Treadle buying vs building

[skunknchatter]

I found a #35 treadle feeder on ebay for $110 shipped or a #70 for $130 shipped. These are metal, except for the treadle platform, so they will hold up a lot better to weather than wood. Hubby and I could build a wood one but finding the time is going to be the problem. I'm thinking (for us) it would take the bulk of our Saturday to build one and we've got more projects than we can handle. Soooo... my question is... has anyone here bought their treadle and do you think it was worth the money to have it show up on your doorstep all ready to fill?

 

[Gallo del Cielo]

If you can afford it, I would recommend buying a metal feeder. I think it would last longer than wood and without issues of moisture influencing the treadle mechanism. If you have the money, look into a Grandpa's feeder, they are about $200, but very well designed and made of very good materials. I have a wooden treadle feeder and I left it out in the rain once and the treadle mechanism swelled enough to make it stay open until it dried out. While that is not a huge problem here where I live (we only get about 11" of rain a year), it could be elsewhere. Sometimes you just have to ask, how much is your time worth? I looked at that one on ebay and it seems O.K. and might be a decent compromise with money, quality and personal time. If you decide to go that route, please report back and tell us what your think.