Grandpa's Treadle feeder vs. chicken condo feeder

[Sylvester017]

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.

Thanks for the tip! We just got a new pullet to add to the flock and I don't want her scared of the treadle feeders. The block/brick idea will work for my situation when we're ready to integrate her outdoors.

 

[All Ball]

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.

Hi Sylvester017 - I actually think my girls are pretty smart - experiencing something coming down on your head is good evidence not to risk a reoccurrence. I will likely try some non-treadle options next. And re sparrows: English sparrows are an invasive species for sure! But there are many wonderful native sparrows in the US, such as song sparrows. These nuisance natives I'm dealing with have beautiful songs. In breeding season, the white-crowned boys have black and white zebra stripes on their heads - very cool!

 

[Sylvester017]

Hi Sylvester017 - I actually think my girls are pretty smart - experiencing something coming down on your head is good evidence not to risk a reoccurrence. I will likely try some non-treadle options next. And re sparrows: English sparrows are an invasive species for sure! But there are many wonderful native sparrows in the US, such as song sparrows. These nuisance natives I'm dealing with have beautiful songs. In breeding season, the white-crowned boys have black and white zebra stripes on their heads - very cool!

So sorry, didn't mean that your chickens weren't smart but that I happened to have one not so smart -- actually she was a jittery jumpy breed and spooked others around her so they wouldn't use the feeder but once she was gone they eventually trusted to use it again in their more calm approach. She was a sweet but very nutsy Ameraucana -- their nature is to be wary, alert, cautious, but sometimes that makes for a very neurotic bird.

I miss my House Finches, Yellow Finches, Mourning Doves, Black Phoebe, and even the Mockingbird doesn't come by anymore since the House Sparrows chased everything out of the yard. I still have Hummingbirds at the hummie feeder and neighborhood Crows (bless them! they keep the Cooper's Hawk away) but all I get now are those unpleasant chitters and squawks instead of song from those pesty sparrows! Even the chickens are fed up with them and often chase them off!

 

[HenKat]

Anyone have trouble with their feed-o-matic seeming to clog up a bit? I live in western Washington so the air is constantly moist, even though the feeder is not out in the rain.
Have you all had better luck with pellet feed or crumbles?

They seemed to like it for a while, but ive been concerned that they haven't been eating out of it for the last couple weeks. We have a cold snap this week, so I started putting out other food too... Sigh, seems like a never-ending training process. I'll probably have to start all over with the door propped completely open :-(

 

[lynnehd]

Anyone have trouble with their feed-o-matic seeming to clog up a bit? I live in western Washington so the air is constantly moist, even though the feeder is not out in the rain.
Have you all had better luck with pellet feed or crumbles?

They seemed to like it for a while, but ive been concerned that they haven't been eating out of it for the last couple weeks. We have a cold snap this week, so I started putting out other food too... Sigh, seems like a never-ending training process. I'll probably have to start all over with the door propped completely open :-(

Yes. But mine were in the open, and I've put a cover over them. So far, so good.

I use crumbles. What I do is check the feed are every few days to make sure the crumbles are dry ( the reservoir is fine).
If there are some moist one I put a piece of cardboard under the feed tray and just scrape them out until there are dry ones.
I haven't had to do this for a week or so since I put a cover over it.

It is true that in rainy areas, stuff just absorbs moisture in the air. I'm not sure if this happens with wood (as opposed to metal) treadle feeders or not?

 

[Sylvester017]

Anyone have trouble with their feed-o-matic seeming to clog up a bit? I live in western Washington so the air is constantly moist, even though the feeder is not out in the rain.
Have you all had better luck with pellet feed or crumbles?

They seemed to like it for a while, but ive been concerned that they haven't been eating out of it for the last couple weeks. We have a cold snap this week, so I started putting out other food too... Sigh, seems like a never-ending training process. I'll probably have to start all over with the door propped completely open :-(

I've had backyard chickens for 6 yrs and their diet preferences keep changing -- not because of the feeder -- but because their nutritional needs change during molt, during broodiness, during egg-laying, climate changes, foraging changes (less bugs and greens), etc. I clean my treadle feeders and Brite Tap nipple valve waterers every week or two to keep things flowing/moving and then dry them thoroughly before filling them up again. I also put out different dishes of stuff for them to eat besides the basic layer feed and bird seed in the treadles. Moist air gets into everything. My SIL lived 2 blocks from a beach and everything in their house smelled musty from moist ocean air.

Yes. But mine were in the open, and I've put a cover over them. So far, so good.

I use crumbles. What I do is check the feed are every few days to make sure the crumbles are dry ( the reservoir is fine).
If there are some moist one I put a piece of cardboard under the feed tray and just scrape them out until there are dry ones.
I haven't had to do this for a week or so since I put a cover over it.

It is true that in rainy areas, stuff just absorbs moisture in the air. I'm not sure if this happens with wood (as opposed to metal) treadle feeders or not?

I have two different brands of treadle feeders and they both get equally messed up needing frequent thorough cleaning. I have to dry them thoroughly before adding new feed so I clean one first and let it dry out well while the other feeder is being used. Both feeders are under a pop-up canopy but blowing rainy wind will get everywhere.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Yes. But mine were in the open, and I've put a cover over them. So far, so good.

I use crumbles. What I do is check the feed are every few days to make sure the crumbles are dry ( the reservoir is fine).
If there are some moist one I put a piece of cardboard under the feed tray and just scrape them out until there are dry ones.
I haven't had to do this for a week or so since I put a cover over it.

It is true that in rainy areas, stuff just absorbs moisture in the air. I'm not sure if this happens with wood (as opposed to metal) treadle feeders or not?

You do know that these Olba feeders are being dumped on the U.S. market because of design problems? You can buy pallets of them super cheap, Google Olba and their link will pop up. They are pretty feeders but the clogging is well known and one of the chief complaints in their horde of Amazon negative reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Tr...e=avp_only_reviews&sortBy=recent&pageNumber=1

18 negative, 53 positive reviews but that is counting the initial compensated reviews where people got a free or reduced price feeders in return for posting a review. I think Amazon has banned the incentivized reviews practice now. I'd bet money that Amazon won't take long to ban the sale of the feeder as they are very protective of their customers and a 34% negative review rate is going to eventually get their attention.

I'd try waxing the interior of the feeder once a week using bee wax, not car wax or floor wax. Dump the feed out, rub the wax in really well and leave it alone for a bit, then give it a good polishing with a soft rag and re fill the feeder. Woodworking shops use wax on the saws and shaper tables to reduce friction without contaminating the wood surface with silicone or oils.Usually in a normal feeder the pellets will flow easier than the crumbles. If the waxing doesn't fix the problem you might see if there is some way to open up the "throat" or the choke point at the bottom of the feed bin. Maybe take out a dime size hole and test it for a few days. The vibration from the door opening and closing will affect the flow rate so be conservative and wait a few days before cutting another hole or making the first one larger. But first consider if opening up the throat might create problems with the small lower eating area. This feeder isn't like a normal treadle feeder that has a large area to store the feed that has dropped down.

 

[lynnehd]

You do know that these Olba feeders are being dumped on the U.S. market because of design problems? You can buy pallets of them super cheap, Google Olba and their link will pop up. They are pretty feeders but the clogging is well known and one of the chief complaints in their horde of Amazon negative reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Tr...e=avp_only_reviews&sortBy=recent&pageNumber=1

18 negative, 53 positive reviews but that is counting the initial compensated reviews where people got a free or reduced price feeders in return for posting a review. I think Amazon has banned the incentivized reviews practice now. I'd bet money that Amazon won't take long to ban the sale of the feeder as they are very protective of their customers and a 34% negative review rate is going to eventually get their attention.

I'd try waxing the interior of the feeder once a week using bee wax, not car wax or floor wax. Dump the feed out, rub the wax in really well and leave it alone for a bit, then give it a good polishing with a soft rag and re fill the feeder. Woodworking shops use wax on the saws and shaper tables to reduce friction without contaminating the wood surface with silicone or oils.Usually in a normal feeder the pellets will flow easier than the crumbles. If the waxing doesn't fix the problem you might see if there is some way to open up the "throat" or the choke point at the bottom of the feed bin. Maybe take out a dime size hole and test it for a few days. The vibration from the door opening and closing will affect the flow rate so be conservative and wait a few days before cutting another hole or making the first one larger. But first consider if opening up the throat might create problems with the small lower eating area. This feeder isn't like a normal treadle feeder that has a large area to store the feed that has dropped down.

Mine doesn't clog, but became wet when I had them in the open with minimal protection. Now that they are more protected from the rain, they stay dry, and don't seem to clog.
Thanks for the information, though.

 

[Sylvester017]

You do know that these Olba feeders are being dumped on the U.S. market because of design problems? You can buy pallets of them super cheap, Google Olba and their link will pop up. They are pretty feeders but the clogging is well known and one of the chief complaints in their horde of Amazon negative reviews.

https://www.amazon.com/Automatic-Tr...e=avp_only_reviews&sortBy=recent&pageNumber=1

18 negative, 53 positive reviews but that is counting the initial compensated reviews where people got a free or reduced price feeders in return for posting a review. I think Amazon has banned the incentivized reviews practice now. I'd bet money that Amazon won't take long to ban the sale of the feeder as they are very protective of their customers and a 34% negative review rate is going to eventually get their attention.

I'd try waxing the interior of the feeder once a week using bee wax, not car wax or floor wax. Dump the feed out, rub the wax in really well and leave it alone for a bit, then give it a good polishing with a soft rag and re fill the feeder. Woodworking shops use wax on the saws and shaper tables to reduce friction without contaminating the wood surface with silicone or oils.Usually in a normal feeder the pellets will flow easier than the crumbles. If the waxing doesn't fix the problem you might see if there is some way to open up the "throat" or the choke point at the bottom of the feed bin. Maybe take out a dime size hole and test it for a few days. The vibration from the door opening and closing will affect the flow rate so be conservative and wait a few days before cutting another hole or making the first one larger. But first consider if opening up the throat might create problems with the small lower eating area. This feeder isn't like a normal treadle feeder that has a large area to store the feed that has dropped down.

Mine doesn't clog, but became wet when I had them in the open with minimal protection. Now that they are more protected from the rain, they stay dry, and don't seem to clog.
Thanks for the information, though.

I have a Feed-O-Matic and a Chicken Condos treadle feeders and both have their pros/cons. There are so many environment and chicken personality factors to consider about treadle feeders. I have a breed that uses ALL the feeders and have a breed that uses only ONE of the feeders. All of them get messy because chickens are messy. It's the chickens' choice what feeder they use and maybe dependent on what feed is in each feeder. I love Al's input regarding treadle feeders since he's been making them a long time and in the type of model my hens seem to prefer (inward opening). More of my hens like his type model than the smallest Feed-O-Matic we have. After our 2nd backup Chicken Condos feeder poops out (we haven't used it yet) I will try one of Al's treadle feeders and hope I can figure how to assemble it LOL!

GREEN FEED-O-MATIC



METAL CHICKEN CONDOS TREADLE FEEDER - THE WOOD TREADLEFOOT IS FALLING APART AFTER ONE YEAR

 

[Chickie Newbie]

I just wanted to give you an update on the DYI feeder that I made. They wouldn't use it for a while, but then I made the hole larger so food would fall out easier and tried again, and now it's a HUGE hit with my girls. It keeps them occupied, and they love taking turns hitting it to make the food fall. This is so much better and cheaper than the treadle feeder I bought (which they still won't use).

It does a great job keeping out those pesky sparrows, too. Here is the youtube video on how to make them. I used a one gallon bucket instead of the five gallon one that he shows, and I think I spent less than ten dollars on materials.