If you’re heading out of town for a couple or days, if you want to be able to give your girls treats while you’re away, or if you want to keep your flock quieter in the morning, an automated feeder is a great addition to your run. There are two options available depending on your budget:
Option 1: Moultrie Feeder + Bucket
While this budget-friendly option is typically used in a hunting application, it works great to dispense feed or treats on a timer. Before we had our covered run, animals of all kinds would empty my girls’ feeder daily. Ducks, wild song birds, and even iguanas would eat up their feed which was a problem in the fall and winter months when it got dark before I got home from work. My poor flock was losing weight so I needed to take action.
I set up this feeder with a 5 gallon bucket and set it to feed my girls at 5:00 p.m.- right before it got dark. The timer is easy to use and supports up to 5 feedings per day for any length of time you’d like. I used 3 seconds as it dispensed the ideal amount of feed for my small flock.
A 2 1/4″ hole saw is needed to mount the attachment to the bucket:
This food-safe 5 gallon bucket comes with an air tight lid and is available in multiple colors:
Food safe buckets are also available in 3.5 gallon size for smaller flocks
Option 2: Wingscapes AutoFeeder
This option offers similar functionality without the need to assemble anything. There is a built-in rodent cage to keep pests out of the feed or scratch, and can dispense up to 4 times daily with customizable runtime between 1-20 seconds to control the amount of seed dispensed. This auto feeder holds up to 1 gallon of feed or seed at a time.