Can someone recommend the best Treadle feeder?

[cherylgladys]

Hi - I have three full grown chickens and the rats are coming in to eat their food. I would like have some recommendations on the best treadle feeder that is rat proof and bird proof, if possible??? Thanks for your help....

 

[cinnamoncockatiel]

Hi! I highly recommend Grandpa´s Treadle Feeder. They are rat proof, rain proof, and no waste.

 

[RojoMarz]

I prefer and have this Ratproof Feeder as it is not a guillotine style.

 

[cherylgladys]

I prefer and have this Ratproof Feeder as it is not a guillotine style.

Thank you! I just ordered the medium one and read all the great reviews, and decided this would be the best!

 

[RojoMarz]

Thank you! I just ordered the medium one and read all the great reviews, and decided this would be the best!

Don't be scared off when you find the assembly instructions. A new original needs to be used, when they make copies, so they can be hard to read ( or at least mine were). Also, follow the "teaching" method that is recommended (ie. Don't prop the door open). I did not get the soft close option. After about a week, the girls were accustomed to the noise.

Hubby did build a base/stand for mine. He also added a French cleat to the back of the feeder. I remove my feeder from the coop each night, so it couldn't be permanently attached to anything.

 

[cherylgladys]

I did not get the soft close method either. I want to know when they are eating....I think I will put my on a base as well and not against a wall. What is a french cleat? And why do you remove your feeder from the coop each night? Are you afraid the rats will get in?

 

[RojoMarz]

A French cleat is a way of securing things...two boards, each with corresponding/opposite angles are used. One is attached to the feeder, and one to the stand. The French cleat holds the feeder to the base. We don't actually have rats, we have chipmunks. They were getting into the previous feeder. I remove the feeder because we have bears. Don't want to leave feed in the run and possible attract them.

 

[Al Gerhart]

Hi Rojo,

Appreciate all the good feedback. yeah, the instructions are printed using a RISO printer, low quality printing but very fast. It is a high tech version of the old memo-graph style duplication, basically a screen printing process. We do have several assembly videos and a dozen or two repair videos where close up details can be seen, look on our main website that ends with .net, not the .com shopping cart.

And you will be pleased to know that we recently incorporated a french cleat into the newest U.S. made version of the feeder. Made out of sheet metal. We ship them with a sticker attached to the cleat leading to a video showing how to attach the cleat to the wall and hook the feeder lid axle over the cleat so it easily removed for cleaning. That was one of Howard E.'s ideas from way back that we finally got incorporated.

Cheryl, if you use a base the feeder will need to be securely fasted to that base and the base itself large enough not to move around or rock when a heavy bird hops off the feeder.

And please, please, please, email and send pictures so I can help if you run into issues. Sometimes it is difficult to write instructions that everyone understands and in the end it is very difficult at times to explain things without getting too complicated. Just a human thing I guess.

 

[Tiniest Farmstead]

Does anybody know if it can be used with ducks and chickens interchangeably? I see there’s a duck treadle, if I put that on to widen it for the ducks flippers will the chickens be unable to use it? Should I just buy two?

 

[RojoMarz]

Duck Step Extender - it does say As this item allows chickens and also vermin to get closer to the feed tray, it will reduce the rat proof ability somewhat for the larger vermin or for vermin that might overwhelm the treadle in large numbers so trim down the front portion to as small as possible.

@Al Gerhart might have a thought.