Which is the best feeder?

[Rise722]

I've been researching the various automatic (PVC) feeders for chickens, and so many people complain about their chickens ripping out feathers, the feed gets wet, the chickens crawl inside and die.....which one is the best for most flocks of adult chickens?

 

[Debbie292d]

Age appropriate here.

For in the brooder, just a small pyrex bowl of mash and another with dry.

For in the coop, a 10# aluminum feeder, hung from the ceiling about 4" from the ground.

For in the breeding pens, the 5-gallon buckets with PVC ports. Those are nice because they are more mobile versus attaching a tube to a wall. Only adults get access to this.

These all work for us well.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Best at what? Cheapest? At stopping feed waste? At stopping rodents and wild birds?

 

[Rise722]

I'm thinking of putting my feeder outside, so it would have to be reasonably waterproof....and I have seen feeders with stoppers to close to keep out rodents. I'm more concerned with the reviews that say their chickens get "stuck" in some of them.

 

[Ajp23]

I have two of @Al Gerhart ‘s Ratproof Chicken Feeders and I LOVE them. Our girls learned to use them quickly and the way they are designed makes them safe and effective.

 

[Al Gerhart]

I'm thinking of putting my feeder outside, so it would have to be reasonably waterproof....and I have seen feeders with stoppers to close to keep out rodents. I'm more concerned with the reviews that say their chickens get "stuck" in some of them.

"water proof" is tough, water resistant is achievable. When you get into blowing rain most feeders need some sort of overhead cover. The swing back door feeders do better than the guillotine style feeders where water puddles up behind the feed compartment. One trick is to bend the lower front lip back a bit so any rain running down the door falls on the ground and doesn't get wicked into the feed tray.

Best advice is to read the negative reviews first. Any product is going to have a few from the clueless or OCD types but past say 5% negative reviews means a poorly designed product.

Stoppers.... probably PVC tube feeders? Those are rat buffets once the rats find the coop. Even one of the poorly made Chinese made treadle feeders like the Grandpa feeder is going to less likely to start a rodent problem over a PVC feeder. And stoppering off the feeder at night just means the rodents eat during the day.

 

[SourRoses]

Over time and lots of styles, we've come to prefer simple trough style goat feeders that hang on the fence. Every night I dump out any remaining feed into a bucket that's stored in the feed bin for the next morning. It's a bit of work but it's inexpensive, easier to deal with messes from rainy days and avoid mold getting a foothold, deters rodents and racoons coming around trying to get at the feeder, and we can see how much feed is leftover as a guide for how much to give. We have hanging metal round feeders outside as well, and plastic round feeders with legs, they are simply more work to empty out, with more nooks and crannies that can get moldy. That said, we live in a humid and rainy environment, and don't like to feed in the coop as it enables social hierarchy issues over the feed. The main problem I see with fancy, expensive feeders is the temptation to have just one, which doesn't work with chicken social behavior IMO.
We once built a nice port feeder with XXL ports that locked close each night. The girls hated eating from it because they were losing their sight each time they stuck their heads inside. Roosters would wait until the hens heads were inside to jump on them. It was a poor performer and now serves the function of holding screws and bolts, lol.

 

[Al Gerhart]

That is a good bit of advice for a humid area but it leaves the feed open to rodents during the day and eventually the rodents will find it and create a problem. I'd recommend a treadle feeder but only put enough for one or two days or I'd add a low wattage bulb in the top of the feeder to keep the feed heated and dry. But, if you have the luxury of the time to put out feed each morning and pick it back up and don't mind the loss of feed to vermin.... it works.

Treadle feeders do fine in an established flock with a well defined pecking order. There is a morning rush but a half hour later even with a dozen or 16 birds per feeder the feeder is open far more time than it is occupied. Two feeders is better than one, even better if the feeders are out of sight from one another.

Practically the amount of feed stored, i.e., the amount of time between it needing filled, is usually the defining factor. One medium feeder, over 30 pounds of feed, that is 120 meals or ten days for 12 birds or five days for 24 birds. 24 birds and one feeder isn't optimal, but it will work if someone is on a budget.

Great post though. Especially about the shortcomings of the bucket feeders.

 

[Shadrach]

A lot depends on how one feeds ones chickens and how many there are.
If one wants feed available all day type of feeding then one is more or less restricted to some kind of feeder system. I haven't found one that works well yet.
If you have a mealtime type feeding routine then ground feeding is an option I rarely see mentioned but has some distinct advantages. By ground feeding I mean you spread the feed out on the ground over a wide area.

With most open tray type feeders I found that the chicken swipe their beaks in the trays and throw lots of feed onto the ground which they then meticulously pick up almost ignoring the feed still in the tray.
Some of the advantages.
If there is a rat/mice problem the rats/mice have to run around in the open trying to pick up one piece at a time. They don't like that much. They don't like being that exposed prefering to tunnel into runs and coops, sitting in the feed trays, pissing and shitting in the feed trays.
Fewer problems with junior birds getting blocked out of the feeders by more senior birds.
Better pick up rate by the birds. Feed doesn't bounce around on the ground as it does in feeders.
Feed on the ground doesn't give them pecking headaches. A few hundred goes at whacking a beak on a hard surface isn't a great way of eating.
More natural for the birds.
Spread wide enough and the birds tend to get more exercise.
If one can feed outside the run and coop one virtually eliminates the problem of vermin in the coop and run.
The birds pick up low levels of the local pathogens which helps build up a tolerance.

Just something to consider if you have suitable keeping circumstances.

 

[thistlewick]

Over time and lots of styles, we've come to prefer simple trough style goat feeders that hang on the fence. Every night I dump out any remaining feed into a bucket that's stored in the feed bin for the next morning. It's a bit of work but it's inexpensive, easier to deal with messes from rainy days and avoid mold getting a foothold, deters rodents and racoons coming around trying to get at the feeder, and we can see how much feed is leftover as a guide for how much to give. We have hanging metal round feeders outside as well, and plastic round feeders with legs, they are simply more work to empty out, with more nooks and crannies that can get moldy. That said, we live in a humid and rainy environment, and don't like to feed in the coop as it enables social hierarchy issues over the feed. The main problem I see with fancy, expensive feeders is the temptation to have just one, which doesn't work with chicken social behavior IMO.
We once built a nice port feeder with XXL ports that locked close each night. The girls hated eating from it because they were losing their sight each time they stuck their heads inside. Roosters would wait until the hens heads were inside to jump on them. It was a poor performer and now serves the function of holding screws and bolts, lol.

Can you show a pic of your goat style feeder? This actually sounds more feasible for us (we're in the Southern US and yeah its humid and rainy a lot) and I don't mind the extra bit of work to not have to deal with mold.