Need a feeder that is rat and squirrel proof

[AlliJackson]

HELP please!! We currently have 3 hens, and we've also got a massive rat, squirrel and chipmunk infestation on our property! We made some feeders out of PVC pipe that we open in the mornings and close back up in the evenings and have attached plastic Spikes around the edges of the feeder to deter the rodents from getting into the food and dumping it all over the ground. Nothing seems to work! Now, the hens are refusing to eat the layering feed and will only eat the scratch as the rodents dump it all over the ground. The hens are so used to the squirrels and chipmunks being around and will eat side-by-side with them! We have rat traps inside the coop and have gotten rid of multiple rat families that move in!

Staying home and monitoring this during the day is not an option, since we both have fulltime jobs. We need ideas for rodent-proof feeders! And also, how do get get our hens to eat the layer pellets and not just scratch! Help!!!

 

[FunClucks]

I love this feeder. Bought two medium ones for my 17 chickens. The guy who makes these does it as a side business and is a member here on BYC. You can search BYC for feeder reviews.

https://ratproofchickenfeeder.net/

 

[lleeme]

HELP please!! We currently have 3 hens, and we've also got a massive rat, squirrel and chipmunk infestation on our property! We made some feeders out of PVC pipe that we open in the mornings and close back up in the evenings and have attached plastic Spikes around the edges of the feeder to deter the rodents from getting into the food and dumping it all over the ground. Nothing seems to work! Now, the hens are refusing to eat the layering feed and will only eat the scratch as the rodents dump it all over the ground. The hens are so used to the squirrels and chipmunks being around and will eat side-by-side with them! We have rat traps inside the coop and have gotten rid of multiple rat families that move in!

Staying home and monitoring this during the day is not an option, since we both have fulltime jobs. We need ideas for rodent-proof feeders! And also, how do get get our hens to eat the layer pellets and not just scratch! Help!!!

You can use the cans I buy to store feed with these feeder adapters. The metal buckets have locking lids on them. I came into the run the other day and a squirrel went running across it. I found out it had been inside and was chewing the lid of the feed bucket. I threw tape on it to keep it dryn repaired the hole in the fence, and got new one from bakery yesterday.

 

[littlecoopnextdoor]

could you feed them in the morning before work, and then give them a snack before you put them to bed, and leave no food out? that's what I do right now and it definitely helps. I leave them lots of things in the run that aren't tempting to rodents (like kale and lettuce pieces, dandelions, etc etc)

 

[RojoMarz]

You can use the cans I buy to store feed with these feeder adapters. The metal buckets have locking lids on them. I came into the run the other day and a squirrel went running across it. I found out it had been inside and was chewing the lid of the feed bucket. I threw tape on it to keep it dryn repaired the hole in the fence, and got new one from bakery yesterday.

We had an elbow feeder...until we discovered chipmunks inside the feeder. Immediately ordered a Ratproof Feeder and tossed the feeder that was feeding the rodents.

 

[Life of Eric]

I currently have an Amazon bucket feeder and have the same concerns.
After much searching on Youtube, I have decided to make a variant of this style of feeder:

It is hung off the ground and releases food only when the chicken pecks the striker at the bottom of the bucket.
I've started to build a playlist of feeder ideas just to keep track of the best designs.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I love this feeder. Bought two medium ones for my 17 chickens. The guy who makes these does it as a side business and is a member here on BYC. You can search BYC for feeder reviews.

https://ratproofchickenfeeder.net/

Thank you for the nice recommendation! There is an independent review site called chickenfeederreviews or something like that and it has most of the major brands covered. I think they are greenies, they didn't like our packaging but gave us top marks. We have not forgotten their very valid complaint about the styro foam and we almost have a packaging version that eliminates the styrofoam as long as we ship un assembled, as in flat packed. Not sure how popular that might be even if the shipping costs are lower so it might be an option for those that are hyper vigilant on these green issues.

 

[Al Gerhart]

HELP please!! We currently have 3 hens, and we've also got a massive rat, squirrel and chipmunk infestation on our property! We made some feeders out of PVC pipe that we open in the mornings and close back up in the evenings and have attached plastic Spikes around the edges of the feeder to deter the rodents from getting into the food and dumping it all over the ground. Nothing seems to work! Now, the hens are refusing to eat the layering feed and will only eat the scratch as the rodents dump it all over the ground. The hens are so used to the squirrels and chipmunks being around and will eat side-by-side with them! We have rat traps inside the coop and have gotten rid of multiple rat families that move in!

Staying home and monitoring this during the day is not an option, since we both have fulltime jobs. We need ideas for rodent-proof feeders! And also, how do get get our hens to eat the layer pellets and not just scratch! Help!!!

We are very close to adding a new version of our feeder to our offerings. From one spring on the door axle and a counterweight to balance the treadle and step weight we are going to a double spring that is up under the front top cover. The springs area adjustable, four holes to use and you can easily drill more if needed. The center position sets the weight needed to operate the treadle at around 4 pounds. This will be U.S. made for now until international shipping container costs come way down along with U.S. trucking costs for getting containers from the port to Oklahoma. Even then it might take a year to build up enough inventory to ship a container.

Squirrels are TOUGH to defeat. Our old feeder with the single spring and counterweight would handle one or two squirrels but if you were overrun with squirrels due to a forest nearby, all bets were off. It made one heck of a squirrel trap though and with the french cleat (thanks to one of our BYC customers for that suggestion) you can lift the feeder off the cleat to take a squirrel on a long ride. This new version ought to stop a half dozen squirrels but we are NOT going to claim it is squirrel proof until we get a lot of feedback from customers with squirrel problems.

This feeder has had only one beta tester so far, a lady that called looking for a specific squirrel proof feeder but after building and selling feeders for over 10 years this is as good as it is going to get short of an expensive feeder with a self locking cam lock. We have experimented that for years but it is hard to do and not have it fail prone (and fail in the closed position), too sensitive for long term use without occasional adjusting, or just too darned expensive to manufacture and not be as expensive as the Grandpa feeder or the other Chinese made clones. We might someday develop one to be built in our Philippines factory but it will still be more expensive and we believe that this double spring is going to solve many or most of the squirrel problems without raising the price of the feeder.

 

[raingarden]

If you leave nutritious, expensive feed sitting around then something is going to eat it. Maybe chickens, maybe rats or sparrows, maybe ants or roaches, maybe bacteria and fungi. I don't give the chickens more than they can clean up in thirty minutes or so.