Daytime rats eating chicken feed. Not allowed to use rodenticide in my area due to owls, Hawks, coyotes and domestic dogs of course.

[Anon112]

I am guessing those feeders require a flat surface? My coop and run is on a slop and just the dirt floor so that would be tricky.
Also, my birds like to shovel their food out of the feeder to eat later off the ground, so I have assumed such a feeder wouldn’t help me much.

My run floor is also somewhat uneven and dirt. I attached a board to the run wall, then got a big piece of plywood. I put rocks and dirt under the plywood until it was level, then mounted the mounting bracket on the board. I do regularly check myself that the treadle opens smoothly.

I also have chickens who sometimes sweep some food out of the feeder, but it's not too much. The height of the lip of the feeder keeps them from getting too much out of there. When I use the whole grain feed, they're barely able to get any out. They have an easier time pushing out the crumbles.

I had a lot of concerns about whether the treadle feeders would help. And because they do represent a chunk of money (I had to buy 4 to accommodate my crew), I waited to pull the trigger on buying them. Looking back, I could have saved myself months of frustration and work and money just buying the darn things.

 

[RoyalChick]

Usually three patio blocks make a great base. In your situation, two would have to be dug into the slope to make them level. The feeder and treadle take up the first two 8" wide blocks, the last block serves as a platform to make it easy for the hen to walk up and pin the treadle down with one foot while standing on the other foot.

A proper treadle feeder has full height sides and the feed lip protrudes into the feed tray. Rarely can a hen rake feed out unless mixed feed is fed, then you need a $1.50 feeder lip extender. Hens shouldn't be able to shovel feed out onto the ground. In extreme cases or where mixed feed needs to be served, a chunk of chicken wire laid on top of the feed does wonders, forces the hen to peck for feed instead of raking with her beak.

My run floor is also somewhat uneven and dirt. I attached a board to the run wall, then got a big piece of plywood. I put rocks and dirt under the plywood until it was level, then mounted the mounting bracket on the board. I do regularly check myself that the treadle opens smoothly.

I also have chickens who sometimes sweep some food out of the feeder, but it's not too much. The height of the lip of the feeder keeps them from getting too much out of there. When I use the whole grain feed, they're barely able to get any out. They have an easier time pushing out the crumbles.

I had a lot of concerns about whether the treadle feeders would help. And because they do represent a chunk of money (I had to buy 4 to accommodate my crew), I waited to pull the trigger on buying them. Looking back, I could have saved myself months of frustration and work and money just buying the darn things.

Thank you both. You have given me something to think about.
Next time I am out I will see if I can think of a way to create a flat surface.
Mine mainly eat pellets. I assume it could work with pellets?

 

[Al Gerhart]

Thank you both. You have given me something to think about.
Next time I am out I will see if I can think of a way to create a flat surface.
Mine mainly eat pellets. I assume it could work with pellets?

Pellets, crumbles, whole grains. No fermented/wet food. You could though place a plastic container inside and place wet food in the container to keep it away from vermin.

 

[RoyalChick]

Pellets, crumbles, whole grains. No fermented/wet food. You could though place a plastic container inside and place wet food in the container to keep it away from vermin.

Great. Yeah - not worried about wet food - I wouldn't want to be the rat that tried to take some wet food from the middle of the chicken feeding frenzy, and I can just take up the bowl when the chickens have licked the plate clean (takes them 5 minutes!).

 

[Al Gerhart]

My run floor is also somewhat uneven and dirt. I attached a board to the run wall, then got a big piece of plywood. I put rocks and dirt under the plywood until it was level, then mounted the mounting bracket on the board. I do regularly check myself that the treadle opens smoothly.

I also have chickens who sometimes sweep some food out of the feeder, but it's not too much. The height of the lip of the feeder keeps them from getting too much out of there. When I use the whole grain feed, they're barely able to get any out. They have an easier time pushing out the crumbles.

I had a lot of concerns about whether the treadle feeders would help. And because they do represent a chunk of money (I had to buy 4 to accommodate my crew), I waited to pull the trigger on buying them. Looking back, I could have saved myself months of frustration and work and money just buying the darn things.

Clever mounting you did there.

Message me privately with your name and mailing address and I'll get you four feeder lip extensions in the mail. Remind me you need four of them please and let me know if they fix the crumble spilling. An alternative way is to choke off the throat of the feeder using a strip of cardboard until a thin layer of crumbles flow down the angled bottom of the feeder and create a small pile up of crumbles at the bottom. The operation of the feeder will slowly shake down replacement feed when tweaked just right.

Your last paragraph shows what I always say, you pay for a treadle feeder long before you ever buy one. You just don't have one though.

 

[Anon112]

Clever mounting you did there.

Message me privately with your name and mailing address and I'll get you four feeder lip extensions in the mail. Remind me you need four of them please and let me know if they fix the crumble spilling. An alternative way is to choke off the throat of the feeder using a strip of cardboard until a thin layer of crumbles flow down the angled bottom of the feeder and create a small pile up of crumbles at the bottom. The operation of the feeder will slowly shake down replacement feed when tweaked just right.

Your last paragraph shows what I always say, you pay for a treadle feeder long before you ever buy one. You just don't have one though.

Ha! Thank you!

I'm what you lovingly call an "OCD type" in your materials, but I ordered anyway. I'm not always the most mechanically inclined, so I was worried that I'd order the feeders then somehow mess them up in the assembly/installation process. But it's been pretty easy to adjust as I've gone on. (Everything is a learning curve, naturally). The YouTube videos were INCREDIBLY useful on this front.

I appreciate the lip feeder extensions! It's very rare that the birds get much food out, and it's mainly been the last month and a half because I have two mama hens and they are getting the food out of the feeder for their chicks.