All Things Treadle Feeder

[Anon112]

I have two of Al’s feeders. Total game changers regarding the rats. I also have 8 week old chicks.
My attempt to have them not use the rat-proof feeders was foiled by the broody hen raising them who would not let them eat from the open feeder and made them take pellets from the rat proof feeder. She stands on the treadle until they are done eating.
What I have done is use an old binder clip to stop it closing completely whenever the chicks are out and about.
Of course that means it isn’t rat proof, but neither is an open feeder.
I can remove the clip at night so it is rat proof again.
I tried removing a clip on one yesterday during the day and one chick got his head stuck because his sister just got heavy enough to open it, and unlike the broody hen the sister didn’t stay on the treadle until he finished eating. No harm done, but I will continue with the binder clip until I am sure they can use the feeder.
Picture below of mother hen holding it open for her little ones and of the binder clip which holds it open so the chicks can eat when they are out and about.
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So smart!!!!

The broody with these chicks was very good about "helping" them eat from the feeder. She actually didn't let them eat directly from it, but would drop food out for them onto the ground. (I only let them out when I was there to directly supervise after a close call with a mama hen and a chick whose leg got trapped months back---a very lucky escape!).

But she kicked them to the curb a few weeks ago, so they are on their own. I love the binder clip idea. The current schedule I have is that they are in the rat-safe "nursery" most of the day. Then everyone is outside free ranging while I supervise (and do my work). Then I just started letting them be out afterward with the "big girls" so they can roost up on the branch with them overnight. So we're just talking about 1-2 hours of time out in the run with the feeder before it gets dark. I'll try the binder clip tomorrow!

Something that is so tricky with chickens is that you do something and everything is okay, but you never totally know if it's actually okay because what you're doing is safe, or if you've just so far gotten lucky.

 

[RoyalChick]

So smart!!!!

The broody with these chicks was very good about "helping" them eat from the feeder. She actually didn't let them eat directly from it, but would drop food out for them onto the ground. (I only let them out when I was there to directly supervise after a close call with a mama hen and a chick whose leg got trapped months back---a very lucky escape!).

But she kicked them to the curb a few weeks ago, so they are on their own. I love the binder clip idea. The current schedule I have is that they are in the rat-safe "nursery" most of the day. Then everyone is outside free ranging while I supervise (and do my work). Then I just started letting them be out afterward with the "big girls" so they can roost up on the branch with them overnight. So we're just talking about 1-2 hours of time out in the run with the feeder before it gets dark. I'll try the binder clip tomorrow!

Something that is so tricky with chickens is that you do something and everything is okay, but you never totally know if it's actually okay because what you're doing is safe, or if you've just so far gotten lucky.

Yes. My broody started by going up to the feeder (which on Al’s advice I had elevated to keep it away from the chicks) and getting a pellet and bringing it down for the chicks to peck to pieces.
But pretty soon they were flying everywhere so it was a lost cause.
The binder clip keeps it open enough not to trap a head or leg, and for the chicks to eat independently. Quick to take off once they are locked up.
I have an old fashioned binder clip on the one in the photo which works great up high on the side.
For the other feeder I only had a modern binder clip - the kind where the ‘handle’ can butterfly up and down. That is slightly less great but works well enough. It works best clipped down at the bottom on the horizontal edge.
Good luck! I think mine are only a couple of weeks away from using it for real and without the clips. The one who got his head stuck when I removed the clip can just use it while standing on the treadle but it is an awkward stretch for him.

 

[Anon112]

Yes. My broody started by going up to the feeder (which on Al’s advice I had elevated to keep it away from the chicks) and getting a pellet and bringing it down for the chicks to peck to pieces.
But pretty soon they were flying everywhere so it was a lost cause.
The binder clip keeps it open enough not to trap a head or leg, and for the chicks to eat independently. Quick to take off once they are locked up.
I have an old fashioned binder clip on the one in the photo which works great up high on the side.
For the other feeder I only had a modern binder clip - the kind where the ‘handle’ can butterfly up and down. That is slightly less great but works well enough. It works best clipped down at the bottom on the horizontal edge.
Good luck! I think mine are only a couple of weeks away from using it for real and without the clips. The one who got his head stuck when I removed the clip can just use it while standing on the treadle but it is an awkward stretch for him.

Yes, I will never forget the day I watched two chicks (from a different hatch this summer) realize that the door would open if they stood on it together. Very cute.

I'll give the clip a try tomorrow. I go out to check on them once it's dark anyway, so removing it won't be much extra hassle.

 

[darkergraphic]

How old do the chicks typically have to be until you can start them on the treadle? Looking at Al’s too

 

[RoyalChick]

How old do the chicks typically have to be until you can start them on the treadle? Looking at Al’s too

3 of my 11-week olds are using Al’s feeders just fine. The 4th is still too small. She weighs enough but doesn’t yet have the reach.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Bingo, not about age, about weight and reach.

The spring tension can be adjusted down to as little as a pound...but... that light means much less rat proof ability.

If you put a scale on the actual door crank which is attached to the door where the springs are located, it is around 10 pounds using two springs. Leverage, the door crank is what, 1.5" long and the spring to axle length is more like five or six inches plus the entire door is around 10" long, lots of leverage.

Now with that 10 pounds on the door crank, that translates to around four pounds of weight needed to drop the treadle to open the door, again. leverage of the long treadle with the distant step.

And you down to around 1.5 pounds or pressure needed to just push the door open, i.e., nothing on the treadle. That is the minimum to stop a squirrel or three or four rats.

On the other hand, once you have the rats gone from starvation they aren't there to test the treadle. Or the occasional rat wandering in, not seeing feed out in the open and not smart enough to figure out they need to gang up on the treadle of a lightly set treadle feeder.

Even a poor treadle feeder will prevent rats so a ratproof treadle feeder set ultra light is very likely to solve the problem IF the chicks are large enough to reach the feed from the narrow and distant treadle step.

In my opinion though, keep the spring tension to four to five pounds. Once the rats and mice are gone you can raise a batch or broilers or a few hatches of replacement chicks without being overran with rodents in the eight to twelve weeks needed to get broilers or replacement pullets up to size.