Feeding my girls can’t find a good feeder

[sandman55]

If your handy with tools you can build a treadle feeder the plans are here https://www.backyardchickens.com/articles/building-a-treadle-chicken-feeder.47900/ alternatively you can buy one ready made. In my opinion of what I have seen in commercially made chook treadle feeders Grandpas feeders are the best.
https://www.grandpasfeeders.com/ I have a home made one and it has been going since Dec 2013 and is still going well. It takes 2 or 3 weeks to train them to use it and there is no looking back, as soon as one learns the others copy.

 

[adirondak5]

Looking to find a feeder that works, trued a bunch and some are great but mice get in what is the answer??

Have you looked at " Ratproof Chicken feeders" ? The Fella that makes and markets them Al Gerhart is a member here . Here is the website
http://ratproofchickenfeeder.com/Ratproof-Chicken-Feeders_c_1.html
I have the medium size with the soft close option , it works quite well , it took a few minutes over 2 days to get my birds trained to use it , following the training instructions to the letter . I feed crumbles and get no waste/ billing out . I really didn't have a vermin problem and my coop/run is pretty new and secure but I did want my feeder out in the run and don't want food available to mice in any case . Here's a short cell phone video of it being used .

 

[Al Gerhart]

Thanks for the good word on my feeder

Have you looked at " Ratproof Chicken feeders" ? The Fella that makes and markets them Al Gerhart is a member here . Here is the website
http://ratproofchickenfeeder.com/Ratproof-Chicken-Feeders_c_1.html
I have the medium size with the soft close option , it works quite well , it took a few minutes over 2 days to get my birds trained to use it , following the training instructions to the letter . I feed crumbles and get no waste/ billing out . I really didn't have a vermin problem and my coop/run is pretty new and secure but I did want my feeder out in the run and don't want food available to mice in any case . Here's a short cell phone video of it being used .

Thanks for the good word on my feeder adirondak5.

Not to bite the hand that helps feeds my family but one thing you might do to make the training faster next time is check to see if that treadle is bottoming out on the floor. Hard to tell in the video but it looks like that one bird is wobbling a bit which might mean the treadle is hovering a bit above that wonderful base you put the feeder on.

Another thing to check is if the spring is installed by hooking it on the wire link, not that 1/4" door axle. I can't see enough detail on the video but please check to see that the spring is hooked in over that thin wire. Had a lady send the nicest email the other day saying mice were getting in the feeder and pooping and after she sent me pictures sure enough she had hooked the spring on the axle instead of the wire link so the spring just slid back and forth and wasn't tensioning the door.

And if you ever do get any birds billing out the feed that is usually caused by using mixed feed and hens looking for treats. I have a feeder lip extension that will stop those birds from wasting feed but 99% of the flocks never need it. Costs a buck plus the ridiculous U.S. mailing costs.

 

[adirondak5]

Thanks for the good word on my feeder
Thanks for the good word on my feeder adirondak5.

My pleasure Al , I'm very pleased with the feeder .

Not to bite the hand that helps feeds my family but one thing you might do to make the training faster next time is check to see if that treadle is bottoming out on the floor. Hard to tell in the video but it looks like that one bird is wobbling a bit which might mean the treadle is hovering a bit above that wonderful base you put the feeder on.

Yes , the treadle is bottoming out , made sure of that when I assembled the feeder .

Another thing to check is if the spring is installed by hooking it on the wire link, not that 1/4" door axle.

Yes I have the spring hooked to the wire link . The birds were still a bit timid when I took that video , that was day one with the new feeder . Now a few weeks later its old school to them .

 

[Al Gerhart]

I should have know you had that treadle bottomed out by you saying those magic words in your original post "following the training instructions to the letter."