Grandpa's Treadle feeder vs. chicken condo feeder

[Sylvester017]

I don't have that exact treadle feeder. However, the concept is the same.
I found I needed about 4 sizes of wood to hold the flap open in different stages. I used pieces of 2x4.
The first one held it mostly open, the next one 3/4 open, then 1/2 open, and so on. I used each size for 1-2 weeks until I was sure that they were using it.
So it was very gradual.

I've also heard that you want to remove other sources of food, however, if your chickens are molting, or under some other kind of stress right now, that might not be a good idea.

Thanks for the advice. I'll definitely try again with that method. I guess it wasn't gradual enough for them.

Some chickens catch on immediately while others will take days/weeks to finally trust the "new" contraption in the yard. Not feeding them open dishes at the same time you are trying to train them to use the treadle feeder is important. It's like training them to use nipple valve waterers -- can't have open dish water in the yard or they'll never learn to use the new nipple waterers. Some of my chickens were more afraid of the movement of the treadle lid than the noise it made. I have the Feed-O-Matic smallest feeder and the 20-lb ChickenCondos treadle feeder. I like the Feed-O-Matic for having a locking lid and plastic treadle foot for cleaning but most of my flock likes the bigger ChickenCondos feeder with the wooden treadle foot.

Feed-O-Matic - the Ameraucana would NEVER use the Feed-O-Matic and stayed back but the Blue Breda used it the very first day!



The Silkies seem to like the quieter ChickenCondos feeder - don't know why - chickens do their own thing.



Both my feeders open inward when the chicken steps on the treadle foot. Grandpa's Treadle Feeder has a lid that lifts up over the chicken's head and if another chicken sticks their head in when the other chicken steps off the treadle foot I was afraid the lid would crash down on the chicken's neck. Probably a paranoid worry -- but that was the reason I went with inward openers rather than lifting lid openers on the treadle feeders. I'm glad I got two different models of treadle feeders since the chickens pick their favorite to eat from.

 

[momma chickie]

I bought a Grandpa's treadle feeder on Ebay for $50 and my chickens are terrified of it. I tried keeping it open all the time at first and then halfway as they suggest and everytime one stepped on it, they all screamed and scattered. Tried for weeks and finally gave up and I'm back to the sparrows eating all their food out of a regular feeder.  I feel like I really wasted my money.

I also made a DYI feeder with a pail and dangling hardware that the chickens are supposed to peck at to release the food. Again, no luck. I even bought a laser light to show them where to peck. I was afraid they were going to starve. I hate to say my chickens aren't bright but....    Any suggestions?

I have a Grandpas Feeder. Initially my Ancona wasnt heavy enough to trip it so I used a brick during the day. Over the past 4 months she finally got the weight needed. The only time it didnt scare them was first thing in the morning when they were so hungry they didn't think about it. Over time I would leave it closed here and there and they now seem to be getting more used it moving and clanking.

A question I have....has anyone ever really had a chicken hurt by the lid coming down on them? I am not sure it is heavy enough but would like to know if it is a real risk.

 

[Sylvester017]

I have a Grandpas Feeder. Initially my Ancona wasnt heavy enough to trip it so I used a brick during the day. Over the past 4 months she finally got the weight needed. The only time it didnt scare them was first thing in the morning when they were so hungry they didn't think about it. Over time I would leave it closed here and there and they now seem to be getting more used it moving and clanking.

A question I have....has anyone ever really had a chicken hurt by the lid coming down on them? I am not sure it is heavy enough but would like to know if it is a real risk.

I never wanted to try a lift-up lid on a treadle feeder in case it was a risk but an added reason for not getting a lift-up lid is that my Silkies are terribly afraid of and aware of anything remotely moving above their head so I opted for the push-in opening when the treadle foot was stepped on. My Silkies seem to trust them better. My Blue Wheaten Ameraucana trusted no feeders at all while my Blue Breda was afraid of nothing and used any feeder with available food in it!

AMERAUCANA AFRAID OF THE FEED-O-MATIC WHILE THE BLUE BREDA DIVED INTO IT!


SILKIES TRUSTED THE FEEDERS WITH THE PUSH-IN OPENING.

 

[All Ball]

I got an inward-opening feeder, but the first time the girls figured it out, two sisters got on the treadle, and one hopped off the and door closed on the other girl's head. I was there and lifted it off so she could extricate herself. Haven't had any luck in getting them to trust it since, and I don't trust it very much any more, either. So now I'm picking sparrow poop out of their food...grrr...

 

[lynnehd]

I got an inward-opening feeder, but the first time the girls figured it out, two sisters got on the treadle, and one hopped off the and door closed on the other girl's head. I was there and lifted it off so she could extricate herself. Haven't had any luck in getting them to trust it since, and I don't trust it very much any more, either. So now I'm picking sparrow poop out of their food...grrr...

That's odd! And scary.

With the Feed O Matic, a chicken has to be standing on the treadle, which is quite large. So if the first chicken hops off, the door stays open until the second chicken hops off.
I can't see that kind of incident happening with this one, at least it hasn't yet.

 

[All Ball]

Yes, mine is a rat-proof feeder, and it's easy with that brand for a bird to squeeze in from the side, or in front actually, standing on the ground instead of the treadle.

 

[lynnehd]

Yes, mine is a rat-proof feeder, and it's easy with that brand for a bird to squeeze in from the side, or in front actually, standing on the ground instead of the treadle.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Two ways of fixing that, add a wider treadle step to the existing treadle step that is distant (which is what actually makes it rat proof as opposed to the larger treadles) and/or block the sides with something, a board, concrete block, anything.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Oh, I forgot the third method, add a soft close mechanism to the door. We just added a retrofit kit for that to our product line.

 

[Sylvester017]

I got an inward-opening feeder, but the first time the girls figured it out, two sisters got on the treadle, and one hopped off the and door closed on the other girl's head. I was there and lifted it off so she could extricate herself. Haven't had any luck in getting them to trust it since, and I don't trust it very much any more, either. So now I'm picking sparrow poop out of their food...grrr...

Oh, I'm so sorry to hear that! Sometimes not all chickens in a flock are very smart. I had an Ameraucana that flipped out whenever she saw our Feed-O-Matic open when she stepped on it and f-r-i-g-h-t-e-n-e-d the Silkies for several days to not use it. Our Feed-O-Matic is the smaller one-chicken foot treadle so we didn't have a problem with 2 chickens standing/fitting on it. Our Breda was a champ at using the treadle feeders (we have 2 different brands) and both open inward. I was so mad at the spooky kooky jittery jumpy Ameraucana who'd scare at anything in the yard or overhead -- windblown leaves, fluttering plastic bags or tarps, floating mylar balloons or hummingbirds overhead, etc etc. She scared all the other hens for no reason she was so jumpy but she's gone now and the hens are finally back to using the treadles like normal. I can sympathize with you about the sparrows. I used to think they were cute until they aggressively drove away all my other sweet wild birds. Only the hummingbirds are too fast for the sparrows to catch or kill. Sparrows are not indigenous to the USA but were brought over as cage pets from England and now we're inundated with the little killer pests. Even the larger gentle Mourning Doves get driven off by the little pests/scavengers. Just goes to show what happens when species are distributed to other habitats.