Tiny birds pillaging feed from my automatic feeders - how can I stop this?

[Squeakles]

I have a couple of the Dineachook automatic feeders, and I'm pretty happy with how much our feed bill has reduced since getting them. Prior to getting these, our biggest issue was doves stealing the feed from our old feeders, but they obviously cannot get into these. Since installing them however, we have found tiny birds (sparrows etc) have worked out how to hop up and into the feeder and eat until they can barely get out again (little piggies that they are). Aside from the loss of food - mainly the mash but they have a crack at the pellets too - I do also worry about the hygiene issue of them walking, and pooping, in the feeder. Has any one found a solution to this? I was thinking that there must be something i can retrofit to the feeder to stop them being able to access the feeder, that doesn't prevent the chickens getting to the feed easily.


ETA: our hens free range, and do not have a covered run.

 

[snow5164]

My runs covered in hardware cloth 1/2 inch. The birds can’t fit threw , then we enstalled chain link doors.. now we had sparrows eating/ pooping in the feed.

We just moved the food into the coop . Easy and it’s only got chicken poop in it now

 

[Squeakles]

Thanks for your reply. I should have noted that ours free range and don't have a covered run at all. I suspect that if we were to move the feeders into the coop that the birds would quickly work out that they had been relocated, and just go in there and continue to eat the feed.

 

[snow5164]

Oh so your trying to keep wild birds out of your feeders that are outside it the open ?

I have no idea , but good luck .
We don’t often have wild birds in our coop ... the doors too low down

 

[Squeakles]

Yeah, these are really small birds that get into everything, so even the low coop door we have too won't do much to stop them. I'm thinking I just need to make something to put into the mouth of the feeders, to stop them being able to get inside, but to still let the chickens poke their heads in. I feel like this is probably an issue (the tiny birds) for others, and hoped that someone might have found a way to prevent it, but now I've been thinking about it, it's probably not going to be easy to stop.

 

[Squeakles]

SOLUTION FOUND:

Solution found: in case anyone comes across this thread, hoping for a solution, I thought I'd post what we've done. My partner made this contraption out of strapping, paracord, and washers. The strapping has been bent to fit under the dineachook hood (meaning no screws or adhesives required to attach it, so it's not permanent nor will it damage the feeder). This has stopped the sparrows completely from being able to get in. The chickens were hesitant at first, but after I held back the strings and coaxed them to use it by putting black sunflower seeds in the front part, they are using it without issue. After a few days of use it's really clear how much feed we were losing to wild birds (A LOT).

 

[lizo97]

@Squeakles -- is your solution still working?

 

[avjudge]

@Squeakles -- is your solution still working?

“Squeakles​

Joined Jun 10, 2018
Last seen Oct 7, 2018”

 

[CNJ]

I have the type of feeder where the chicken needs to step on a peddle to open the lid. I have two different types, one of them has a hydraulic lid which closes slowly and needs more weight to open, the doves don't go in this one. The other one takes less weight to open and slams shut when they step off the peddle. The doves can get in this one, three or four of the doves jump on the peddle to open it and jump in the feeder before it closes. To solve this problem, I taped a four inch piece of 2x2 inch wood on the lid, the extra weight prevents the doves from getting in the feeder. My chicken has been using this feeder for a long time, so the extra weight doesn't stop them from eating.

 

[Al Gerhart]

This is why a proper treadle feeder should have a narrow and distant treadle. Impossible get to the feed before the door closes. Those wide steps sure seem like a good idea on the Chinese made feeders like the Grandpa feeder and all the clones but they are anything but wild bird proof or rat proof.