New Feeder question

[annecb]

I purchased a rentacoop metal feeder with the rain guard-- I'm not sure that my chickens know how to eat out of it Am I being a little silly ? Will they eventually figure it out?

 

[Aunt Angus]

I purchased a rentacoop metal feeder with the rain guard-- I'm not sure that my chickens know how to eat out of it Am I being a little silly ? Will they eventually figure it out?

Mine never did, but I didn't try to train them for long. I propped open the top and had them eating that way. My thought was that I'd stop propping it open eventually. I just didn't stick with it long enough because I only had 2 of the feeders. Taking turns with the number of chickens and ducks I have isn't going to happen.

 

[annecb]

Mine never did, but I didn't try to train them for long. I propped open the top and had them eating that way. My thought was that I'd stop propping it open eventually. I just didn't stick with it long enough because I only had 2 of the feeders. Taking turns with the number of chickens and ducks I have isn't going to happen.

 

[annecb]

Thanks for your reply. I took the rain guard off and I think that will help.. glad to know it's not just me!

 

[Aunt Angus]

Thanks for your reply. I took the rain guard off and I think that will help.. glad to know it's not just me!

How's it going? They figure it out yet?
Fingers crossed!

 

[Al Gerhart]

Was that the knock off of the Grandpa version? With the extra cover? Even they say it takes 3 weeks to train the birds, it is a very poor design as chickens hate sticking their head under something they know can come down. Plus you have to block it open at first so the birds learn that the lid doesn't move, then it moves and the chickens don't know what to think. And $139.00, that is more than an American made feeder and it holds less feed. And made in China like the Grandpa feeder and all other feeders of this design.

Folks, do your research before spending hard earned money. Get off Amazon, the markup to sell there due to their commissions and "free" shipping is around 30%. Google treadle feeder or ratproof chicken feeder or chicken feeder reviews and skip the ones with Amazon links as they are biased toward the feeders that pay them a commission.

 

[Aunt Angus]

Was that the knock off of the Grandpa version? With the extra cover? Even they say it takes 3 weeks to train the birds, it is a very poor design as chickens hate sticking their head under something they know can come down. Plus you have to block it open at first so the birds learn that the lid doesn't move, then it moves and the chickens don't know what to think. And $139.00, that is more than an American made feeder and it holds less feed. And made in China like the Grandpa feeder and all other feeders of this design.

Folks, do your research before spending hard earned money. Get off Amazon, the markup to sell there due to their commissions and "free" shipping is around 30%. Google treadle feeder or ratproof chicken feeder or chicken feeder reviews and skip the ones with Amazon links as they are biased toward the feeders that pay them a commission.

I.e. buy one from you. Gotcha.

 

[Al Gerhart]

By all means buy what you wish, support China's slave economy, their bullying of their neighbors, their bio warfare, and pay twice as much for a much poorer design.

There are other feeders not Chinese made, I think the Feed o Matic is still being dumped into the U.S. but rats chew through the plastic which is silly because they can just push the door open. But it is made in Europe or was at one point.

There are some decent English made treadle feeders if you don't mind paying more for the shipping than the feeder costs.

But if you want the best feeder you have to put up with me cause I am darned proud of that product which BTW was developed and refined right here on the BYC forum about a decade ago. It is a good feeder and made/marketed as economically as we can make it. It has always been a sideline that focused on solving a problem for the backyard chicken community and not about getting rich.