Automatic Chicken Feeders: What to Know Before You Buy - The Happy Chicken Coop (2023)

Today's topic is chicken feeders.

Feeders offer several major advantages over traditional (gravity) feeders; First, they help reduce waste, and second, they keep food fresher for longer.

What's not to like?

It's been around for quite some time, so we're going to look at it in this articleWhat options are there for your chickens?.

After reading this article you will know everything you need to know about chicken feeders to ensure you get the right one for your flock.

Our choice: automatic feeder

Chicken Feeder: What to Consider When Choosing a Chicken Feeder

The first thing to consider is the size of your herd. This will determine what size feeder you want to buy.

Remember all chickens will eat½ cup of food per day.

You also need to consider why you need one:

• Is it to reduce the frequency that you reload the feeder?
• To prevent worms from accessing the food?
• Are you planning to go on vacation?

You should also consider the ease of setup and operation; both for you and for the chickens.

This includes the time you need to train the chickens to use it.

There's no point in buying an expensive feeder if your chickens can't or won't use it.

Once you've made it clear why you want one, you'll be in a better position to purchase a suitable chicken feeder.

Types of feeders for chickens

automatic chicken feeding

Opa's Feeders have been around for 20 years, so they have experience!

Their feeders are durable, all metal and waterproof.
The feeder is foot operated; The hen steps onto the plate and has access to feed in a feeding area.

Once your chickens get the hang of it (and they have videos and training tips), you can fill it up and forget about it for a while.

Feeders come in two sizes (20lb and 40lb), with the 40lb variant holding a charge from 12 to around 7 days between refills.

It is designed to keep rodents and other critters away from chicken feed. This helps reduce waste and keep pests at bay.

Woodworking machine

This item is similar to Grandpa's Feeder but costs about half the price.

The reason it's cheaper is because it's not entirely metal; It has several plastic parts.

Nevertheless, it is waterproof.

In addition to the feeder, they offer guides and training videos on how to set up and train your chickens.

They are available in four sizes: 11 lbs, 17.5 lbs, 26.5 lbs and 44 lbs.

For a flock of 12 chickens, you should go with the 26.5 lb or 44 lb feeder.

feed bucket

While I wouldn't classify this as a true pedal autofeeder, it's about half the price and still offers many benefits.

It has a 20lb capacity and can be purchased with 1 or 2 power connections.

We always recommend 2 power connections; Thereduces the possibility of bullying.

This means that feet stay dry all year round, but pests are not prevented from getting to the feeders.

When buying an automatic feeder to eliminate pest problems, your best bet is to use RentACoop's Grandpa Feeder or Pedal Feeder.

Semi-automatic bird feeder

This product is essentially a large (25lb) feeder suitable for indoor use only.

It is an all-metal construction and one of the most affordable chicken feeders on the market.

But unfortunately, as with all other gravity feeders, there is no way to keep rodents away from the feed.

We would only recommend this feeder if you have a safe place to store indoors and don't have any pest problems.

So if you have problems with pests, try a real feeder mentioned above.

Bucket Chicken Feeder

tube chicken feeder

While not considered a "true" feeder, the Royal Rooster Chicken Feeder is essentially a combination of a gravity feeder and a feeder.

It is a tubular feeder that can hold approximately 6 pounds of feed.

The plastic is UV resistant, has a slim profile and comes with a hook and brackets should you need to mount it.

This feeder is an affordable alternative if you have a small herd of no more than 6 or more animals.

3 reasons to buy a chicken feeder

There are three really notable advantages that a chicken feeder offers over a regular feeder.

less waste
With automatic feeders, the feed is stored in the automatic feeder; This eliminates waste as it reduces spills and prevents them from spoiling in the rain.

worm control
Pedal-type feeders do the best jobkeep worms away.

Perhaps the greatest benefit is that wild birds are prevented from accessing the feed as they do not know how to operate the automatic feeders.

This reduces your riskChickens that get sick with a disease.

Vacation
A reliable feeder makes going away for a few days a lot less stressful.

However, if you plan on leaving your chickens for a long period of time, you should still call someone to check on them from time to time.

Alternatives to automatic feeders for chickens

If you don't have the money to buy an automatic feeder, there are a few other options for you.

The simple Gravity/Hung Feeder will do for most people.

They're not too expensive, which means you can place several around the barn and run them.

This means your entire herd can access feed without having to attend to oneBully hen blockedaccess to the feeder.

Hanging feeders come in a variety of sizes, up to 50 pounds.

They are easier for chickens and humans to use and have no feed flow problems.

Overview of automatic chicken feeding

No matter which feeder you choose, you need to be sure that it is reliable and performs consistently well.

If you're putting your chickens in a feeder, they might need a little encouragement. Give them a little time and they will get used to it.

You should keep an eye on them and test them out for a few months to make sure there are no issues before you go on holiday and hope they work!

We hope this has helped you in your search for a better feed for your herd.
If you have any experience with these feeders, please let us know in the comments section below...