Rat Proof Chicken Feeder The rats were eating more feed than my three hens and rooster were so I decided to make a rat proof feeder then liked it enough to decide to make extras to sell other backyard chicken enthusiasts. I have a large cabinet shop so they are professionally built. Weighs 15# empty, holds around 25# of laying pellets or around half a sack. The opening force is adjustable, comes preset around 1 1/2 pounds pressure on the end of the treadle. The design will not hurt a bird if they aren't standing on the treadle when another bird gets off, their head will get pushed out of the feeder rather than caught. Baltic birch plywood construction, inner parts are dadoed into the sides for strength. Sprayed with vinyl sealer for moisture protection but not made for outdoor use. My birds took to it right away, maybe five minutes training by holding the treadle down till one of the birds got on the treadle, then after letting them eat for a few seconds, pushing them off and letting the door close. They learn fast but if not, wait a couple of hours till they are hungry and try again. I used Rhode Island Reds for my testing so if you have smaller breeds you can either move the counterweight rod closer to the front to adjust the pressure needed to open (four phillips head screws), order a shorter counterweight rod when you order, or trim a bit off the counterweight rod to fine tune the balance. As I had built up quite a mouse and barn rat colony after a couple of years of raising chickens, I had a good testing ground at home. I found that setting the treadle at 1 1/2 pounds kept even the larger rats out of the feed yet even the smaller hen had no problems opening the feeder. I prefer to ship FedEx Ground. Shipping cost will vary, cheaper to closer states, so send me your zipcode if you want a firm shipping quote. If you have questions or suggestions, please post a reply. Approximate size is 12 1/2" x 18" x 19 1/2" tall. Feed box is around 11" square x 19.5" tall. It comes fully assembled and ready to use.
Quote: NOTHING is goat proof! yes I know. Hey but you can't blame me for hoping. I have come to the conclusion that the only way is to seperate them and that is sad but it just might have to happen. lol thanks for the laugh this morning.
Mount the feeder inside and up too high for the goats to reach. have a ledge/platform for the chickens to stand on to get to the feeder. Use your roosts as the lower access for the chickens to jump from to get to the feeder. (yep we have goats too)
Quote:does this work for you FLChickens? I love my Oliver and Lila but they are garbage disposals and would eat everything I had if I let them, But you already know this. lol This morning they Lila knocked over one of my covered food tubs and yep they apparently are not secure so food poured all over the floor. UGH!! But did I say I still love them, even through all of this aggrevation. lol
