Automated Cat Feeders???

[Cuqui18]

hey does anyone use or think its a good/bad idea to use automated cat feeders to your ducks or chickens? like these :

Tell me what you think about the idea

 

[The Duck ABC's]

With the chicken yes, with the duck maybe. Ducks mix their food one with water and it is will be a pretty good mess down there.

 

[Cuqui18]

so with ducks even if they are in separate containers you think it would still get very messy? what do they do? like eat and then dip in the water container etc.?

 

[FireTigeris]

Quote:
yes, ducks (some) are dabblers and retain this behavior in captivity.

 

[mandelyn]

I used auto feeders with my first ducklings, and even with the feeder in the opposite corner from the water, the ducks were mixing and and making a compacted mush trail between the two. So not worth it. The smell was terrible. Something about the large bottom makes them mix it way worse than they do with a chick feeder with more limited beak access.

 

[The Duck ABC's]

Took a look at the Petmate instruction sheet:
http://www.petmate.com/wp-content/uploads/lebistro_epc_instruction_sheet.pdf
It is great that the bowl can be removed and washed, but the batteries are on the bottom of it and will get wet there. Perhaps mounting it from above and have a shoot going down into a bowl will fix that.

 

[Cuqui18]

so what do people recommend in terms of providing feed and water to 2 ducklings than adult ducks?