Treadle feeder

[lurae]

Hoping there might be additional reviews on the hogslat feeder. My plan is to feed 10 hens, two roos (all Marans) that are free ranged with one feeder. The price is by far better than Grandpa's and I like the platform not being metal as the summers here can fry an egg before I get it out of the nest (O.K. just a bit stretched!) Any advice or recommendations are welcome! Thanks! https://hogslat.com/feed-o-matic-chicken-feeder

 

[Al Gerhart]

How safe are treadle feeders? Nothing is completely safe but as one poster said, the inward swinging door is safer than the guillotine style feeders like the Grandpa feeder and the Chinese feeder (and I sell that kind as well but warn people). We have a saying Oklahoma "Farm animals are never really safe around moving machinery and state senators."

Where you can really mess up with a treadle feeder is trying to mount it up off the ground. That treadle has to bottom out on something so it is stable to prevent a bird from slipping off and getting its head trapped in fast moving door. Normally birds are very quick at sensing the door closing and can get out of the way if they aren't on the treadle but when falling, all bets are off.

The thing is, not having a feeder that will keep the rats and wild birds out is also unsafe, far, far more unsafe as the vermin can bring in disease and parasites that can also spread diseases.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Has anyone tried this feeder?

http://hogslat.com/feed-o-matic-chicken-feeder

Here is the best word on that feeder, a video from a customer that actually bought one. Rats love it, the door is simply pushed open because that kind of feeder has no counterweight and no spring loaded door like a good feeder will require.

The feeder is off Amazon now, too many returns, too many complaints. Only one seller left on Ebay, a sponsored seller and boy has the price bottomed out, under $50.00 plus $8.00 for shipping. All the other sellers are pretty much not restocking the item which is what I predicted when the feeder first showed up in the U.S.. They are still dumping them in AZ and NZ but if they are shipping this old model that far they have exhausted their European and U.S. wholesale customers.