time it is opened/closed. Is this the case or am I being paranoid. My hens already make enough noise and i don't want to annoy the neighbours more with clattering metal every time the hens feed.

Can anyone offer any advice?

[Chortle Chook]

A friend of mine uses one of these and I have not noticed much noise. I guess it is a question of keeping the hinges oiled. Also if it really did make a loud clunk every time it was used, surely it would scare off the hen using it. Why don't you find a shop that sells them where you can see, and test one rather than buying online?

[chickanne]

I bought a treadle feeder in Oct because so many wild birds had learned to raid the grub. I thought it would take ages for my two bird brains to catch on but NO!

I put mealworms on the platform which they scoffed ignoring the clanging noise.

Then I filled it and wedged it open with mealworms on the lip.

2 days is all it took.

[Mr Rhode Island Red]

To be honest I think they are a bit overpriced.

 

I stopped my rat problem by stopping feeding my hens ad-lib. Now they get fed once a day, with enough food that can be eaten in "one sitting", without any waste left over after they leave the hopper.

 

I mean, paying in excess of £100 for a chicken feeder is just silly, in my books anyway.

[CharLeila]

£100 is way too much money. I had the same problem as chickanne with loads of wild birds stealing the food so I bought a 10kg teadle feeder and its great. Was about £30-40 online and is well worth the money. The food lasts ages and stays dry inside it too. It makes a quiet clunk when the girls step on and off the platform but nothing that would disturb your neighbours. Have a look here http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_nkw=treadle+feeder&_sacat=0&_odkw=treadle+feeder&adpos=1s4&MT_ID=11&crlp=14589226747_2113181&tt_encode=raw&_osacat=0&clk_rvr_id=463125176963&geo_id=32251&keyword=treadle+feeder&crdt=0

I like the look of the Regency Poultry one with the green plastic coating and quiet closing.

[poshchicks]

I have a Grandpa feeder. It took a few weeks for my chooks to get used to it, but it has been worth every penny and my newbies have adapted well to it too. It saves bringing the grubs/food in at night and holds a fair amount of pellets so no need to refill every day. Good investment in my book.

[chickanne]

I bought the small green one (7kg) from Flytes of Fancy. It's a bit of a fiddle to fill if put in the small Eglu run but I like it to be undercover and it means if I am away overnight the food is mouseproof but the girls can still have breakfast when they get up.

This feeder is quite narrow (they can both get their heads in a once with a bit of cooperation) but they do have to stand on the treadle to get their beaks in so they should not be able to chop one anothers head off!

[Lindy Loo]

I have a Grandpa's feeder and for me it is worth its weight in gold. I bought the large size for my 8 chickens and when full it lasts for ages. It has also reduced the amount of spilt pellets in the run.

[Lavenders_Blue]

I have a Grandpa's Feeder too and think it's brilliant. Yes it does clank a bit but it won't be loud enough to annoy your neighbours (unless they are the sort of people who like to be annoyed about other people's noise). We got ours because of a rat problem and the GF coupled with some bait stations has got sorted our rat problem.