Garrett Heath / Flickr
Oh , those little sparrow thieves ! Nothing labor a chicken owner crazier than watching dozens of wild birds boldly gobbling up valuable provender . There are ten thousand of feeder styles you may try out to determine if they ’re the right scene for your cage — and we ’ve outlined some options below — however , the initiation birdfeeder has establish to be the easiest and most effective option for minimizing feed waste and keeping panhandle bird and rodents away .
First , lease ’s take a feeling at your options , and why they ’re not ideal .
1. Hanging Feeder
Aliza Sollins
When we first buy our chickens , we purchase this standard hanging feeder from our local feed store . The sparrow had a battleground day with this one , hang out on the red tray and enjoying the snack bar . We need a modification .
2. PVC Pipe Feeder
These feeders were a great mind ! # chickenlife # chickenfeeder
A exposure carry by Jennifer Healy Keintz ( @jenniferkeintz ) onOct 7 , 2015 at 2:33pm PDT
Many chicken possessor have shared ideas for building feeders like this one out of PVC piping to prevent barren . One payoff for me with many of these framework is that they do n’t really seem like they would prevent rodent theft . Also , as meddling urban homesteaders , we simply did n’t have meter to build a raw feeder . More time - sensitive projects , like building a rain cask and canning our green goods , hold priority .
3. Treadle Feeder
Janet and Ray Owen / Flickr
For a treadle self-feeder , chickens tread on a pedal to open up up the lid of a container of feed . While looking at plans , we run into the same issue as with the PVC pipe feeder : We simply did n’t have the time to establish one or the money to purchase one . I was also a little interested about the absolute frequency of chickens getting bonked on the head with the closedown lid because chicken will often flock together when they see one eating .
That brings us to our winning answer : the trigger birdfeeder .
Trigger Feeder
Rich386 / BackyardChickens.com
in the end , we found that a initiation feeder worked best for us . The biggest benefit was its simple construction : All you demand is a drill , a pail with a lid , and a “ trigger ” that your chickens will peck . This photo depict a side - by - side comparison and intention for a homemade model .
To do the occupation quickly and easy , we ordered a store - bought trigger . Here ’s how we installed it :
Our chicken apace figured out how to pick the trigger to make a little amount of food fall out at a prison term . Some situation commend putting a piece of red tape on the initiation and/or relieve oneself sure the trigger is at head height for your smallest chicken to make certain they can make .
If you require to make your own , there are several different methods . For example , the DIY model in the photo aboveis made from a 16 penny galvanize spiral nail , a telegram nut , 5/8 - by- 1½-by-?-inch piece of laborious plastic , and some E6000 adhesive material . AnotherDIY modeluses an eyebolt for a trigger . I tend to prefer this design , as the induction is a suave surface — looking at models where spiral nails or screws are used for the gun trigger make me worry about the potential for impoverished hooter .
Feed waste is a frustrating and expensive effect for many chicken possessor . Whether you take to make or own or prescribe a trigger from a company , using a trigger tributary is a keen option if your end is to ensure your crybaby feed is reserved for your Gallus gallus alone .
