What to do when 10 out of 11 hens "get" the treadle feeder and there's the one that doesn't?

[Tracker1045]

We have 10 out of 11 hens that finally got how to use Grandpa's feeder. The last one, a VERY old (10+) year old hen, who has always been on the shy side, and is pretty low on the pole, did originally step on the treadle and feed during the first week of set up when the lid is wide open and nothing moves. Ever since we closed the lid half way, like I said, 10 learned they have to step on the treadle. The old hen has not been seen anywhere within 5" of the feeder since; generally she's even further away. She won't step up when others are feeding, either. Won't ever look at the feeder. She plain old seems uninterested in eating. There's a chance she's going into ready-to-die mode just coincidentally and won't eat because of that, but of course we can't know that. So what to do? The second week of training will be over by the end of today. We certainly won't go to the final stage, i.e. lid all the way down at this point. But how long can we let her go without grains? The hens Iive on a 3/4 acre of pasture, so there certainly are miscellaneous things for them to dig up and eat, but I doubt this will be enough for her. I feel bad keeping on going. But I'm not ready to send the feeder back yet, either. Maybe push the pause button (meaning taking the feeder away for a while, see whether she goes back to eating from the trough inside the hen house--it's currently empty)?

Another idea we had was to get a second different, perhaps mildly less spooky feeder to distribute the hens that are feeding in a more spacious way with the hope the old one will overcome her reluctance knowing she won't immediately being pecked at when stepping up next to an already feeding hen? Not that I've actually witnessed the others doing that, I'm just assuming from her rank.

 

[parvani]

She's old. I'd make other accommodations for her alone -- like maybe a separate cage with her own food and water inside the run, so she's not alone but she doesn't have to deal with younger, stronger chickens.

 

[Acre4Me]

She’s earned a little special treatment, I think. Keep the feeder -all chickens get it and are using it. For her, is it possible to give her feed in the morning and at roost time? She can scratch and forage between those times. At 10yo, she may not be as capable of dealing with the pecking order, as mentioned. But, she will starve to death if the situation stays as is. Kinda sad to die from starvation in a run with feed, after 10 years of navigating pecking order and free-ranging.

 

[Tracker1045]

Setting up a separate cage for her isn't an option, unfortunately. Trying to feed her separately is almost impossible, too, since the others will immediately come running to steal her food, even though they have their own. I'd rather take the current feeder away and go back to how it was before.

 

[Al Gerhart]

This is one of the many reasons why I am amazed the grandpa feeder is still on the market. That overhead door makes training so difficult, requires the dang thing to be left open for weeks before you can use it for what it is intended; to stop vermin from stealing feed.

Training chickens ought not to take but one or two days if the feeder is properly designed, solidly mounted, is being used for full size chickens that weight enough and can reach far enough to reach the feed with the treadle depressed, and all other feed is taken away.

 

[Byrd gal]

You cant pick her up walk outside the run and feed her? Or let the others out and keep her in?