Tired of feeding freeloaders

[redinator]

I've seen many plans for pretty simple feeders that have step mechanisms. There is a step/plate the chicken stands on when walking up to the feeder. Their weight causes the feeder door to open. They eat their fill. When they walk away, the plate rises so the door closes. They would need a couple days without the mechanism working so they know where the feed is but after that you're good to go!

The other option is just feeding meals instead of leaving feed out all the time.

That's the treadle feeder we currently have and the fat little varmints (squirrels) are heavy enough to operate it.

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm wondering if you have the means to make a diversion.

We border a forest, and have lots of squirrels and chipmunks. They all congregate under a huge wild bird feeder that's filled with sunflower seeds, that is far from the coops. (Only sunflower seeds to keep the sparrows and starlings away.)

The cardinals mostly, drop seeds, and over the years our lawn has raised a few inches in that area. The chickens, ducks, wild birds, squirrels and chipmunks gather there. The chickens or dogs run the squirrels off though. Our chickens are most likely exposed to lots of mites and lice, but never get them (diatomaceous earth the coops monthly).

We very rarely will have a chipmunk go in the coop, never a squirrel. Either the chickens, cats, or dogs get the chipmunks, as I just see bodies, so I don't know who got 'em.

 

[redinator]

I'm thinking I might switch to crumbles instead of pellets . . . since squirrels seem to prefer things they can hold in their greedy little paws and keep a lookout.

At least if they're head is down while they're gobbling feed my dog might have a chance to sneak up on them.

 

[bravecoconut]

That's the treadle feeder we currently have and the fat little varmints (squirrels) are heavy enough to operate it.

Well damn...

 

[redinator]

Well damn...

That's what I said, lol.

 

[Mother of Chaos]

We haven't had a predator problem, just pests (mice and squirrels). I and two of my neighbors have dogs, which seems to deter most predators.

My dog has caught several mice, which she brings into the house to show me she's doing her job, lol. She's also caught and killed an opossum, thankfully she couldn't drag it through the dog door, I found it on the landing the next morning. I would've died waking up to that on my bedroom floor.

I'm interested in what your setup looks like. Could you attach photos?

Oh, I agree; I think of squirrels and whatnot as nuisances. I was just trying *waves hands* to describe an unwalled run, or at least an un-solid-walled run. The coop itself is a Nestera sitting on a platform about 3’ off the ground with a hanging feeder and the shell and grit supplements.

Things are looking pretty beaten-down here at the moment in our tiny city backyard. I had knee surgery in early summer, and so we turned over the raised beds and other backyard areas to the chickens to let them do “soil preparation.” It must have worked - I planted a fall garden in Brussels sprouts and chard seedlings on Thursday (3 days ago), and they’ve more than doubled in size.

The silver-grey shape in the second pic is a Coolaroo shade sail over part of their raised bed area.

 

[redinator]

Oh, I agree; I think of squirrels and whatnot as nuisances. I was just trying *waves hands* to describe an unwalled run, or at least an un-solid-walled run. The coop itself is a Nestera sitting on a platform about 3’ off the ground with a hanging feeder and the shell and grit supplements.

Things are looking pretty beaten-down here at the moment in our tiny city backyard. I had knee surgery in early summer, and so we turned over the raised beds and other backyard areas to the chickens to let them do “soil preparation.” It must have worked - I planted a fall garden in Brussels sprouts and chard seedlings on Thursday (3 days ago), and they’ve more than doubled in size.

The silver-grey shape in the second pic is a Coolaroo shade sail over part of their raised bed area.

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My yard is a constant work in progress too. My yard has a 6 foot high privacy fence with pavers buried under the perimeter (that was to keep my dogs from digging out as puppies).

A friend teases me that I spent the last few years trying to get the grass to grow, then I got chickens to tear it all up again, lol. I said, "I didn't know it at the time, but I was preparing a nice yard for the chickens."

 

[Debbie292d]

I'm thinking I might switch to crumbles instead of pellets . . . since squirrels seem to prefer things they can hold in their greedy little paws and keep a lookout.

At least if they're head is down while they're gobbling feed my dog might have a chance to sneak up on them.

We use Kalmbach's Flock Maker crumbles in every coop and pen. I never thought about that though that squirrels would rather have pellets. I think you could be onto something!

 

[redinator]

I think I have a plan:

Once they finish up this current bag of pellets I'll switch to crumbles add cayenne, put the feeder closer to the house (further from the tree line) under a patio table so it's still in the shade.

Having it further from the tree line and closer to house will give my dog a better chance of seeing and catching the varmints before they can gorge themselves.