feeder frustration. We need better feeders.

[joan1708]

Ok, one of the most valid arguments against chickens in the city, is they attract mice/rats. A better feeder would take the starch out of that argument. I am trying to keep rats/mice and ants out of my chicken feed and coop. I haven't seen a feeder yet that is adequate for city chickens. I need a feeder that hangs off the ground so the ants can't get in it. Treadle feeders sit on the ground, that won't work in fire ant country. The feeder needs to have a lid or some way to close it up at night that is non rodent chewable. It needs a lip so the chickens can't throw the food out. It needs a lid on the top that the chickens can't perch on it. Currently I put my feeder in a metal trash can at night to prevent rodents, but that's a pain in the neck. It would be nice just to flip a lid down over the opening. Open top hanging feeders are just ridiculous. I tried one of the "trigger" feeders that hang from the bottom of a container and the chicken hits the trigger and a little food falls out. The problem with this is there is too much food left on the ground.

I have made my coop/run as rodent resistant as I know how with hardware cloth and "tight" doors, but I still don't want a feeder hanging there like a neon light to rats/mice at night.

Anyone have a feeder that "cuts the mustard"?

 

[duckinnut]

Have you tried hanging it on a rope?

 

[joan1708]

Yes, the pictured feeder deters ants only. It is a typical feeder and is not rodent resistant IMO. A rat can jump 3 feet and a mouse 18 inches I hear. They can also chew through plastic. You would have the put that feeder in a metal can at night to make it rodent resistant. And that wouldn't work if you had much of a rodent problem and a poorly designed coop/run.

If there was a kind of round plate ring that fit over the exposed food that you could attach at night and take off during the day, that would be very helpful. It would have to be easy to use and be secure enough to stop rodents.

 

[chfite]

I keep the feeder in the coop, so that it is closed up with the chickens at night.

Chris

 

[LarissaSlates98]

Try a hanging feeder. As for rodents. Can you spread some rodent poison around (clearly not to where your chickens can injest it)? you can also set mice/rat traps. Or moth balls as long as the chickens cant get the moth balls they work GREAT bugs n rodents wont go near any place with them

 

[joan1708]

Yes, I could poison them, but it would be easier to have a feeder that you could close up at night while it hangs in place to prevent an infestation. It would be easier then having to take it out of the coop every night. I think my coop is pretty "tight" against mice/rats, but I still want a hanging rodent resistant feeder. I want to minimize the attraction. I don't want to have to kill them because I've attracted them with feed. I don't have them yet because (I think) I put the food up at night.

 

[ll]

Been there ~ done this, and have several things to type about it.

Family of rats & a couple of mice & a chipmunk & a mole/vole whatever took up residence near my hen house because our neighbors won't close their trash bin. They were devouring feed at an alarming rate.
They were burrowing and tunneling under the hardware apron/skirt that I placed around the entire perimeter. I could hear them squeaking in the bushes - during the day!
We then installed hardware cloth under the entire run after digging out a bit and placing some stone & landscaping fabric underneath for drainage.
Screws and large washers every 4" along the bottom of the run, and wired seams = it's tight now! Nobody but my hens are going to eat that food now. I never have to take the food in at night either. I could easily maneuver the chain to make it hang higher if I thought ants were after it. I have photos on my Hen House page.

Before I buttoned up the run I put poison underneath the structure - impossible for birds to get but exactly where the rats & mice were traveling.
I also purchased the Rat Zapper Ultra - caught everything including the tiny mole. If you get one, protect it from rain. I still keep it set up, the batteries are still working well - after all these winter months I caught a mouse sneaking around our shiny galvanized feed can 2 weeks ago.

My feeder hangs off the ground. I've never noticed ants near it, it surprised me to think of ants as a problem. I use a platform wild bird feeding tray and added a long chain. This feeding tray also comes with a grid top that would be perfect for chickens that scatter their food with their beaks, mine don't do the side to side scattering motion -so that piece is still in the box new. The feeding tray has a perforated bottom to allow for air flow. This is especially good for pellet users, not so much for mash because it will fall through. Here's a photo, it's sold in the wild bird feeding aisle at Lowe's and I think at Home Depot too. Good luck!









Edit: added a photo

 

[joan1708]

I also have a hardware cloth apron on the inside and outside of the run. It covers 12 inches on both sides of the run (total 24 inches). I read hardware cloth won't stop mice, and I don't want mice in my coop/run either. I want a hanging feeder that can be easily closed up at night. I imagine a flap that snaps down over the feeding tray. With all renewed interest in chickens, there really isn't a good feeder out there, which surprises and frustrates me.

 

[MamaRoo]

When I'm worried about rodents, I haul up the rope and tie a knot so my feeder is high up. My feeder is in a pen with limited rodent access anyway, but sometimes I like to be extra cautious. Right now I have a little dish of chick food that sits on the floor of the pen, but I put the dish inside the metal hanging feeder at night.

 

[furbabymum]

This is interesting and I'm glad you wrote about it. Not something I considered though I should have as we have a big mice problem where we live.

The only thing I can think of are the rabbit feeders that hang on the walls. I've seen them with the metal lid you describe. They wouldn't hold as much feed as a normal feeder but I think those would be mice proof. They're straight metal.