rodent proof feeders for Silkies

[Mooie]

I am overrun by digger squirrels and rats; it's a banner year for both in southern Oregon. I don't use rodent poison. I'm getting feral working cats in a few weeks (a potential solution or a new set of problems) , and I use Ratproof Feeders for my laying hens. They work well to keep out rats and ground squirrels, and I highly recommend them for full size birds. Unfortunately, my Silkies are too small and too persnickety to use them. They don't weigh enough to suppress the treadle, they're too small to reach to feeder if they would step on the treadle, and they don't like new things. I've tried other, smaller treadle feeders, but apparently they'd rather starve then step on the treadle or put their precious, wee heads into the feeder when I've put a weight on the treadle to keep it open. (I love them, but they can be divas.)

Any suggestions for rodent proof or resistant feeders from other Silkie breeders?

 

[Stipenvlerk]

I’m not a silkie owner but since you have no answer yet maybe this is an idea?
I’m sorry if it’s totally not right...

https://goodlifepermaculture.com.au/rodent-proof-chicken-feeder/

https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/best-automatic-chicken-feeder.html

 

[Mooie]

I’m not a silkie owner but since you have no answer yet maybe this is an idea?
I’m sorry if it’s totally not right...

https://goodlifepermaculture.com.au/rodent-proof-chicken-feeder/

https://www.raising-happy-chickens.com/best-automatic-chicken-feeder.html

 

[Mooie]

Thanks, Stipenvlerk. I'll study your suggestions.

 

[Folly's place]

I have both 'big birds' and bantams, and bantam and standard sized chicks, and the treadle feeders just won't work here.
I have as close to a rat proof coop as possible, and only have food inside. It helps! I also have a 'barn cat', although this guy is fairly new, and may or may not work on rats, He does like mice, anyway. Many cats won't do rats, so don't count on that as a solution.
Eliminating places for rats especially to colonize your coop and run, or nearby, is essential. Pay attention to any hit of them turning up, and act fast!
Rats are smart, and there's no way it's possible to eliminate them all without resorting to poison bait stations once they've moved in.
Mary

 

[member 615286]

I am overrun by digger squirrels and rats; it's a banner year for both in southern Oregon. I don't use rodent poison. I'm getting feral working cats in a few weeks (a potential solution or a new set of problems) , and I use Ratproof Feeders for my laying hens. They work well to keep out rats and ground squirrels, and I highly recommend them for full size birds. Unfortunately, my Silkies are too small and too persnickety to use them. They don't weigh enough to suppress the treadle, they're too small to reach to feeder if they would step on the treadle, and they don't like new things. I've tried other, smaller treadle feeders, but apparently they'd rather starve then step on the treadle or put their precious, wee heads into the feeder when I've put a weight on the treadle to keep it open. (I love them, but they can be divas.)

Any suggestions for rodent proof or resistant feeders from other Silkie breeders?

hey there. having a hard time with this myself. they DO NOT like the treadle. did you end up finding anything helpful I can consider? thank yoU!

 

[ForTheLoveOfSilkies]

My Silkies all use the treadle feeders.. they just need training - have it open (brick on foot step or something holding lid open) then day by day slightly lower lid position till it's closed and they get the idea. Some faster then others. Took mine about a week.
Also it's the sound on some that scares them - mine has a rubber dampener so it's quieter closing and another has a slow soft close mechanism.

 

[Swbertrand1]

We use the Grandpa's Feeder brand with over half a dozen Silkies and they work fine. The one thing we add to the feeder is some counterweight to make sure our lightest Silkie can open the feeder by stepping on it. Our lightest hen is about 1-1/2 lbs.
The weight keeps the lid closed as tightly as we can keep it and still allow all the birds to use it. We did this because the weight of the lid alone didn't secure it enough to keep some heavy squirrels from standing on the platform and getting the lid opened...

 

[Al Gerhart]

There has been some excellent advice so far. A treadle feeder works only where there is a large difference between the weight and reach of a chicken versus a rat or squirrel. It takes both to really defeat big rats and squirrels. You can add a duck step to a ratproof feeder to make the treadle wider and get the silky closer to the feed and even adjust the spring to allow a lighter bird to use the feeder but then you have made the feeder less rat proof.

The chinese type feeder without the big feed chamber show in one of the pictures is probably the best option. We made one we call the M.A. 2017, Marie Antoinette developed in 2017 when we thought this style of feeder was going to be popular. They turned out not to be other than in niche markets like lightweight birds and even though ours are half the price of the normal feeder they rarely sell.

Here is the thing about feed stealing vermin and chickens, it is a lot easier to prevent them from ever finding the feed than it is to stop them once they know where the feed is located. On the lightweight aluminum Chinese made feeders or the Chinese made Grandpa feeders the lids can easily be opened by rats, mice, even ground squirrels, but if you install the feeder before the thieves ever show up you might have a shot at preventing feed theft.

I have tried quite a few prototypes that might work with lighter birds. One was a split treadle that was much closer to the feed and needed much less weight to operate. The chicken's claw would grasp the treadle, force the two halves together, and trip a locking mechanism on the door. Testing showed that the mechanism fouled with litter or poo or pinched the occasional bird's toe. It worked, but not with someone's pet chickens! And it had to be kept clean. No go on that design....

Past that what might work is RFID tags on the birds but the cost of the tags, the cost of an electronic release device, and the idea of keeping such a device operating in a dirty and dusty and poo filled coop was just too much of a leap of faith to invest in. Ditto on a camera with a pattern recognition software feature tripping a door lock. The price would be steep and the market small as a much cheaper mechanical feeder would do the job for the vast majority of customers.

I think the last post before this one has the best idea, a careful tweaking of weights on a guillotine type door with a close and wide treadle is your best option if you cannot fence out the squirrels.

 

[Malbaugh]

My Silkies all use the treadle feeders.. they just need training - have it open (brick on foot step or something holding lid open) then day by day slightly lower lid position till it's closed and they get the idea. Some faster then others. Took mine about a week.
Also it's the sound on some that scares them - mine has a rubber dampener so it's quieter closing and another has a slow soft close mechanism.
View attachment 2871425

Hello! I was wondering how you added the sound dampener and soft close mechanism?