Feeder Build

[aart]

The front board is 4" tall so the depth is 3 1/4".

Man, some of them just seem to like to beak dig.
I have one or two that peck and peck and peck at where the feed comes out of tube and fill the deep dish up. Wonders if it's their instinctual need to eat off the ground, so they try to get the feed down there?<shrugs> Anyway, when that happens I stop filling the funnel until they empty the deep dish, I usually only put out what they will eat in ~24 hours, but that can vary. Not really problem here as I feed daily, but for folks who want more than a days feed out it certainly could be wasteful.
Hard to engineer for live animals

 

[jthornton]

I've been watching them eat like sitting right behind them and I think the 5" depth is a bit much with the front height so I'll split the difference and go 4" deep (front to back). I also took some of the pellet and gave it a whirl in my egg shell grinder (old food processor) to make it into crumble and put it in their favorite and least favorite place (the left and right bin) and if there is only two at the feeder they are eating out of the left and right bins. I'm thinking they prefer crumble...

JT

 

[aart]

I've been watching them eat like sitting right behind them and I think the 5" depth is a bit much with the front height so I'll split the difference and go 4" deep (front to back).

You thinking it gives them too much room to move?
Good idea on the crumble vs pellet experiment.
I'm thinking they don't like the pellets, or just aren't used to them yet, so are digging more. I've read of trouble switching to pellets. Never used them here.

 

[jthornton]

You thinking it gives them too much room to move?
Good idea on the crumble vs pellet experiment.
I'm thinking they don't like the pellets, or just aren't used to them yet, so are digging more. I've read of trouble switching to pellets. Never used them here.

No, when they reach for the bottom of the lexan to pull more out of the hopper they have to stretch too much to reach it and press their neck up against the vertical board. So either shorten the depth to 4" or lower the front (not going to do that) or pile up more stepping stones for them to stand on.

JT

 

[jthornton]

Sitting with the pullets and having my evening beer I wonder if the bottom could be a different design so they didn't have to "pull" the feed out from under the gap... gotta think on this a bit and see what I can come up with.

JT

 

[aart]

No, when they reach for the bottom of the lexan to pull more out of the hopper they have to stretch too much to reach it and press their neck up against the vertical board. So either shorten the depth to 4" or lower the front (not going to do that) or pile up more stepping stones for them to stand on.

JT

I'd go stepping stones.
I had to adjust height on mine so they could reach that 4-5"

 

[jthornton]

I've read of trouble switching to pellets. Never used them here.

I only switched to pellets get 18% All Flock from my local farm supply store. I might have to go back to 16% to get All Flock or Layer. I'll look today to see what they have.

JT

 

[aart]

I only switched to pellets get 18% All Flock from my local farm supply store. I might have to go back to 16% to get All Flock or Layer. I'll look today to see what they have.

JT

I use 20% Purina Flock Raiser crumble.
I can reduce the % with scratch grains given(separately) in rough ratio daily.

 

[jthornton]

The only crumble they had in stock was 16% so I just grabbed one to see.

JT

 

[aart]

The only crumble they had in stock was 16%

JT

Too Bad.