- Feb 4, 2009
- 1
- 1
- 9
Does anyone have any plans on how to make a treadle feeder for the chooks please. I am in New Zealand and the few I have seen here are quite expensive so would like hubby to have a go at making some...Thanks koogie
treadle chicken feeder
- Thread starter koogie
- Start date
- May 22, 2013
- 2
- 1
- 8
I found one out of Oklahoma City, OK and it is made of galvanized metal and is rat resistant/proof. Low cost and easy for chickens to use. http://thecarpentershop.net/
$65 plus shipping. Very nice units.
$65 plus shipping. Very nice units.
Hello,
The issue with the heavy breasted birds is easily solved by adding a wider board to the treadle step, but not too wide or rats will be able to reach the feed if they are heavy enough to operate the treadle. Two wood screws hold the existing treadle step in place, if you go just an inch or two more it will work, much more than that and the increased weight might overwhelm the counterweight.
There is a new spring loaded door feature too to prevent rats from pushing their way into the feed tray. But we sold and used this feeder for around a year and a half without the spring and it was effective in wiping out rat populations in coops. We have had a couple of complaints from flock owners that have only bantams but the way to deal with light weight chickens is to just remove the counterweight and rely on the spring alone. Or drill a couple of extra holes in the treadle bar and move the counterweight forward to make it more sensitive.
They have been mostly sheet metal for about a year and now they contain a wooden step on the front of the treadle for the birds to perch on, a small strip behind the sheet metal door that connects the door to the steel door axle, and the wood block that helps fasten the feeder to the wall or to a post.
Shipping costs, we can either do a custom shipping quote for you if you use our contact form or you can use the flat rate shipping map at the very bottom of the webpage. The lady that handles our shipping quotes and labels lives in the Philippines so she usually answers the quotes after 8 pm Central Time (U.S.) and will continue answering emails up till around 6 am Central Time. The financial part is handled in the U.S. of course for safety reasons. The labels print out on a remotely controlled laptop here in the U.S..
This is a hand made product and like all sheet metal products there can be sharp edges if you go looking for them. We priced it much lower than the very well made Grandpa feeders so we don't have the same fit and finish but the feeders are built to last and have evolved a long way since we first developed the wooden feeders back in 2011 with the help of BackYardChickens.com posters.
Bottom line is that if you are looking to get rid of the rats it works like a charm or if wild birds are eating most of your feed it will work wonders on reducing your feed costs. But it isn't perfect, your kids won't suddenly start cleaning their rooms, hubby won't drop that ten pounds he needs to drop, and your self esteem won't skyrocket because it is so perfectly made (it isn't, LOL). But the majority of our customers love the feeder, many have ordered several additional units as their flock expands, some have bought more feeders for friends and family, so I think we are giving good value for their hard earned dollars.
We learn new things all the time to improve the process. A rash of shipping damage (actually three damaged feeders in a three month period) taught us a new way to secure the heavy counterweight to eliminate the chance of it crashing into the feeder if the box was dropped a certain way. Now it is secured in its own foam cradle and wrapped up like a mummy in packing tape. LOL.
And I'd like to thank the posters that are customers already for their kind words about our product. We really do try to make it as good as possible without increasing the shipping weight (and cost of shipping) or pricing it out of the reach of the smaller flock owners.
The issue with the heavy breasted birds is easily solved by adding a wider board to the treadle step, but not too wide or rats will be able to reach the feed if they are heavy enough to operate the treadle. Two wood screws hold the existing treadle step in place, if you go just an inch or two more it will work, much more than that and the increased weight might overwhelm the counterweight.
There is a new spring loaded door feature too to prevent rats from pushing their way into the feed tray. But we sold and used this feeder for around a year and a half without the spring and it was effective in wiping out rat populations in coops. We have had a couple of complaints from flock owners that have only bantams but the way to deal with light weight chickens is to just remove the counterweight and rely on the spring alone. Or drill a couple of extra holes in the treadle bar and move the counterweight forward to make it more sensitive.
They have been mostly sheet metal for about a year and now they contain a wooden step on the front of the treadle for the birds to perch on, a small strip behind the sheet metal door that connects the door to the steel door axle, and the wood block that helps fasten the feeder to the wall or to a post.
Shipping costs, we can either do a custom shipping quote for you if you use our contact form or you can use the flat rate shipping map at the very bottom of the webpage. The lady that handles our shipping quotes and labels lives in the Philippines so she usually answers the quotes after 8 pm Central Time (U.S.) and will continue answering emails up till around 6 am Central Time. The financial part is handled in the U.S. of course for safety reasons. The labels print out on a remotely controlled laptop here in the U.S..
This is a hand made product and like all sheet metal products there can be sharp edges if you go looking for them. We priced it much lower than the very well made Grandpa feeders so we don't have the same fit and finish but the feeders are built to last and have evolved a long way since we first developed the wooden feeders back in 2011 with the help of BackYardChickens.com posters.
Bottom line is that if you are looking to get rid of the rats it works like a charm or if wild birds are eating most of your feed it will work wonders on reducing your feed costs. But it isn't perfect, your kids won't suddenly start cleaning their rooms, hubby won't drop that ten pounds he needs to drop, and your self esteem won't skyrocket because it is so perfectly made (it isn't, LOL). But the majority of our customers love the feeder, many have ordered several additional units as their flock expands, some have bought more feeders for friends and family, so I think we are giving good value for their hard earned dollars.
We learn new things all the time to improve the process. A rash of shipping damage (actually three damaged feeders in a three month period) taught us a new way to secure the heavy counterweight to eliminate the chance of it crashing into the feeder if the box was dropped a certain way. Now it is secured in its own foam cradle and wrapped up like a mummy in packing tape. LOL.
And I'd like to thank the posters that are customers already for their kind words about our product. We really do try to make it as good as possible without increasing the shipping weight (and cost of shipping) or pricing it out of the reach of the smaller flock owners.
I'm not sure what that is, but
I'm glad you found us!
I'm glad you found us!
http://www.ascott-dairy.co.uk/acatalog/Standard-Treadle-Feeder-PY355.html
I don't know how to build one , but this is what they are
I don't know how to build one , but this is what they are
They are rodent proof feeders. The weight of the chicken opens the feed tray, and closes when the chicken steps off. Actually looks like a cool idea. I wonder how hard it is to train the chickens?
There aren't plans in the link, but there is a close up of the side to show how it works. It's a wood one though so maybe you could adapt it to metal.
From the learning center:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-feeders.html
From the learning center:
https://www.backyardchickens.com/LC-feeders.html
Similar threads
New posts New threads Active threads
-
Threads with more replies in the last 15 days
-
-
-
Open Contest BYC's 4th of July Star Spangled Hatch-Along—Stars, Stripes, & Feathers, a Text-to-Image Contest- Started by Debbie292d
- Replies: 89
-
-
-
