rat proof, bird proof, rodent proof, squirrel proof chicken feeder

Medium Treadle Feeders

Feed capacity

Chickens and rats aren’t inevitable so if you have rats eating your chicken feed and need a solution, here it is. The 2023 redesigned medium rat proof treadle chicken feeder hopper holds 32 pounds of laying pellets or other feed and has a 100% galvanized sheet metal feed tray and hopper so the feed flows easily and sanitation is assured.

Generally a laying hen eats around 4 ounces of feed per day, so one pound of feed should feed four birds one day, 7 pounds per week per four birds, or almost five weeks per full hopper of feed for a four hen flock. The more poultry feeders you have the more birds can be fed per poultry feeder.

Size

Approximate foot print of the medium automatic feeder is 18” deep x 14” wide x 19” tall. Shipping weight is around 12 pounds with packaging for the medium rat proof treadle chicken feeder.

Number of birds per poultry feeder

That will vary depending upon how established the flock is and your goals for the birds. If they are layers you need to make sure there are no more than 12 to 16 hens per poultry feeder because a laying hen needs to eat as often as possible for full egg production. The more she eats the more eggs per week she can put out as protein consumption is usually a hen’s limiting factor.

If you are feeding out broilers the weight gain per day is as important so once again you should have one poultry feeder for every 12 to 16 birds.

If a flock is well established there will be a pecking order and you can go as high as 20 birds per poultry feeder as long as you don’t mind a few less eggs per week

Versions available

There is the standard or original medium rat proof chicken feeder intended for indoor use or outdoor use for $85 .00 plus shipping

There is a soft close version $100.00 plus shipping

At the top of the door you can see the bottom part of the springs just poking out below the top front cover. Removing that cover requires a #2 square drive screwdriver or bit and behind there are a series of holes drilled to provide adjustment for the spring tension, four holes per spring, nothing stopping you from making more holes to provide even more precise tension adjustment. They come set at the #2 position for standard feeders, #3 position for soft close feeders.

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New recycled wood protective cage inner packing

Construction Details

The new inner packing protects the feeder much better than the old styrofoam packaging. Made from recycled scrap from our cabinet shop the plywood ends protect the lid and base from crushing no matter how the box lands if dropped and the thin plywood rails protect the sides of the feeder. It is also better for the environment, taking a waste stream that was once burned for heat and replaced a petro chemical styrofoam product.

The one piece steel bar treadle with an attached distant and narrow treadle gives the maximum amount of rat proofing, add a wider plywood treadle for smaller birds.

The new dual spring door is what makes this poultry feeder truly rodent proof. Not only is that treadle step far away from the door and the feed, the pressure of the two springs acts directly on the door itself to prevent even large rodents like a squirrel from pushing the door open. If you are having problems with wild birds like starlings, house sparrows ,English sparrows, pigeons, or grackles stealing your chicken feed they can be stopped just as easily.

Order a Medium Feeder

Door open view. Behind the door is a metal partition that holds the feed back to give room for the door to swing open. In this picture there are two plastic bowls sitting inside the feeder in the picture, we were testing a kitchen scrap feeding modification after a customer asked if it was possible. There are a lot of poultry feeders and automatic feeders on the market but this is the only poultry feeder that is rat proof, rodent proof, wild bird proof, and squirrel proof. Lots of people have problems with wild birds, rats, or mice eating their chicken feed and they try to rat proof their coop. But it is nearly impossible to rat proof a chicken coop unless you are willing to spend a lot of money and time. Once you remove the rat’s ability to steal chicken feed that rat will quickly move elsewhere or starve to death. Chickens and rats are not a good combination but removing the feed from being stolen also removes the rat.

The springs mostly hidden behind the top front cover holds the door tightly closed and provides resistance if a rat, wild bird, or squirrel tries to just push the door open. You can see the door axle exiting the left side and the integral door crank on the right side. This is the only feeder on the market with a 1/4″ thick steel door axle, the others use thin wire axles. Those are fine for the seldom opened (by comparison to the door) feeder lid but the feed door is going to be opened hundreds of times a day and would quickly wear out if it was thin wire. The wire link on the right side is only in tension when a chicken steps on the treadle so a thin wire works well in that case.

Having chickens and rats can be a thing of the past if you invest in one of these feeders. You have to do your part though, assemble it right, install it right, and train your birds right. Everything you need to know is in the instructions that come with the feeder. Put an end to sparrows, starlings, pigeons, or grackles from stealing your expensive feed.

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