I have been looking at treadle feeders and am wondering if it is worth buying a metal feeder to keep rodents out. I live in north Phoenix, and we have only had a mouse get into our house once in 13 years, but I think that easy access to food in my coop may attract them. Are rodents an issue, or should I just buy a wooden treadle and not spend the money on a metal feeder?
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if you are looking for plans they are here:
http://www.farmandgardencarpentry.com/index.html
If you are looking for a finished unit then western ranchman carries them and here are the directions:
Directions for use:
Congratulations on your purchase of the Automatic Chicken Feeder. You will find that this purchase will make your coop cleaner and your feeding practices more productive leading to healthier birds.
The best way to train your chickens to use the feeder is to hold back their morning and afternoon feeding and let your poultry acquire an appetite. For Poultry that are allowed freedom on your property or yard you may need to hold back their grain feed for longer. Wait until they are walking the fence looking for you and their feed and it is obvious they are hungry. Sprinkle feed on the platform so your chickens will accidentally trigger the treadle do not open it for them. Place your feeder in an area that is out of the weather and on a FLAT SURFACE. The flat surface is imperative for your feeder to work. Ideally a flat board or flat level pavers that provide a flat level area 20 inches square.
Introduce your chickens to the feeder and fill the entire feeder with feed then cover the feeder. Sprinkle feed on the platform so your chickens will accidentally trigger the treadle. You can open put your foot on the platform so they will be familiar and not surprised by the opening and shutting. If you want the cover to come down at a slower rate simply tighten the bolts. It will not take long for your poultry to figure it out.
This feeder is not recommended for chickens that are younger than 10 weeks.
If you have any questions feel free to contact the manufacturer at Vanessa@haulnassproductions.com
Thank you for your purchase and say good bye to all of those free loading wild birds and pest!
I would go for the metal one.... I just had to replace the heavy rubber trash cans I kept extra feed, etc. in with metal ones because the roof rats ate into them. grrrrrr We do live in North Central, where the rat issue may be more of a problem.
A wooden treadle feeder would be good addition; it will save on feed if nothing else. One thing to keep in minds about rodents is they are most active at night; few chickens are awake at night. In addition, rodents, especially mice are the leading carrier of Salmonella, so when the chickens eat the droppings in the feed or the mice themselves, they then contract Salmonella, as well as other diseases they carry. You do not need infected chickens.
A well-built wooden treadle will work very well and last years, all the while keeping your hens healthier and using less feed a real concern with the ever-increasing price of feed.
When you are feeding chickens, you will have rodents, if not today, then soon.
Good point about the night-time activity Mabel. I fed my girls their ration fresh each day - I did that to keep them social so I could catch them to keep the wing clipped, so I did not try hopper feeding them. I observed the catch and eat activity of the girls with birds, baby and adult.
Thank you for your responses. Are wooden treadle feeders rodent-proof?
Some of the other folks may have some more current experiences, but I found when I had chickens that any critter silly enough to get in the chicken area and was smaller than the hens - got eaten by the girls.
More importantly would be whether other birds could get to the feed if you are going to put a hopper-type feeder out for them. The wild birds can eat and/or soil the feed.