[daveinmanc]

got one of these  . . . . . . . .







a number of sheets of perspex, wood nails and all the tools and need a bit of inspiration lol  :shock:

want to make a rain cover so it can be left out in the day without the food getting soaked when it rains, do you think its best to just make a simple 'umbrella' type thing or a 'frame' / 'box' to put it inside???

or has anyone got a piccy they can post of one they've made? just on the scrounge for ideas. . . . .  or what is your solution for your own birds?

thanks in advance    

dave

[Foxy]

Thats a good feeder!
Is there anyway you could keep that inside the coop? Leaving it outside WILL attract vermin :?

[chickychick]

mm I had been thinking of getting one of these and moving it indoors when I shut the girls in at night cause the coop is not big.  

For daytime I was thinking of using something like a large piece of firm plastic with a hole cut in the middle.  Then passing the top of the feeder through si the top just poked through to allow it to be hooked on and off easily and stop the rain ruining the feed.  

I have some very large plastic tubs at work that are used for plaster and the lids are cicular and about 18" accross, I was thinking of trying one of those, but I havent got the feeder yet as I was toying with the idea of getting one of those expensive metal ones in case it was no good with the plastic one with lid so do let us know how you get on.

Another idea I had was to stand a small table in the run and hook the feeder to the underside of it, you can pick up an old table at a car boot for a couple of quid but it depends on how posh you like it to look

[WG.]

Your ducks will love the wet food Dave.  They'll do all in their power to make it wet.

[Trillium]

I did a similar idea and we built ours in a box type frame so the birds wouldn't all rush it at once and knock it over. They either don't eat, or insist on eating at the same time, so food waste is a big consideration.  Make an extended V shaped roof so any rain runs off from whatever direction it comes in. Don't at all recommend a one angle sloped roof. And do be sure to put it in the coop at night.

[daveinmanc]

got it from here


birds and bees online

its an ebay store slowef put me onto and it seems very reasonable to me, the goods are dispatched from portugal and their delivery times and postage are as quick, cheap and fast as i've had off anyone in the u.k lol  


the feeder is inside the run at nights foxy, it was just the food getting wet i was bothered about.

chickychick i thought of making a flat circular top outta the perspex with a hole in it, its about as good as its gonna get i think, i could make a frame sorta table style but i think no matter what you do there'll be some waste and some rains gonna get in no matter what.

W.G i think you're right lol, they do now and i know they're not bothered, its just keeping the mess to a minimum thing to deter vermin. . . . . .  :roll:

[chickychick]

yes I see what you mean the only way it would stay dry and the waste bits that fall out wouldnt get wet is if it was under a table type thing or frame cuase they would just eat the fallen bits from the dry floor under the frame/table.

Im presuming there is a hole in the top of the feeder to suspend it with?

Will have a look at that link sounds useful

[slowef]

Thanks for credits Dave I have used her lots for feeders etc and she is brilliant, service is fast and reasonable and any problems are dealt with fast too

[daveinmanc]

chickychick, yes there's a hole on top for hanging it up, its a much better one than all the ones we've seen in the shops since we bought it and i think its a real cracker.

slowef ya welcome, i got a drinker off her as well and its brilliant, dead chuffed with it and use it for their clean drinking water with ACV in it, best about it is, is they cant bathe in it lol (although they try  . . .)    :shock:

[5aday]

We had the same problem with the pellets getting wet and going 'sour'.  Our solution isn't very elegant but us and the chooks are the only ones who see it and it works extremely well.  We had the aluminium back off an old pick up truck lying around in the nettles as you do and hit on the idea of putting that in the run as a shelter for the food (and also for the chooks when it is wet).  We placed an old door on the floor for the food etc to stand on so that the ground doesn't get too muddy, the added bonus is that the wild birds are less eager to go under there to take the food so it lasts longer.  Now if only we could think of a use for all the other junk we seem to accumulate!

[daveinmanc]

that was the kinda thing i thought about at first, was gonna make a 3 sided 'box' for it to go in but i think i might make a 'tunnel' type arrangement where they can enter from either side.

if some gets wet then it just gets tipped or thrown on the compost, if they dont eat it, which as WG says, they probably will lol    

[chickychick]

a tunnel thing good plan.... so perhaps a sliced up dustbin, waterbut, peice of sewage pipe type of thing?  You should have a quick scan of every skip you go past its odd the way just what you want wil sometimes pop up.

[Jellyhead]

I used to keep one just like yours Dave inside at night and that is what attracted the rats I'm sure. They used to tunnel at night, at least I assume it was night  However I have made an outside sheltery thing which I made for two reasons. 1. to keep the food dry 2. somewhere for the chooks to go too when is was raining that was light. So, what I used was corrugated perspex. Fortunately I have loads of room so it was easy and it works a treat. I will try and post a piccy for you later

[daveinmanc]

already salvaged some perspex sheets so i', gonna fix em to a rectangular flat wooden base then have two sides and the 'roof', think i can fix the perspex with some small corner brackets then silicon the joins to waterproof it.  

i'll probably change my mind again once or twice when i start playing so watch this space lol  

[daveinmanc]

thanks F.C  

look forward to seeing it when you get chance