Rats, Hawks and Raccoons, Oh My! Please Help!

[Al Gerhart]

LOL The website is open to anyone that wishes to visit. No need to be "secure" unless it is being used for credit card processing. Which is why I use Paypal because they treat sellers like poo but they are the most secure payment processor around.

And again, a cup that is full cannot be filled. My feeders are currently being made in the U.S. at my shop because of the Chinese bio attack/pandemic and they are costing an extra $15.00 because of the labor rates, overhead costs, more expensive material costs, all the extra costs of manufacturing in the U.S.. And that is with a $6.00 per feeder savings in not shipping a container halfway around the world from the Philippines where I usually build my feeders. With that I am lucky to clear $6.00 to $8.00 per feeder. Then a customer that refuses to follow the directions buys one, refuses to take the advice even if they ask for it, and wants to ship back a feeder that will wipe out any profit from the next ten feeders that are sold to normal people. So when you see those red flags you pay attention to them and refuse the sale.

When I started making the feeders the only option was the grandpa feeder at over $200 plus shipping and it was and remains a crappy design. I wanted the least expensive feeder possible so people could afford it. That meant sacrificing fit and finish for durability and a good design and opening up my own factory in a low wage country ASAP because I wasn't making a dime off a $65.00 feeder built here in the U.S.. U.S. loaded wages at $15.00 per hour, assuming anyone would do manufacturing work for that little, is going to hit $30.00 per hour with overhead, insurance, and taxes. Overseas I can hire the cream of the crop of the workers for one twentieth of that, including the insurance, paid holidays, retirement pay, and make it at 1/15th with overhead. And materials, sell a 1 cent bolt in the U.S. and they need a hefty profit to cover the costs, that bolt costs 3 cents. Over there the competition is stiff, the bolt costs 1.2 cents, the same Chinese made bolt.

Or I could charge out the wazoo and make them here in the U.S. and price them out of reach for most people. Or do like the other companies and have them contract made in China and keep that monstrous government in power. As it is I can source sheet metal and mild steel from Japan, the Philippines, or Taiwan into the Philippines and avoid as much Chinese product as possible.

Again, I recommend you choose another feeder.

 

[WindingRoad]

LOL The website is open to anyone that wishes to visit. No need to be "secure" unless it is being used for credit card processing. Which is why I use Paypal because they treat sellers like poo but they are the most secure payment processor around.

And again, a cup that is full cannot be filled. My feeders are currently being made in the U.S. at my shop because of the Chinese bio attack/pandemic and they are costing an extra $15.00 because of the labor rates, overhead costs, more expensive material costs, all the extra costs of manufacturing in the U.S.. And that is with a $6.00 per feeder savings in not shipping a container halfway around the world from the Philippines where I usually build my feeders. With that I am lucky to clear $6.00 to $8.00 per feeder. Then a customer that refuses to follow the directions buys one, refuses to take the advice even if they ask for it, and wants to ship back a feeder that will wipe out any profit from the next ten feeders that are sold to normal people. So when you see those red flags you pay attention to them and refuse the sale.

When I started making the feeders the only option was the grandpa feeder at over $200 plus shipping and it was and remains a crappy design. I wanted the least expensive feeder possible so people could afford it. That meant sacrificing fit and finish for durability and a good design and opening up my own factory in a low wage country ASAP because I wasn't making a dime off a $65.00 feeder built here in the U.S.. U.S. loaded wages at $15.00 per hour, assuming anyone would do manufacturing work for that little, is going to hit $30.00 per hour with overhead, insurance, and taxes. Overseas I can hire the cream of the crop of the workers for one twentieth of that, including the insurance, paid holidays, retirement pay, and make it at 1/15th with overhead. And materials, sell a 1 cent bolt in the U.S. and they need a hefty profit to cover the costs, that bolt costs 3 cents. Over there the competition is stiff, the bolt costs 1.2 cents, the same Chinese made bolt.

Or I could charge out the wazoo and make them here in the U.S. and price them out of reach for most people. Or do like the other companies and have them contract made in China and keep that monstrous government in power. As it is I can source sheet metal and mild steel from Japan, the Philippines, or Taiwan into the Philippines and avoid as much Chinese product as possible.

Again, I recommend you choose another feeder.

I already have. Why isn't your feeder listed when I google "Best rat proof chicken feeders". One is listed ( albeit last) that a chicken can't even get their head into. Sorta like the squirrel proof wild bird feeders that use a step like deterrent where the door closes off the food.

 

[WindingRoad]

LOL The website is open to anyone that wishes to visit. No need to be "secure" unless it is being used for credit card processing. Which is why I use Paypal because they treat sellers like poo but they are the most secure payment processor around.

And again, a cup that is full cannot be filled. My feeders are currently being made in the U.S. at my shop because of the Chinese bio attack/pandemic and they are costing an extra $15.00 because of the labor rates, overhead costs, more expensive material costs, all the extra costs of manufacturing in the U.S.. And that is with a $6.00 per feeder savings in not shipping a container halfway around the world from the Philippines where I usually build my feeders. With that I am lucky to clear $6.00 to $8.00 per feeder. Then a customer that refuses to follow the directions buys one, refuses to take the advice even if they ask for it, and wants to ship back a feeder that will wipe out any profit from the next ten feeders that are sold to normal people. So when you see those red flags you pay attention to them and refuse the sale.

When I started making the feeders the only option was the grandpa feeder at over $200 plus shipping and it was and remains a crappy design. I wanted the least expensive feeder possible so people could afford it. That meant sacrificing fit and finish for durability and a good design and opening up my own factory in a low wage country ASAP because I wasn't making a dime off a $65.00 feeder built here in the U.S.. U.S. loaded wages at $15.00 per hour, assuming anyone would do manufacturing work for that little, is going to hit $30.00 per hour with overhead, insurance, and taxes. Overseas I can hire the cream of the crop of the workers for one twentieth of that, including the insurance, paid holidays, retirement pay, and make it at 1/15th with overhead. And materials, sell a 1 cent bolt in the U.S. and they need a hefty profit to cover the costs, that bolt costs 3 cents. Over there the competition is stiff, the bolt costs 1.2 cents, the same Chinese made bolt.

Or I could charge out the wazoo and make them here in the U.S. and price them out of reach for most people. Or do like the other companies and have them contract made in China and keep that monstrous government in power. As it is I can source sheet metal and mild steel from Japan, the Philippines, or Taiwan into the Philippines and avoid as much Chinese product as possible.

Again, I recommend you choose another feeder.

Which is it? Second paragraph your "currently making them in the US and then next to last paragraph "or I could charge ..... and make them here in the US? Hmmm oh what a tangle web we weave etc.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Again, I seem to have made the right choice in refusing the sale.

I have hundreds of feeders in stock that were made in the Philippines, but no medium feeders which are the biggest seller, and once travel opens up again and container shipping prices come down from the ridiculous cost they are right now I will be shipping again. Matter of fact I had them start on the next 1800 feeders right before Christmas then pulled everyone off production and have them building a new building to move into around May first.

Till then I make them in the U.S., the mediums size.

 

[WindingRoad]

Again, I seem to have made the right choice in refusing the sale.

I have hundreds of feeders in stock that were made in the Philippines, but no medium feeders which are the biggest seller, and once travel opens up again and container shipping prices come down from the ridiculous cost they are right now I will be shipping again. Matter of fact I had them start on the next 1800 feeders right before Christmas then pulled everyone off production and have them building a new building to move into around May first.

Till then I make them in the U.S., the mediums size.

I checked out the review you have on your website ( not secure) that needs to be clicked on. The opening certainly doesn't look to be 12 inches off the ground. The one I have from Premier Supply allows the rats to push the door in and jump in. And I've read many here who say rats come out during the day. I was walking back to my house the other day and I stopped to open the door and rat ran right over my foot. He was following me and didn't think I was gonna stop so quickly. I live way out in the country no trash bins from restaurants here. No one has chickens within 4 miles of me. Or other livestock. for that matter. I live a stones throw from the river. The rats have no where else to go. I am taking in my food at night into the garage. They can't get in there. I have spilled it a couple of times and no sign of anything eating it. These rats are very smart. They are determined. Starving them is not a solution. My neighbor has a family of skunks under one of her sheds. She's a tree hugger. I would bet that she is feeding the rats. Makes it hard to bet rid of them. I am going to try the Just One Bite rat poison. The only way to get rid of them is to KILL them. They will be back as soon as I feed my wild birds. I can't even put up a party flock in my coop as I leave it open during the day when the weather is fine.

 

[Davethebirdman]

Hi everyone,
I was hoping I could get some advice on how to get rid of the local predators in my backyard. We have chickens and ducks. Our duck pen is basically a small, outdoor dog pen with a heavy-duty tarp for the roof, and a doghouse for the ducks to sleep in (we have wood shavings for bedding). We have had a problem with rats invading the duck pen for a while now, since they dig tunnels underneath the doghouse, steal the food, and even take eggs occasionally. We also have a creek in our backyard with a bridge going over top of it, with the rats making tunnels underneath the bridge edges as well. Multiple times we have set up poison and rat traps, but somehow the rats always manage to get to the peanut butter without setting off the trap, or they set off the trap but don't get killed, and manage to wiggle themselves out and escape. With the poison, the rats poop in the duck pen and we're afraid it might affect the ducks. We also breed our ducks in the spring and summer and sell the babies. At first, we had a kiddy-pool with hardware cloth along the sides inside our outbuilding, which we would keep the babies in until they were old enough to be moved outside (if they hadn't sold by then). One night, rats came and attacked the baby ducks, killing all of them but three, one of which was bitten and left with her legs paralyzed. We actually set a sticky trap the next night, came back the next morning and found the paw-print of a rat that was just a bit smaller than a dime. Ever since then, though, we got a huge metal bin with hardware cloth covering the top, and that is what we keep the babies in now. We have a drake, and the ducks are a skittish breed (Indian Runner), so we have never had a problem with hawks attacking ducks. However, it's not the same for the chickens. The chickens have no fear of the hawks, and though they have plenty of spots to hide everywhere in the yard, they seek no shelter when a hawk comes. At this point, we have lost 4 chickens to hawks in October, and the past 4 months we have been forced to leave the chickens in their run all day, which I know is not very good for them. Every single day, at least 3 hawks come to see if any of the chickens are outside. Even when I come outside, the hawks don't leave. The rats also affect the chickens, as they come during the night and steal food just like they do to the ducks. Although we don't have much of a problem with raccoons, a few years ago a raccoon came during the night and decapitated one of our ducks. I hate it that the ducks can be outside and free range while the chickens can't, but we've tried everything we can think of and nothing works. Does anyone have any advice on how to get rid of all of these predators?

Pepper spray I use it!

 

[WindingRoad]

Again, I seem to have made the right choice in refusing the sale.

I have hundreds of feeders in stock that were made in the Philippines, but no medium feeders which are the biggest seller, and once travel opens up again and container shipping prices come down from the ridiculous cost they are right now I will be shipping again. Matter of fact I had them start on the next 1800 feeders right before Christmas then pulled everyone off production and have them building a new building to move into around May first.

Till then I make them in the U.S., the mediums size.

Sure,,.. I keep a couple hundred dollar bills in my hip pocket just so I can buy something and not use it properly.

 

[WindingRoad]

LOL The website is open to anyone that wishes to visit. No need to be "secure" unless it is being used for credit card processing. Which is why I use Paypal because they treat sellers like poo but they are the most secure payment processor around.

And again, a cup that is full cannot be filled. My feeders are currently being made in the U.S. at my shop because of the Chinese bio attack/pandemic and they are costing an extra $15.00 because of the labor rates, overhead costs, more expensive material costs, all the extra costs of manufacturing in the U.S.. And that is with a $6.00 per feeder savings in not shipping a container halfway around the world from the Philippines where I usually build my feeders. With that I am lucky to clear $6.00 to $8.00 per feeder. Then a customer that refuses to follow the directions buys one, refuses to take the advice even if they ask for it, and wants to ship back a feeder that will wipe out any profit from the next ten feeders that are sold to normal people. So when you see those red flags you pay attention to them and refuse the sale.

When I started making the feeders the only option was the grandpa feeder at over $200 plus shipping and it was and remains a crappy design. I wanted the least expensive feeder possible so people could afford it. That meant sacrificing fit and finish for durability and a good design and opening up my own factory in a low wage country ASAP because I wasn't making a dime off a $65.00 feeder built here in the U.S.. U.S. loaded wages at $15.00 per hour, assuming anyone would do manufacturing work for that little, is going to hit $30.00 per hour with overhead, insurance, and taxes. Overseas I can hire the cream of the crop of the workers for one twentieth of that, including the insurance, paid holidays, retirement pay, and make it at 1/15th with overhead. And materials, sell a 1 cent bolt in the U.S. and they need a hefty profit to cover the costs, that bolt costs 3 cents. Over there the competition is stiff, the bolt costs 1.2 cents, the same Chinese made bolt.

Or I could charge out the wazoo and make them here in the U.S. and price them out of reach for most people. Or do like the other companies and have them contract made in China and keep that monstrous government in power. As it is I can source sheet metal and mild steel from Japan, the Philippines, or Taiwan into the Philippines and avoid as much Chinese product as possible.

Again, I recommend you choose another feeder.

I knew it wasn't secure when you posted my name here on a public forum. That didn't last long though did it.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I canceled your order and refunded the money through Paypal because of your attitude on BYC. And it was a good decision because you like to argue with anyone and everyone and seem to know everything. In my experience that is the kind of person that will not follow the directions.

As for posting your name, most of us here use our real names. If you are hiding from the law or something I could understand being upset.

 

[WallacetheKhakiCampbell]

Im so sorry you are having these problems.

1. I also have some record size rats lurking around my chicken coop at night. My ducks aren't so friendly to them so that helps but doesn't keep them away. I have set up all sorts of snap-traps, the spinning-drown trap, poison, and more. Yet every night when I walk over there I see the same few rats eating on leftover chicken feed. I was guided to buy something called the Ratinator ( ) on amazon. It isn't cheap but OMG does it work, you can catch over a dozen rats in a night. I strongly suggest you get one. Also, do you take their feed away at night? I started doing this when I got my first pullets to make them used to me but found when I left it out it was almost empty by morning (raccoons and rats). So I keep it in my barn in a small metal trash bin.

2. For the hawks, do you have a rooster? My rooster never puts his head down during the day and it always on the look out for hawks/eagles. We live on a salmon creek right near where it empties into the main river, so there are eagles looking for a meal here ALL DAY LONG. But my rooster takes good care of them and keeps them safe. Maybe if you already have a rooster you may consider switching him out with another to see if he keeps them more safe.