Thinking of Grandpa Feeder…help with chicken weights

[mfh]

We are new to the group…with 24 straight run growing under our eye, we are hoping we will end up with 6-12 hens going into the fall. Time will tell what we have!

We are outfitting the coop. We are most interested in keeping things simple, and building the coop and run large enough to accommodate a flexible flock size up to 24. No current intention to end up with that many..but I can appreciate the flock gain trend.

We are sold on getting a Grandpa's Feeder.

I note "A standard feeder requires 500gms/14oz and a large feeder requires 900gms/2lb."

We are leaning toward the large feeder which will give us even more time between fill ups. That will allow us to travel and have the folks watching the birds do less work…I will have automatic watering nipples so egg collection and coop triage is al they should "have to do" while we are gone.

Anyways - at what age will the chickens be around 2 pounds and able to open the large feeder?

We anticipating getting new chicks annually (taking some birds to the table) and dont want a feeder that would limit their intigration into the flock if it takes too long to reach two pounds...

So give out planned potential flock size, and the desire to not buy two feeders should we stick with the standard and fill more often (but get them to the feeder earlier) or go with the large?

I also plan to have a PVC feeder available in the coop…but outside I think the grandpa feeder will be perfect.

Thanks for any thoughts.
MFH

 

[chicks2love]

I purchased a Grandpa's Feeder for my chickens and love it! I got the large feeder and am glad I did because I don't have to fill it so often. Mine is under a covered run, but could be used outside. I believe the website says it will hold 40 lbs of feed. GREAT feeder!

 

[yyz0yyz0]

here's a suggestion:
Get the larger feeder and rig up some kind of weights that you attach to the treadle so the birds don't have to weigh as much, then as they grow you can remove the weights and put them away until next year when you have some young ones again then just reattach it till they are big enough.

You could use two weights, put one on each side of the treadle to keep it balanced and keep the weights out of the hens way. I'm thinking something like a stack of fender washers bolted down on the treadle.

gotta say, I was quite surprised at the price of that feeder, espcailly after making my own feeder that I can go two weeks without needing to attend to it with 8 birds.

 

[HighStreetCoop]

I have a Grandpa's feeder, and I love it. If I had it to over again though, I might go with one from Chooketeria instead. Soooo much cheaper and it looks just as sturdy and weather resistant.

http://www.chooketeria.com/Welcome.html

Of course with the Grandpa's feeder, when you have smaller chicks, you could always put the training bolts back in until they're all big enough to open it.

 

[codewarrior65]

I have two 40# Grandpa Feeders in their outside run. One thing I picked up is to elevate them on a platform. Mine are 18 inches off the ground. They are well worth the money.

 

[Al Gerhart]

The grandpa feeder is a very old and unsafe feeder design. Read the negative reviews and you will find that it isn't even rodent proof or waterproof, especially when used outside. Plus it is made in China according to the import records for Fowl Play, (click on the link) the company distributing the feeder to the U.S.. The feeder is actually made by GAODENG FURNITURE CO LTD, INDUSTRIAL AREA XIQIAO TOWN NANHAI AREA FOSHAN CITY GUANGDONG CHINA. There was a few rumors saying they shifted manufacturing into Mexico but so far that hasn't been proven. They might have just changed their importing company name to hide the Chinese imports.

Worse, you have to block the feeder open for weeks according to their training instructions. Some will say their birds learned quicker but that isn't the reason for the long training period; it is to lull people into waiting as long as possible before returning the product. The overhead lid scares the crap out of the hens, then by locking it open the first week the chickens learn that the lid is not supposed to move, only to see it move a little in the second week. The third week, a lot of flocks don't know what is going on as the lid slams up and down.

When chickens step off the top onto the lid while other birds are eating you know what happens. Feeder doors should swing in, not up and down in a guillotine manner.

They are not adjustable without a lot of trouble. Nor is the door spring loaded. Rodents can just push the lid open and feed themselves.

Now, if you go down that road anyway, if you buy one off Amazon you can at least return it if your flock doesn't do well but there are a half dozen copies of the Grandpa feeder, also made in China, that are half the cost of the overpriced Grandpa feeder. But you can find the same feeder on Tic Toc for $69.00, one third the cost of the Grandpa feeder. In reality, that is about what it is worth due to the numerous flaws in the old design.

A good treadle feeder has a door that swings inward, not up and overhead. It is spring loaded with an adjustable spring so the treadle weight can be set between a half pound and five or six pounds for when you get a squirrel problem. The springs pre load the door with tension, it will take one to 1.5 pounds of force pushing on the door before it can be pushed open if a squirrel tries to push the door open. IF it got in, it would be trapped for disposal or removal.

The treadle HAS to be narrow and distant, a perch, not a wide step that rodents and pigeons can gang up on and reach the feed. Finally, can you get parts? Never saw a parts section on the Grandpa website and you won't. Feeders should last for years and years if you keep them up out of the muck. They will need replacement parts. Finally, a soft close is a safety feature that came out on other feeders ten years ago, something else you won't find on the Grandpa Xi feeder. And you can get all of these features in a U.S made feeder for HALF the cost of the Grandpa feeder.

Get away from Amazon and search online for review sites that don't have links back to Amazon or a manufactures website. Those sites are getting a commission and they won't recommend products that aren't paying a commission.