We have several roosters in our flock and are unable to free range and the boys will fight each other even through the wire between their lots. They have individual coops, waterers and feeders. To simplify their care, I am looking for ideas for the feeders. We currently recycle the gallon size water bottles by cutting out one of the sides large enough for them to get their head into to the feed. I gather these each night because of rodent concerns and there is no way to close these. I was wondering if you all have thoughts for a feeder that would allow them to get their heads and combs in to feed but allow me not to have to collect them each night and redistrbute each morning. We currently have seven roosters. I appreciate your outreach. You are absolutely right. Working with these roosters, I've seen their behavior is very, very misunderstood. It's nice to know there are others who see it, too.
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I have had great success with these diy feeder ports mounted on a 5 gal bucket. They're affordable, clean and sanitary(bedding doesn't get kicked in them), practically eliminate billing out of feed, pretty rain resistant, and rodent proof! I've been using them a year now; my buckets are hung by the handle at chicken height, to further reduce rodents poking around. Rats could probably figure out the slider if they were just resting on the ground. Every night when I'm locking up the coop I close the sliders, then reopen them in the morning. In my opinion, this is the best style of feeder for my situation! Hope this gives you some more ideas.
Hi there! I'm so sorry you're having to navigate the rodent issues, they're such a challenge to deal with. Unfortunately there don't seem to be very many rodent-proof options for feeders. If it's mice you're dealing with, even hardware cloth won't keep them out as they can squeeze through the holes, so pulling it into the coop at night isn't even an option.
There is one product called Grandpa's feeder which is supposed to be rodent proof and may be worth considering. It's automatic and self closing when not in use, so should be impervious to rodents (at least in theory). It works by a pressure plate which, when stepped onto, lifts the lid allowing access to the food. The downside of these is that they are fairly expensive, but they're the only design I've ever come across that I have confidence would in fact work to keep rodents at bay. They do appear to be quite well-made and durable, so I imagine the up front investment would cover you for many years.
I'm sorry I don't have more options to offer, short of the pressure plate feeder style I do think bringing feeders in each night is about the only other fool-proof method. Hopefully that product is either an option for you, or can inspire some creative ideas to replicate its function. Hope you and the flock are having a lovely day and if you have any other questions please don't hesitate to reach out!