Hog Slat - Feed-O-Matic Automatic Treadle Chicken Feeder

[FaerieChickens]

I've about had it with the mouse in my coop. (Yes, I know it's probably a whole village of them - but for some reason we only see the white-bellied one with certain markings.) I was researching some sort of treadle feeder, and thought I'd check - do you still love it? Has it worked well over a few months now? Thanks so much!

 

[lazy gardener]

I've about had it with the mouse in my coop. (Yes, I know it's probably a whole village of them - but for some reason we only see the white-bellied one with certain markings.) I was researching some sort of treadle feeder, and thought I'd check - do you still love it? Has it worked well over a few months now? Thanks so much!

Usually all wild mice of the same species look like clones. The only likely difference might be their size. So, if you are seeing one mouse, you most likely have a huge infestation. I'd suggest that you immediately set up some chicken proof traps, either the standard spring traps, or make a chicken proof bucket trap. In addition to affecting your feed bill, they carry a lot of disease that can infect your flock as well as you.

Fermented feed, and only feeding during the day is an other rodent deterrent.

 

[Al Gerhart]

 

[FaerieChickens]

I saw that as well - and I, too, am leery of the plastic parts. We don't often get as cold here in NC to worry about the all-metal parts. But I bet the mice would get thru those plastic parts pretty quick. I do store my feed in a metal trashcan, and so far, after nearly 4 years, it's holding up nicely.

 

[Goosegrrl]

A nifty way of dealing with mice, even rats, in the hen house...
Google "bucket mouse trap".
Generally made with a 5 gallon bucket, but can also be made with tall kitchen trash cans.
Clean up scattered feed pretty well, close off any feeding stations that the rodents have been accessing, at night place trap near where most food thieving is occurring or at paths you've seen them use.

 

[aart]

@Al Gerhart What is the source of this screen shot....can you provide a link??

 

[Al Gerhart]

Sure, I guess it is okay since it isn't mine. The red disclaimer and picture is right off the Hog Slat website and I applaud them for warning customers. Makes sense as a business, sell an inexpensive feeder and get a lot of bad reviews that might impact their professional quality products.

http://hogslat.com/feed-o-matic-chicken-feeder

The picture posted above is mine after I added the black text and used it on our shopping cart. I think I posted that picture here on BYC a few weeks ago too. The best review I've seen on the Feed o Matic is at this website:

http://chickenfeederreviews.com/feed-o-matic/



BTW that site gave us some good marks but they also kicked us in the shins on a few things. I sent an email in response but no response yet. Still we aren't embarrassed, we do have an ugly feeder. LOL Don't by our feeder if you have OCD.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I saw that as well - and I, too, am leery of the plastic parts. We don't often get as cold here in NC to worry about the all-metal parts. But I bet the mice would get thru those plastic parts pretty quick. I do store my feed in a metal trashcan, and so far, after nearly 4 years, it's holding up nicely.

Well they could chew right through the plastic but if the rats can just push the door open why go to all the work? Still Hog Slat wouldn't have posted that disclaimer unless they've had upset customers. But I am impressed that they did post the warnings. I could see rats chewing through the bottom or backside so as to stay hidden.

People love those wide platforms and how clean and neat this style of feeder is (the recessed door model that has the door axle below the door crank point) but they are not at all rat resistant. I gotta admit, it is a pretty feeder though.

 

[rararanch]

I have a feedomatic and find that the pellets don't feed down into the feeding compartments very well. Twice a day I manually top the feeding compartments up. This morning my dorking has torn her comb on it. It has stopped the wild birds from feeding, and there's no wastage. I'm not happy with them and I'm on the search for something that feeds freely but has no wastage from wild birds, rodents.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I have a feedomatic and find that the pellets don't feed down into the feeding compartments very well. Twice a day I manually top the feeding compartments up. This morning my dorking has torn her comb on it. It has stopped the wild birds from feeding, and there's no wastage. I'm not happy with them and I'm on the search for something that feeds freely but has no wastage from wild birds, rodents.

That is a common complaint on the Amazon dot com listings, feed not flowing. Try waxing the inside of the feeder with car wax.

I see they have have stopped the Olba feeder sales on Amazon. Amazon policies would bankrupt a company due to the return policy, these treadle feeders need tweaking and set up, and after a certain return rate Amazon stops the sales. The plastic parts were getting complaints too, rats chewing through the plastic. Glad we didn't pursue using plastic parts.

Shipping has skyrocketed on everything in the last year too. Our UPS rep said that Amazon has squeezed them down so low they they are losing money and had to raise the independent sellers's shipping rates. Plus they jacked up the dimensional weight, our 15 pound product used to ship at 21 pounds which was bad enough; now it ships at 24 pounds! Ouch! We have looked at zone skipping, where you send pallets of feeders to warehouses across the country via truck line (as low as $7.00 each) and ship the final zone or two zones via regular package service. The problem is that it only works in the furthest zones and saves around $10.00 which is eaten up with warehouse storage fees and picking fees.

The feeder that is selling the most right now is the Chinese treadle feeder, very small and flimsy, you can only put about 1/4 full or the birds will rake the feed out so it only holds maybe two, three pounds of feed. They are guillotine style feeders so it is slow to train but they do work. Not rat proof but they are water proof. We have 300 of them built and the next container load that comes in will bring them to the U.S.. Tried making them here, too expensive, $40.00 in labor/overhead compared to $4.00 at my Philippine shop. However the Chinese have done what they always do to a product and flooded the market with them and drove the price down. There are dozens of sellers of the same aluminum product online but only the cheapest are selling any of them. Poor reviews of course, leaking, slow to train the birds, nuts falling off. The only thing that is keeping the sales going for the Chinese is selling them at cost to dump them. I mean they cost $16.00 in China, are going to cost at a minimum $13.00 to ship within one zone in the U.S., so how can they sell for $25.00 delivered?

We still sell quite a few a day. The cheap feeders haven't impacted us. I think the Grandpa feeder is still selling well too so people will pay for quaility.