Q&A Best Automatic Chicken Feeder
www.uptodatefarmer.eu
The most common questions we have received from our audience.
If the feeder has 5 feeding ports means that it can be used only by 5 chickens?
NO. The feeder was tested for 25 chickens and we never saw chickens waiting to eat.
We have customers who installed one feeder to 40 chickens. It depends if chickens are free-range if so, they will search for bugs, worms, eat grass, drink water, jump for butterflies and so on. In this case, are not more than 5 chickens going to grains at the same time so you may use one feeder up to 40 chickens.
Chickens are going in bulk at the feeder when the clean feed has been missed for some time. This scenario happens for classic feeders which, although they are called automatic, the food moistens at the base of the feeders, forms blockages and no longer allows the food to slide to be accessible to the poultry.
With the UpToDate Farmer Feeder, the chickens have constantly fresh and clean food available all day long, and uncontaminated with droppings or moisture.
How do I know if my chickens will learn to use the UpToDate Farmer Feeder?
Chickens are natively gifted to search in most dark holes for food. They are scratching, digging, looking for worm and beetles.
They start feeding on the feeder in the first 60 minutes. If it is not the case, then place some grains on the external head of the feeding port just to draw attention to the feeder.
Is it rat-proof?
Although any rodent will appreciate an easily accessed feeder, the fact of the matter is that spilt and wasted food is the main attractant for rats and mice in your chicken coop.
With UpToDate Farmer Feeder, you'll have no waste food on the ground.
However, if you have a serious problem with rodents in your coop, then we suggest placing the UpToDate Farmer Feeder on a stand having a diameter less than then feeder.
In this way, it does not exist a straight path for rats to reach on feeding ports. Here you can see an example of how to place the feeder on the stand and the rats trying to get on feeding ports without success:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QrBnW...
Can an Automatic feeder be made in DIY mode?
Everything on the market can be made at home but won’t have the same features as the original. More than that, plastic is difficult working material and usually broke. In the end, after some broke recipients, the cost won’t be less.
If you have experience working with plastic and you have decided to do it by yourself then keep in mind at least these points:
- Don’t use silicon as it is toxic for chickens;
- It’s very important to have on the internal side, the correct distance between feeding ports to allow food to get down easily and no blockage, otherwise, chickens will remain without food when you expect less;
- The internal head of the feeding port should be reduced to a minimum, to avoid rats, wild birds, and little chickens to get into the feeder and then found them dead. The Internet is full of sad stories occurring with homemade feeders. The UpToDate Farmer feeding ports are designed to be safe for any chick!
I’ m working from home and I have time to change/refill the chicken feed many times during the day.
The feeder does not stop you to visit your hens whenever you want.
But, when you don’t have so much free time and you are always in a hurry, the feeder becomes your rescue, without having to ask relatives or neighbours to supervise the hens when you leave home for longer periods (vacation for example).
The UpToDate Farmer Feeder not just provides more spare time, it brings the physiological comfort in your life that you are not dependent on your hens.
