I just wanted to give you an update on the DYI feeder that I made. They wouldn't use it for a while, but then I made the hole larger so food would fall out easier and tried again, and now it's a HUGE hit with my girls. It keeps them occupied, and they love taking turns hitting it to make the food fall. This is so much better and cheaper than the treadle feeder I bought (which they still won't use).
It does a great job keeping out those pesky sparrows, too. Here is the youtube video on how to make them. I used a one gallon bucket instead of the five gallon one that he shows, and I think I spent less than ten dollars on materials.
Wow! Thx for sharing! I might try the 1 gallon idea since we have only 4 hens! I space my feeders around the yard and this would be a good idea for the remote area of the yard. Did you hang the gallon inside your pen or did you use the T-bar setup in the yard like the youtube video? I was thinking to hang one from our pop-up canopy frame. I have about 5 different forms of feed for our chickens and keep the feeds separate so the chickens choose the type of feed they need/like.