All Things Treadle Feeder

[BonnieBlue]

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.

Thank you. I'm happy to know there is an lip extension. I feed pellets, and some days the girls scoop a lot.

 

[BonnieBlue]

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.

How old are your chicks learning to use it? I like the clip idea for training the littles. It's good to know this feeder has helped with the beaking out. Some days, I lecture them about how money doesn't grow in trees, but they still aren't listening.

 

[RoyalChick]

How old are your chicks learning to use it? I like the clip idea for training the littles. It's good to know this feeder has helped with the beaking out. Some days, I lecture them about how money doesn't grow in trees, but they still aren't listening.

The Littles are 13 weeks tomorrow and all are using the feeders, but this one is still a little small.

Her sisters however are real pros. You can see the clip that stops it slamming shut on anyone’s head.

I put 5-day old chicks under a broody and initially gave them little bowls of crumble and mash. But their adoptive mother didn’t like that and I found her going to the feeder, removing a pellet and serving it up to the chicks to peck into smaller pieces.
So I realized that she would soon be showing them where the pellets were so I deployed the clip at that point. I guess they were 7 days old when they started eating out of the feeders. Of course they were way too small to operate the treadle but their adoptive mother would stand on the treadle so they could eat, and the clip stopped the door slamming down on their heads if she stepped off the treadle before they were finished.
The angle is a bit off in this photo but the mother (black hen) is standing on the treadle while two babies are standing in front of the treadle and eating.

 

[BonnieBlue]

The Littles are 13 weeks tomorrow and all are using the feeders, but this one is still a little small.
View attachment 4244134

Her sisters however are real pros. You can see the clip that stops it slamming shut on anyone’s head.
View attachment 4244136

I put 5-day old chicks under a broody and initially gave them little bowls of crumble and mash. But their adoptive mother didn’t like that and I found her going to the feeder, removing a pellet and serving it up to the chicks to peck into smaller pieces.
So I realized that she would soon be showing them where the pellets were so I deployed the clip at that point. I guess they were 7 days old when they started eating out of the feeders. Of course they were way too small to operate the treadle but their adoptive mother would stand on the treadle so they could eat, and the clip stopped the door slamming down on their heads if she stepped off the treadle before they were finished.
The angle is a bit off in this photo but the mother (black hen) is standing on the treadle while two babies are standing in front of the treadle and eating.
View attachment 4244138

What a good momma! This really gives me some good info. I give my girls mash with mealworms soaked in it, and rarely does that get spilled, but their dry pellets are a different story.

 

[BDutch]

As much as I discourage poison, now is the time if you can use it safely as the rats are much more likely to try something strange.

Its impossible to use rat poison safely because the poison always comes in the environment. Scavengers eat dead rats and die too. Small, big and tiny scavengers. Research on dead mammals and birds of prey they found showed the impact of the poisoned rat. Insects get easily sick and die too. When rat poison is all over the place your chickens get ‘contaminated’ too.

Plagues are often a result of using poison or eliminating animals of prey in the past.

The rats, sadly, have been able to tunnel into the run. (I have an apron, but there are vulnerable points at my corner posts, and the rats dug under the posts, SIGH).

It must be doable to block the tunnels and make new and larger or deeper aprons in the corners somehow. This is the best way to keep the rats out. A cat that hunts young rats is a good asset too.

Great to read these treadle feeders work so well for you.

 

[RoyalChick]

Its impossible to use rat poison safely because the poison always comes in the environment. Scavengers eat dead rats and die too. Small, big and tiny scavengers. Research on dead mammals and birds of prey they found showed the impact of the poisoned rat. Insects get easily sick and die too. When rat poison is all over the place your chickens get ‘contaminated’ too.

Plagues are often a result of using poison or eliminating animals of prey in the past.


It must be doable to block the tunnels and make new and larger or deeper aprons in the corners somehow. This is the best way to keep the rats out. A cat that hunts young rats is a good asset too.

Great to read these treadle feeders work so well for you.

There are some safe rat poisons around. RatX and high dose Vitamin D are the stand outs.
RatX is safe for everything except rats and mice but it doesn’t seem very yummy to rats unless all other food has been eliminated. Mice seem to like it.
Vitamin D is not safe for others to consume, but does not render the rodent toxic to predators so is still many times safer to use than traditional anticoagulant poisons.
Also, there is a rat contraceptive that is 100% safe and works to reduce fertility in both male and female rats. That is costly because it needs to be eaten regularly, but unlike the two safe killing baits seems to be like junk food for rats. When I got an infestation they were grabbing these contraceptive sausages and partying all night.
I didn’t do a real trial to confirm it worked, but the data on it is very compelling.