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.

 

[BonnieBlue]

Bringing back this thread instead of starting a new one, to continue questions.

I have read about the Rat Proof Feeders here, and read the website. People have mentioned they have much less spillage. My girls literally scoop it out instead of eat at time, more than just a little spilllage. Will this help stop that? To help with that problem, I take up their feeder a couple of hours before dark and lock it in a metal trash can where rats can't get into it, and most of the time, as soon as they see me take it, they think they will never eat again so they clean up their food messes. I used to feed them outside the coop, but in this new coop, I have been feeding them inside, where I can get a better idea of the spills (I use sand in the coop) and clean up what they don't eat. I don't have rats, and I'm trying to prevent that.

Any advice and how to move forward with their scooping out food and not eating would be appreciated.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

Bringing back this thread instead of starting a new one, to continue questions.

I have read about the Rat Proof Feeders here, and read the website. People have mentioned they have much less spillage. My girls literally scoop it out instead of eat at time, more than just a little spilllage. Will this help stop that? To help with that problem, I take up their feeder a couple of hours before dark and lock it in a metal trash can where rats can't get into it, and most of the time, as soon as they see me take it, they think they will never eat again so they clean up their food messes. I used to feed them outside the coop, but in this new coop, I have been feeding them inside, where I can get a better idea of the spills (I use sand in the coop) and clean up what they don't eat. I don't have rats, and I'm trying to prevent that.

Any advice and how to move forward with their scooping out food and not eating would be appreciated.

This doesn’t work with typical feeders, but the one method I’ve found that keeps them from scooping or beaking out their feed is to moisten it. Fermenting is useful if you have a whole grain feed, but pointless for processed feed (pellets, crumbles.)

At any rate, adding water and letting it sit long enough to glop up a bit has eliminated waste from their feed bowls.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Bringing back this thread instead of starting a new one, to continue questions.

I have read about the Rat Proof Feeders here, and read the website. People have mentioned they have much less spillage. My girls literally scoop it out instead of eat at time, more than just a little spilllage. Will this help stop that? To help with that problem, I take up their feeder a couple of hours before dark and lock it in a metal trash can where rats can't get into it, and most of the time, as soon as they see me take it, they think they will never eat again so they clean up their food messes. I used to feed them outside the coop, but in this new coop, I have been feeding them inside, where I can get a better idea of the spills (I use sand in the coop) and clean up what they don't eat. I don't have rats, and I'm trying to prevent that.

Any advice and how to move forward with their scooping out food and not eating would be appreciated.

Since it has full sides with wrap around flanges on the front and IF you keep it solidly mounted to a wall or post to dampen the vibrations that shake feed down into the lower feed hopper, there won't be spillage. We have a feeder lip extension for the rare hen that likes to rake for goodies.$1.50 and free shipping if you order it with the feeder. Feed a single component feed like crumble or pellets or the hens will rake feed.

 

[RoyalChick]

Bringing back this thread instead of starting a new one, to continue questions.

I have read about the Rat Proof Feeders here, and read the website. People have mentioned they have much less spillage. My girls literally scoop it out instead of eat at time, more than just a little spilllage. Will this help stop that? To help with that problem, I take up their feeder a couple of hours before dark and lock it in a metal trash can where rats can't get into it, and most of the time, as soon as they see me take it, they think they will never eat again so they clean up their food messes. I used to feed them outside the coop, but in this new coop, I have been feeding them inside, where I can get a better idea of the spills (I use sand in the coop) and clean up what they don't eat. I don't have rats, and I'm trying to prevent that.

Any advice and how to move forward with their scooping out food and not eating would be appreciated.

My gang were scoopers when I was using hanging feeders. Since installing the rat proof feeders I have seen almost no spillage at all. It has made a big difference to my feed usage.

With the chicks I initially tried to deny them access to the feeders but that was not successful - so I used a binder clip to keep the door open during the day so they could eat from the feeder without getting crushed if a bigger chicken got off the treadle.
No rats have returned so far - I did see a mouse trying to throw itself at the feeder door but it gave up.
The benefit of this approach with the chicks I realize is that they are all automatically feeder-trained without any intervention - the broody hen showed them how to use it and now they all are. The one tiny one is still a bit iffy so I am still using the clip on one of them during the day to make sure she gets enough to eat but I will likely stop that in the next few days.