Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Poultry and Pets => The Hen House => Topic started by: silverteen on December 08, 2011, 09:28
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hi, does any one know where i can get a shelter for the feeders and drinkers for my hens, so it stops rain dampening the food i leave out in the feeders in the day.
or has some one used something else? any suggestions?
at the moment i put pellets out in a feeder and if it rains they become soggy
thanks in advance!
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I put my hens feeders under old lorry wheel arches, the feeders also have rain hats on them just in case the rain is coming down at an angle
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My OH made a shelter out of old pallets and under the roof there's a hook where I hang the feeder. The design is similar to the one here
http://www.flytesofancy.co.uk/chickenhouses/Feeder_Shelter_Dustbath.html
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I use a treddle feeder. It is fantastic. My reason for buying was to stop the starlings eating all my food and it's worked. It is kept outside and keeps all the feed very dry as well.
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i use a piece of ply wood fixed to the fence with a supporting leg on the other side it works fine :D
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Easy retro fit is just to attach an old (or new cheap from pound shop) washing up bowl onto the top of it!
Quick and cheap!
I just did mine with a few bits of scrap bolser boot and duck tape!
A more presise job could be achieved with some screws and bolts, but i like bodge jobs!
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I use a treddle feeder. It is fantastic. My reason for buying was to stop the starlings eating all my food and it's worked. It is kept outside and keeps all the feed very dry as well.
Oooh, that looks posh!
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I had 2 feeders with HUGE rainhats and there was never a day (since I got the girls last Jan) that there was any damp in the feed. I put the feeders in the shed each night so was able to check.
HOWEVER, when I found my sack of pellets was going in 10 days instead of the earllier 3 weeks, I had to do something - wild birds from the hedge were waiting for the feeder in the morning & it was empty every night however much I put in it - I was concerned the chickens might not be getting enough pellets.....
So, thanks to advice on here, I got a treadle feeder - holds about 10kg (but I don't reckon to fill it right up) and is weatherproof, ratproof & wildbirdproof: result!
The chickens only took a few days to get the hang of it (they have to stand on the treadle to open the access to the pellets, and I checked it out with a cereal box - they need to weigh at least 800g in order to open the flap).
We have made small modifications to make it work better (standing it on bricks so the treadle can drop further, and fastening the link between treadle & flap better). The only other thing was to scatter a cup of pellets when they are all trying to feed at once when let out - apart from that, they take turns nicely.