Emperor feeder

[Sanjo]

Are there any grapes out there who have experience of the Emporer Feeder and could give me some advice to pass on to my daughter.
She has enough on her plate at the moment caring for our grandson who is seriously ill and I just want to see if any of you can offer her some help.
She has purchased the Emperor feeder to make life easier for anyone other than her or her husband who will be looking after chooks when they are tied up at hospital.
She says she has put in two bags of feed (cost her £20!!) and when she looked yesterday somehow they have managed to get all the feed out and it is all over the run and the paths (which are OUTSIDE the run).
Personally, we are wondering whether it was a rat that did it but I dare not even mention that word at the moment.
Anyway, have any of you used this particular feeder. Should a particular feed go in it. All advice gratefully received. She has 11 hens.

[tlck9]

Having read the following statment, I would think it was pretty much the best on the market:

The Rolls Royce of feeders. Allows your game birds or poultry to feed and drink with minimum wastage/spillage.

However havent used one before, my chucks seem from time to time empty all their food around, but I do take them up of a night time to remove the issue of rats.

However one of the biggest issues I have had lately is starlings, we have a mass exodus to our part of the world and they have eaten through 3-5kilos of food a day across the allotment.

[Glutton4...]

Looks like a great bit of kit Sanjo. I've got the galvanised hopper type with the wide-brimmed hat lid to keep the rain off. Every now and then, though, I find feed spread all over the place. I don't think it's the chooks. I have a resident cock pheasant who shares the run when I'm not there, and all manner of wild birds. I think it's the rooks and pigeons that are to blame in my run. Can your daughter cover the run with mesh? You can buy it quite cheaply from 'Knowle Nets' among others.

[Sanjo]

The chooks are in a large covered run (unless the family is home and then they free range) so shouldn't be affected by other birds.
I think she is just going to have to ask the supplier. I only saw a picture of it myself on the net this morning. ~i don't keep chickens but was really impressed.
At the moment it's the little things in life that seem to be causing aggravation. Thanks all anyway.

[RichmondHens]

I can't see a way that the food would automatically come out unless the feeder attachment was not fixed on properly. The sheer weight of 40 kilos of feed would probably pop the bottom off if it was not attached correctly.

With only 9 hens to feed one 20 kilo bag should last at least 2 weeks so I would suggest not putting any more than that in the feeder at one time. It also means that the feed would not sit around and get stale, which is the risk if you have a big hopper with only a few hens feeding from it.

[Sanjo]

Thanks Richmond, that's what me and her dad thought (that it might not have been put together properly) but life is tense enough at present so we are reluctant to appear to be critical!
I can't even go down to help as I have such a heavy cold and dare not risk passing it on.
Silly chooks will be stuffing themselves silly I expect.
Thanks all. Sanjo

[Suechooks]

Hope your grandson recovers soon Sanjo. I know how things can feel when the sh*t fairy lands on your house! Our good wishes to your daughter and family.

[Sanjo]

Hope your grandson recovers soon Sanjo. I know how things can feel when the sh*t fairy lands on your house! Our good wishes to your daughter and family.

Thank you. He's well on the way. Long haul but chemo and radiotherapy out of the way now so only the 6 months of immunotherapy to go bless him. Not fun for a 13 year old.

Chook feed problem apparently solved. The Emporer should have contained pellets and corn not pellets and mash. Cheeky little beggars were being picky it seems and the mash was acting as a "lubricant"

[Sanjo]

[removed by Sanjo as duplicated post

[Snadger]

Just so we all know what is being talked about, this is the speil:-

Details On The New Emperor Feeder From BEC

Futuristic looking bit of kit!