When we went out to the Mudgee Small Farms Show the other week we came home with a new chook feeder.
Mr GoingGreen walking through the top orchid going down to the chook yard. New feeder in one hand and a bowl of hot breakfast for the girls in the other. That hot breakfast was rolled oats, grated carrots, garlic, cabbage and milk mmmm.
This is the old plastic feeder with the open top that held about 2 kg. If it got spun around too much the green base would come off. We have it hung on an old cooking tripod.
The new feeder holds 9kg of feed and has a lid and the base is attached. It was $30, i don't know if that's a good price or not and i'm not all that happy with it.
I think that it lets out too much feed all at once and lots more gets wasted either on the floor of the shed or to all the blasted birds who think its a free for all.
When i move the girls up to the vege garden for the day i just close the shed door so the birds cant get in. A couple of times i have put the feeder into 44 gallon drum at holds all the bulk feed and get it back out again in the afternoon. I cant just close up the shed when they are in the yard or they will lay their eggs outside.
I did find a set of plans for a Treadle Chicken Feeder and i think that i'm going to get Mr GoinGreen to make me two of them. The reason for two is that Miss Black is mean and does not always like to share. We did see the grandpas metal chook feeders at the show as well as another company's but at $195 each its just way out of most peoples budget and if you order on line you can also add Aus Post charges on top of that.
I would love to hear about what sort of feeder you have for your girls?
Anne here is the link for the Firewood Permit you asked about, we are headed out there tomorrow and we will be picking up a couple of boxes of apples, at $10 a box you cant go wrong.
Linked here Say G-Day Saturday Linky Party #97
and here From The Farm Blog Hop
and here Old Fashioned Friday #78
and here Simple Lives Thursday #203
and here Simple Saturdays July 26
7 comments:
Hi Nicole - we have a Grandpas feeder because we have the most phenomenal rat problem. It was expensive but cheaper than feeding all those revolting rodents.
I'll get another one at the Berry Small Farm day this year for the Silkies, now that I know they're heavy enough to open it :)
Are Grandpas feeders the ones that open when the chooks tread on the step thingy? DH keeps pigeons and the rats just love getting into the feed but I want to get a couple of 'girls'and would like to get a feeder that keeps the jolly rats out.
Nicole, Rob Bob has just put out a video clip on a feeder he has just made which might be of interest to you.https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wEs3WxN2owI&feature=em-subs_digest
He also has some great videos on all things gardening. You may have already heard of him.
hey Deb,yes rats are a problem every where especially when you dont use poison or traps to keep them down. im glad to hear they are a good feeder they are just way too expensive for us.
Nanna Chel, yes they are the ones that the chooks step on. we will give the home built one a go. i do subscribe to Rob Bob's channel, he does have some good videos. with his feeder, there are just too many things to buy to make one and i dont like that rats can just walk on into the feeder and have them selves a big old party.
We still haven't found the perfect feeder, so I'll be curious to see the responses you get.
We use a chicken pecker Nicole. A spring like gadget that is fitted into a plastic bucket suspended from the roof of the chook house. We opted for this to try and stop the sparrows from taking grain, and we are still using it today. It has stopped the sparrows but the pigeons can still reach it. I blogged about it here if you are interested...
http://outbacktania.blogspot.com.au/2011/09/chook-pecker.html
thanks for the link Tania, looks like a great feeder but my girls wont eat the feed that is on the shed floor for some reason. they will peck from the ground outside just not inside.
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