![Best Chicken Feeder To Prevent Rats [Buyers Guide For Keepers]](https://peteducate.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/01/Best-Chicken-Feeder-To-Prevent-Rats-Buyers-Guide-For-Keepers.png)
Feeding chickens comes with its joys, but having rats around is not much fun. Besides, not only can they can pose a risk to your flock by carrying disease and causing stress in your birds, but they can steal quite a bit of food. And it can be costly!
Rats are also keen to steal eggs, plus, having them around can attract other predators such as foxes to pay a visit.
So, if you want to overcome these issues, making food as inaccessible as possible, concealed from sight and accessible is a priority.
Below you’ll find details of some the best feeders that will prevent rats from visiting altogether!
The Best Chicken Feeders To Prevent Rats
Chicken Feeder Details
- BUILT TO LAST: Unlike other chicken feeders, Grandpa's Feeders have a high quality galvanized Steel finish, which is built to last in the toughest outdoor conditions. Grandpa's Feeders are the original automatic chicken feeders and they have been made and sold for over Twenty Years.
- FEED ON DEMAND - Grandpa's Feeders provide Feed on Demand for your flock. At the same time Grandpa's Feeders also provide a protected way of feeding your backyard chickens on demand, allowing them to access their food when hungry, ensuring optimal laying and happy chickens. Grandpa's Feeders also allow a number of chickens to eat at once.
- LARGE FEED CAPACITY: The Standard Automatic Feeder will hold 20 lbs (9kg) of feed. This feeds approximately 6 chickens for 10 days as a guide. The Standard size is suitable for all chickens, pheasants and is designed for smaller flocks of up to 12 chickens.
- SAVE MONEY: Many customers tell us that their Grandpa’s Feeder paid for itself in its first year simply by cutting down on their poultry food bill, not to mention the time saved not having to rush home to feed their chickens every day. The built in anti-flick grill stops chickens throwing food out, saving on wasted chicken feed.
- TRUSTED FOR OVER TWENTY YEARS: Proven design, sold worldwide. Don’t be fooled, Grandpa's Feeders have been around the longest compared to other companies. Our latest model includes side guards mean that chickens must stand on the treadplate to feed. Having a larger opening enables even roosters with large combs to access feed easily. This is the result of testing and providing customer focused solutions that work! An Automatic Chicken Feeder Solution that Works!
- SPECS - The Standard Automatic Poultry Feeder Trough will hold 20 lbs (9kg) of feed; Includes: Mesh Fence/Anti-Flick Grill stops chickens throwing food out and prevents chicken feed from being stolen by wild birds, rats/mice or large animal
- RELIABLE DESIGN - Use Side Guards to train fowl to stand on tread-plate to access food and protect the feed from escaping; Built of High Quality Galvanized Steel to withstand extreme outdoor conditions and provide excellent rust/corrosion resistance
- CAPABILITIES - Outlet opening enables large comb roosters to access feed with ease; This Trough provides feed to approximately 6 fowl for up to 10 days; Our large box design is suitable for all Fowl and provides feed for smaller flocks of up to a dozen
- SAFETY - Do not use with young chicks as the feeder action may harm them; Chickens must weight atleast 1.8lbs to activate and operate the feeder by themselves; Anti-slip Diamond Pattern Plate protects Fowl from slipping
- PROPER USE - Always place feeder on flat ground; Do not tighten up nuts and bolts on linkages; These have been factory set to be loose and allow free movement; Keep Feeder out of Direct sunlight to prevent Fowl Injury
- SAVE MONEY AND TIME- Cut down on feed cost and trips to the barn. Metallic grill prevents poultry from spilling feed.
- WEATHERPROOF- 100% rainproof, security knowing your feed is protected in extreme weather conditions. Now includes weatherproof stickers to cover the training bold holes when not in use
- PEST PROOF- Keeps out raccoons, wild birds, squirrels, mice and other pests. New model for 2022 includes lid latches to prevent any unwanted animals from accessing feed
- EASY TO USE- Quick set up. Holds pellets, crumbles, scratch and grain
- TRAINING- 3 step training process provided in our instructional video so hens learn to get used to their new feeder quickly
Finally
Preventing rats does require some proactive thought, planning and consideration, but it is possible thanks to the innovations in feeders and other coop accessories.
These particular feeders are tried and trusted solutions; used by many keepers to keep rats and other rodents at bay.
But, if you are serious about keeping rats away for good, then be sure to invest the right supplies.
Rats are a serious threat to your flock, and should be considered as such. Be sure to consider the following things:
- Rats are often more active in the winter, and move during this time, when food is scarce.
- Rats can attack sleeping or sitting hens, and kill chickens
- Foxes. and other predators, eat rats and can be attracted by their presence,
- If you see a rat during the daytime, it typically means you have a problem,
- Senior rats feed at night, but if there is not enough food to go around, they may attempt to acquire food during the day,
- If you notice rats, or spot evidence of their presence (gnawing, holes, dropping), you nee to act quickly before they breed further,
- Trapping or poisoning rats takes consideration, you need to keep other animals/pets and young children safe at all times,
- Rats carry diseases that can seriously affect us humans. Be sure to wash your hands thoroughly if you are bitten or touch any areas where a rat may have been,
- Wear gloves if you have to deal with dead rats,
- Seek local pest control for advice.
Looking for other products for keeping chickens? My following guides could be of help:
- Best Chicken Run Flooring
- Best Heated Waterer For Chickens
- Best Calcium Supplement For Chickens
- Best Layer Feed For Chickens
- Best Bedding For Chicken Nesting Boxes
- Best Nest Boxes For Chickens
I am a practiced pet owner with decades of experience owning a number of different pets. I am also the main writer and chief editor here at Pet Educate; a site I created to share everything I’ve learned about pet ownership over the years and my extensive research along the way.