My bird and Rodent proof feeder

[sandman55]

Hi Guys I thought you might be interested to see my treadle chicken feeder that I built from the plans that Gallo del Cielo posted here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/building-a-treadle-chicken-feeder the detailed plans were a great help to me though I have used some different materials and wood that I had on hand.

I have it mounted on two permapine square posts a bit under 100mm x 100mm or 4inch x 4inch



I have made some changes, one I used aluminium rectangular tubing 10mm x 20mm or 3/8inch x 3/4inch and I was worried about the chickens feeding from the sides so I put some side panels on but in hindsight I should have made them wider to cover part of the treadle as they can still access the feed without standing on the treadle. I also didn’t include the divider for two types of feed. I was not able to access the linkage bolts so I used 1/4inch x 1 ½ inch what we call gutter bolts http://www.lbsbuyersguide.co.uk/polythene-film/sheeting-film-accessories/gutter-bolts-100.html they come with a square flat nut, I also used flat steel (zink plated) washers and nyloc nuts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyloc_nut Below is a pic of one of the side panels.



Below is the feeder with the side panels on.



Here it is below with some temporary boards to extend the side panels and I find that they are now standing on the held open treadle to feed. Later when they are trained and the side panels are proven a good thing I will make them a permanent fixture. I tried the bricks in front of the treadle to create a level platform from the ground to the treadle but it is debatable if I need them. Time will tell but it stops them from scratching dirt under the treadle




Below is a pic of one of the aluminium rectangular tubes note the steel tube (bush) I have glued in with epoxy glue so that it is a bit more resilient to wear. I made these from tubing from 100mm x 8mm (4inch x 5/16inch) Dyna bolts http://www.mitre10.com.au/Hardware-and-Building/Nails-and-Screws/product/22886// I was able to get 4 bushes from one Dyna bolt. I drilled a 5/16inch hole in the aluminium tubing and with a round file enlarged it slightly. As the bushes have a longitudinal split in them I spread them slightly so that they were a snug fit in the aluminium and then tried a 1/4inch bolt to see if it fitted. If it wouldn’t go in I then filed a little more out of the aluminium. I then glued the bushes in place with araldite a two pack epoxy super adhesive that cures overnight. http://www.selleys.com.au/trade/specialist-products/epoxy-adhesives-fillers/araldite-super-strength/
Once cured I filed the sides reasonably flat. I cleaned any residue of glue out of the bush with a round file and not a 1/4 inch drill bit as I found when I tried that the drill bit caught in the split in the bush and spun it free of the not fully cured glue and I had to glue it again.

I may later have to add a little weight under the treadle to slow the closing of the cover. I see Gallo del Cielo has his taking one second to close which sounds nice mine is a bit faster but the cover is not too heavy for them.

To keep it open while I train them I have a length of cord tied to one arm of the cover going up through an steel eye above (a pulley would be nice) then to the outside with a weight on it. When I want it open I let the weight hang and when I want it closed I put the weight on the roof so that it is not pulling. I will use it like that till after Christmas and then I will start to train them to use the treadle. For more info see the post by Gallo del Cielo here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/building-a-treadle-chicken-feeder

Here is a similar one in action

 

[HEChicken]

Great job! I've considered making one of these too but in the end opted for a gutter feeder because it takes up so little space in the coop. However it doesn't keep the rodents out and it annoys the heck out of me to buy all that chicken feed just to have the mice come and eat it. I'm encouraging my predatory cat to hang around the coop at night lately and I'm hoping he can help get rid of a few of them for me….

 

[sandman55]

Thanks HEChicken, with me it is sparrows so when ever I leave the feeder open as the chooks are not trained to it yet. I get all the free loading sparrows feeding there. I leave the chooks in their run till about midday and then I open the gate to let them free range under my back yard fruit trees and while they are there I close the feeder from the sparrows. Several times through the day I rattle their gate and they come running back to the yard looking for a treat and then I open it up and let them have another feed. I'll do this for about a week to get them used to it then I will train them to use it.

 

[Bullitt]

Hi Guys I thought you might be interested to see my treadle chicken feeder that I built from the plans that Gallo del Cielo posted here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/building-a-treadle-chicken-feeder the detailed plans were a great help to me though I have used some different materials and wood that I had on hand.

I have it mounted on two permapine square posts a bit under 100mm x 100mm or 4inch x 4inch



I have made some changes, one I used aluminium rectangular tubing 10mm x 20mm or 3/8inch x 3/4inch and I was worried about the chickens feeding from the sides so I put some side panels on but in hindsight I should have made them wider to cover part of the treadle as they can still access the feed without standing on the treadle. I also didn’t include the divider for two types of feed. I was not able to access the linkage bolts so I used 1/4inch x 1 ½ inch what we call gutter bolts http://www.lbsbuyersguide.co.uk/polythene-film/sheeting-film-accessories/gutter-bolts-100.html they come with a square flat nut, I also used flat steel (zink plated) washers and nyloc nuts http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nyloc_nut Below is a pic of one of the side panels.



Below is the feeder with the side panels on.



Here it is below with some temporary boards to extend the side panels and I find that they are now standing on the held open treadle to feed. Later when they are trained and the side panels are proven a good thing I will make them a permanent fixture. I tried the bricks in front of the treadle to create a level platform from the ground to the treadle but it is debatable if I need them. Time will tell but it stops them from scratching dirt under the treadle




Below is a pic of one of the aluminium rectangular tubes note the steel tube (bush) I have glued in with epoxy glue so that it is a bit more resilient to wear. I made these from tubing from 100mm x 8mm (4inch x 5/16inch) Dyna bolts http://www.mitre10.com.au/Hardware-and-Building/Nails-and-Screws/product/22886// I was able to get 4 bushes from one Dyna bolt. I drilled a 5/16inch hole in the aluminium tubing and with a round file enlarged it slightly. As the bushes have a longitudinal split in them I spread them slightly so that they were a snug fit in the aluminium and then tried a 1/4inch bolt to see if it fitted. If it wouldn’t go in I then filed a little more out of the aluminium. I then glued the bushes in place with araldite a two pack epoxy super adhesive that cures overnight. http://www.selleys.com.au/trade/specialist-products/epoxy-adhesives-fillers/araldite-super-strength/
Once cured I filed the sides reasonably flat. I cleaned any residue of glue out of the bush with a round file and not a 1/4 inch drill bit as I found when I tried that the drill bit caught in the split in the bush and spun it free of the not fully cured glue and I had to glue it again.

I may later have to add a little weight under the treadle to slow the closing of the cover. I see Gallo del Cielo has his taking one second to close which sounds nice mine is a bit faster but the cover is not too heavy for them.

To keep it open while I train them I have a length of cord tied to one arm of the cover going up through an steel eye above (a pulley would be nice) then to the outside with a weight on it. When I want it open I let the weight hang and when I want it closed I put the weight on the roof so that it is not pulling. I will use it like that till after Christmas and then I will start to train them to use the treadle. For more info see the post by Gallo del Cielo here https://www.backyardchickens.com/a/building-a-treadle-chicken-feeder

Here is a similar one in action

That's a nice looking treadle feeder. You did a good job.

By the way, cool dog.

 

[sandman55]

Thanks Bullit, that's our dog Charlotte she is a Mastiff Whippet cross she loves the chickens so much that when we let them out under our fruit trees we had to fence the area otherwise we would have no chickens left. I think it is the Whippet in her that makes her hard wired to chase.

 

[Bullitt]

Thanks Bullit, that's our dog Charlotte she is a Mastiff Whippet cross she loves the chickens so much that when we let them out under our fruit trees we had to fence the area otherwise we would have no chickens left. I think it is the Whippet in her that makes her hard wired to chase.

Yes, a Whippet wants to chase animals.

A "Mastiff Whippet cross". How did that happen?

That is an odd pairing.

 

[sandman55]

I don't know, it was my sons dog and he got her from the pound. The name Charlotte came with her so someone must have named her and I guess as most puppies she got up to mischief but apart from chasing things she is a lovely dog with a lovely quiet nature. She is a big dog and she loves the surf here she is surfing a wave.

 

[Bullitt]

I don't know, it was my sons dog and he got her from the pound. The name Charlotte came with her so someone must have named her and I guess as most puppies she got up to mischief but apart from chasing things she is a lovely dog with a lovely quiet nature. She is a big dog and she loves the surf here she is surfing a wave.

Watch out for sharks, Charlotte!

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

Fantastic job sandman55!

I love all of your cleaver modifications too. Thanks for taking the time to share. Well done!

 

[pdirt]

Nice feeder! My wife built one similar. I like the edge covering you have to keep the birds from flicking the food out. We need to modify ours like that because they waste a lot of feed onto the ground, flicking it out, which feeds the mice! Also, I need to clean ours or something because the lid/treadle is getting caught in the open position. I think feed or dirt has clogged up the various pivot points.