If you are a chicken owner, you know how important it is to provide your feathered friends with adequate food and water, for instance with a chicken treadle feeder. But feeding your flock can be a messy and wasteful task, especially if you use an open feeder.
Fortunately, there is a solution – a chicken treadle feeder. In this blog, we will discuss what a chicken treadle feeder is, how it works, and its benefits.
You may also want to read about the best chicken feed.
What is a chicken treadle feeder?
A chicken treadle feeder is a type of feeder that requires chickens to step on a treadle or a small platform to access the food. The treadle is connected to a door that covers the feeding trough, and when a chicken steps on the treadle, it opens the door, allowing access to the food.
When the chicken steps off the treadle, the door closes, preventing access to the food. Treadle feeders can be made of wood, metal, or plastic and come in different sizes to accommodate various flock sizes.
How does a chicken treadle feeder work?
A chicken treadle feeder works on the principle of weight. When a chicken steps on the treadle, it activates a mechanism that lifts the door covering the feeding trough. The door stays open as long as the chicken’s weight is on the treadle. When the chicken steps off the treadle, the door closes, preventing access to the food.
Advantages
One of the main advantages of a chicken treadle feeder is that it can help reduce feed waste. Chickens have a tendency to scratch and fling their feed around, leading to a lot of wasted feed. With a treadle feeder, the feed is securely contained, and the chickens can only access it when they need it. This can help save you money on feed and reduce the amount of time you spend cleaning up spilled feed.
Another advantage of a chicken treadle feeder is that it can help keep your chickens healthy. Traditional feeders can attract rodents and wild birds, which can carry diseases that can be harmful to your flock. A treadle feeder is designed to keep rodents and wild birds out, reducing the risk of disease transmission.
Treadle feeders can also help to reduce the amount of time you spend feeding your chickens. With a traditional feeder, you may need to refill it multiple times a day. With a treadle feeder, you can fill it up once a day or less, depending on the size of your flock. This can help to free up your time and make chicken keeping more convenient.