Customer feedback – Automatic Chicken Feeder
“I have had my feeder for over 5 years. Before that, the birds and mice were having an open banquet day and night. I have seen several bad reviews saying that this feeder did not work for their chickens and just scared them. I have had several new flocks of poultry (chickens, ducks and geese) and after following the manufacturer’s recommended training periods, all of my birds have been able to operate the feeder with no problems with no chickens starving, so far.
The automatic feeder seems to be sturdy enough for the intended purpose, although at first, it appeared to be less robust than I expected. To date, I have had absolutely no operational problems or issues and the feeder has operated flawlessly. The feeder does need to be set on a level platform or level ground for best operation. The treadle area does need to be kept free from debris for proper operation. As for wet weather, the feeder does an excellent job keeping out the rain and light snow. In heavy snow, the trough lid does need to be cleaned off to assure proper operation and to keep snow from falling in the feed trough when the lid is raised. I place my feeder under a small awning for that reason.
I really like the Automatic Chicken Feeder (I purchased the large unit) for my size of flock. I can fill up my feeder only once a week or 10 days and I don’t have to be tied down to daily feed chores or concerns of my birds going hungry. Another reason I like this auto chicken feeder is that I can easily pre-mix the feed with scratch, lay pellets, calcium and other nutritional needs layered throughout the large storage hopper assuring my birds are getting a balanced diet.
I have a friend who purchased a similar looking feeder at our local feed store a several months ago. He recently visited my chicken yard and was so impressed with the Grandpa’s Feeder that the is ordering him a new Grandpa Feeder.
Now for the “not so great” issues, I really only have two: I have found it does keep the mice and wild birds from consuming my ever-increasing costly feed, but it doesn’t keep out curious squirrels or prairie dogs (I guess they have to eat too). My only other issue is I wish the manufacturer of the Grandpa’s Feeders would seriously consider incorporating “soft-close” mechanisms on the trough lid, similar to the soft-close drawers many have in their kitchens, so the lid doesn’t bang shut.
Bottom line; I would recommend this feeder to any backyard poultry fancier to help reduce feeding chores, help cut feed costs while assuring your birds can freely eat, resulting in happier birds.”
-Darrell Keller
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