Feeders & Feed
Treadle vs timer chicken feeders
Both are sold as automatic. One excludes rodents and feeds continuously; the other does neither.
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Quick picks
| # | Product | Capacity | Score | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rank 1 | Grandpa's Feeders Automatic Chicken Feeder, 20 lb Stopping rats and wild birds outright | 20 lb | 8.2 | $219.95on Amazon |
| Rank 2 |  VEVOR Automatic Treadle Feeder, 40 lb Treadle performance at a third of the price | 40 lb | 9.0 | $94.90on Amazon |
| Rank 3 |  briidea Automatic Chicken Feeder Timer Kit Timed portion feeding, not free-choice | Depends on the hopper used | 5.0 | $34.99on Amazon |
| Rank 4 |  Tgeyd 30 lb Feeder with 6 No-Waste Ports Thirty pounds of feed in a lockable metal hopper | 30 lb | 8.2 | $29.98on Amazon |
#ad Prices come from Amazon and change. How this site is funded. Scores are our own published rubric, not a lab test — see how we pick.
Search for an automatic chicken feeder and you get two products that share a word and nothing else. A treadle feeder automates *exclusion*: it is always available to the hens and never available to anything else. A timer feeder automates *scheduling*: it releases feed at set times and leaves the birds without it in between. For laying hens these are not equivalent options.
Head to head
| Treadle feeder | Timer feeder | |
|---|---|---|
| Feed availability | Continuous — the hens open it | Only at scheduled times |
| Right for layers | Yes | No |
| Rodent exclusion | Complete, while the lid seats | Worse than none — scattered feed attracts them |
| Wild bird exclusion | Complete | None |
| Rain protection | Yes, lid closed | Usually none |
| Power | None | Battery, mains or solar |
| Failure mode | Lid stops seating — you notice | Motor or timer fails silently — birds go unfed |
| Training needed | A few days | None |
| Price | Higher | Lower to similar |
Why continuous access matters for layers
Laying is energetically expensive and hens regulate intake themselves, with a pronounced feeding peak in the late afternoon as they fill their crops before roosting. Penn State Extension's laying flock guidance treats continuous feed access as standard practice. A timer that closes the feed between cycles cuts into that, and the first thing that suffers is laying.
Why timers make the rodent problem worse
A timer feeder typically scatters or drops feed into an open tray. That is feed on the ground, on a schedule, every day — which is close to an ideal rodent arrangement. If rats are the problem you are trying to solve, a timer is the wrong direction entirely.
Choose a treadle feeder if
- You keep laying hens, which is almost everyone reading this
- Rodents or wild birds are eating your feed
- You want to be away for a few days without arranging feeding
- You want the feeder to work in rain
Choose a timer feeder if
- You are deliberately running a restricted-feeding program, such as for meat birds
- You want to scatter scratch as enrichment at a set time, in addition to free-choice layer feed
- You are feeding something other than laying hens with genuinely different management
Picks for both answers
Three continuous feeders and one timer kit for the narrow case where scheduled feeding is actually the goal.
#1 · Stopping rats and wild birds outright
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Grandpa's Feeders Automatic Chicken Feeder, 20 lb
Grandpa's FeedersThe treadle feeder everything else copies. The hen's weight on the step opens the lid; a rat is too light and a sparrow cannot work it at all. 20 lb is right for up to about six hens.
| Capacity | 20 lb |
|---|---|
| Mechanism | Treadle — bird weight opens the lid |
| Rodent resistance | Rat and rodent proof (manufacturer claim) |
| Waste | No-waste design (manufacturer claim) |
| Material | Not published by manufacturer |
Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.
What it does well
- A closed lid is the only feeder design that genuinely denies rodents and wild birds
- Keeps feed dry in rain, which no open hanging feeder does
- Eliminates the billing-out waste that makes chickens look like they eat twice what they do
- Hens learn the treadle in a day or two with the lid propped open
Where it falls short
- Several times the price of a hanging feeder of the same capacity
- Bantams and very young birds may be too light to open it reliably
- There is a training period, and it needs the lid propped during it
Our rubric
- Waste control
- 10.0
- Capacity
- 7.0
- Rodent resistance
- 10.0
- Weather resistance
- 9.0
- Value
- 5.0
#2 · Treadle performance at a third of the price
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VEVOR Automatic Treadle Feeder, 40 lb
VEVORA galvanized 40 lb rainproof treadle feeder with a lockable lid, at a fraction of the premium brands. The mechanism is cruder, but the principle — a closed lid rodents cannot open — is the same.
| Capacity | 40 lb |
|---|---|
| Mechanism | Treadle, rainproof |
| Lid | Lockable |
| Material | Galvanized steel |
| Waste | No-waste design (manufacturer claim) |
Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.
What it does well
- Galvanized steel body, published — not plastic, so rodents cannot chew in
- Lockable lid stops a clever raccoon lifting it
- 40 lb capacity at roughly a third of the premium-brand price
- Rainproof, stated
Where it falls short
- Budget treadle mechanisms are stiffer, so the training period is longer
- Galvanized steel will rust at cut edges after a few seasons outdoors
- Heavier than plastic when full — about 40 lb of feed plus the feeder
Our rubric
- Waste control
- 9.0
- Capacity
- 9.0
- Rodent resistance
- 9.0
- Weather resistance
- 9.0
- Value
- 9.0
#3 · Timed portion feeding, not free-choice
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briidea Automatic Chicken Feeder Timer Kit
briideaA motor-and-timer kit with a metal spin plate that throws feed on a schedule. Useful if you deliberately want portioned feeding; it is the wrong tool if you want feed always available.
| Type | Motor and timer kit with spin plate |
|---|---|
| Plate | Metal |
| Mounting | Adjustable mount |
| Capacity | Depends on the hopper used |
| Power | Not published by manufacturer |
Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.
What it does well
- Scattering feed on a timer gets the whole flock foraging rather than queueing
- Metal spin plate rather than plastic
- Mounts to a hopper or barrel you already have
Where it falls short
- Scattered feed on the ground is exactly what rodents want — this is the opposite of rat-proof
- Timed feeding means hens are without feed between cycles, which is wrong for layers
- Power source is not published on the listing
Our rubric
- Waste control
- 4.0
- Capacity
- 6.0
- Rodent resistance
- 2.0
- Weather resistance
- 6.0
- Value
- 7.0
#4 · Thirty pounds of feed in a lockable metal hopper
Tgeyd 30 lb Feeder with 6 No-Waste Ports
TgeydA heavy-duty 30 lb metal feeder with six no-waste ports, adjustable height and a locking lid. The locking lid is what lifts it above an ordinary port feeder — it keeps rain and raccoons out of the hopper.
| Capacity | 30 lb |
|---|---|
| Feeding ports | 6 |
| Lid | Locking |
| Height | Adjustable |
| Material | Heavy-duty metal |
Specifications per Manufacturer figures as published on the Amazon product listing, as published at the date above.
What it does well
- Locking lid keeps the hopper dry and stops raccoons helping themselves
- 30 lb capacity means fortnightly refills for a six-hen flock
- Adjustable height lets you set the ports correctly as pullets grow
Where it falls short
- The ports themselves are still open at hen level, so rodents can reach the feed in them
- 30 lb of feed plus a metal hopper is heavy to reposition
- Port diameter is not published
Our rubric
- Waste control
- 9.0
- Capacity
- 8.0
- Rodent resistance
- 6.0
- Weather resistance
- 9.0
- Value
- 9.0
Frequently asked questions
Is a treadle feeder better than a timer feeder?
Do laying hens need feed available all day?
When is a timer feeder the right choice?
What happens if a timer feeder fails?
Sources
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