grandpa's feeder

[Al Gerhart]

Great question. The ones needing the anti flick grid are the feeders improperly designed. No sides, no side flanges, or no feeder lip protruding into the front of the feeder at least a half inch. That takes care of 99% of the feed rakers. That one percent needs a feed lip extension, costs a buck plus shipping, stops all feed raking.

The feed grids do help with raking but aren't 100% effective. A protruding lip is needed and side flanges, and also a narrow and distant treadle so you you stretch the bird out to focus on eating and not jacking around.

 

[chookcomplex]

Hoping things will get down so I can export to the U.S. in a year or two.

Export to the US? Did you mean export to Australia?

 

[Al Gerhart]

Yeah, we haven't been able to export to the U.S. since Covid. Hoping the container rates go down enough to do so this year or next year. We have looked at selling in Australia, exporting from the Philippines but it is quite a large investment to get a pallet of feeders into a 3PL warehouse and then market them fast enough so the storage costs don't eat up any profit in selling a feeder. I am thinking the only way is to ship a flat pack feeder to AU for now. And the tariff charged by AU isn't cheap either. Suppose that is why you guys have $200 and $300 feeders and we have $85.00 feeders here in the U.S.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Had some time this morning so I ran the rates for shipping. If you go air freight from the Philippines, 7000 pesos, same for using the post office, flat packed feeder. Around $130 dollars, 189 AUD. From the U.S. via post office, $167.50, 243 AUD. Meanwhile the Chinese are allowed to ship from China to the U.S. for a couple of bucks for up to 5kg. One wonders why China has become the world's factory? Because the U.S. is stupid...