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Dine A Chook Waste-Reducing Chicken Feeder Guide

Dine A Chook Waste-Reducing Chicken Feeder Guide

Waste-Reducing Chicken Feeder Ultimate Guide

Dine a Chook is a Proud Australian family-owned company. We are committed to providing the Best in Quality Products for Backyard Chicken Keepers. We manufacture the Dine-A-Chook Feeders to be better than other Feeders. Being Chicken Farmers ourselves, we have addressed the flaws in other Feeders so ours is the Best. When you purchase a Dine-A-Chook Chicken feeder, you are getting the Best for performance and durability. Before we get onto the type of feed and installation, you should be proud of yourself for buying a Dine A Chook Feeder. The waste reducing feed hopper will start saving you money instantly. No more wasted chicken feed on the ground. It will also help rat proof your chicken coop. No feed on the ground means less attraction to rats and rodents.

What is the best feed to use in a chicken feeder?

There are two elements which together create the ultimate waste reducing feeder. 

  1. The type of feed which you use
  2. The design and engineering of the feeder itself

If you feed chickens a scratch of seed/grain mix, they shall pick out what they like and leave the rest. So although seed/grain mix is cheap at the store, the unwanted feed which is left uneaten soon adds up as an expensive waste of money over time. 

If you outlay a little more on feed and purchase a pellet, layer mash or crumble mix, you prevent selective feeding behaviour. By preventing selective feeding, the money you spend on feed is not wasted.

The design and engineering of a truly waste reducing feeder then makes certain your good quality pellet or crumble feed doesn't end up on the ground for rodents instead of the chooks. 

The Dine A Chook Australian Made feeders have 10 years of design and engineering behind them to prevent feed on the ground. Our silo inspired tube feeder with patented design interior paddles prevents chickens thrashing the feed out of the feeder. By keeping the coop floor clean of feed waste, you are helping rodent proof your coop. 

Our patented rain hood and gutter also prevents feed getting wet. No wet feed means no wasted wet feed. 

In short, if you combine the elements of the correct feed as well as the Dine A Chook feeder you call all but eliminate wasted money and wasted feed. 

How to install a Dine a Chook No Waste Chicken Feeder?

Installing your Dine a Chook Feeder is easy. Everything you need to mount the feeder in almost any situation is supplied in the complementary Dine a Chook Mounting Kit.

Mounting your feeder using the in-built mounting hooks:

The Dine a Chook Chicken Feeder has 3 moulded rear hooks. Only two hooks are required to mount the feeder. We suggest the top and bottom hook.

These hooks are used to mount the feeder directly in many modern chicken coops,. You may need a timber or steel post to secure into if the wire mesh or other support is not strong enough to hold the feeder.

Mounting your feeder using the complementary Mounting Kit:

If you cannot mount your Dine a Chook Waste reducing chicken feeder using the mounting hooks, we have provided a Mounting Kit containing steel brackets and screws to suit any situation. The steel brackets are custom-sized to fit the mounting hooks on the body of the feeder. Screws can be used with a standard drill bit to fix the brackets to either wood or metal surfaces.

Hold the brackets onto the top and bottom mounting hooks and situate your feeder at the correct height. Mark the bracket locations, or simply hold the top bracket in place and remove the feeder. Screw the bracket into place and repeat with the second bracket. That’s it, your Dine a Chook Feeder is ready to go!

How high off the ground should my feeder be?

Our feeders are designed to be mounted at “chicken height” for best results. This allows the patented design to prevent spillage and may also deter rodents, mice and wild birds more effectively, helping to vermin-proof your chicken coop.

Obviously, chicken height will vary depending on breed. We recommend the feeder be mounted level with the back of the bird's neck in order to allow comfortable feeding - this will be somewhere between 100 and 150 mm above the floor. In flocks of different breeds, you need to mount the feeder so it is accessible to the smallest bird. In such cases, a second feeder mounted for larger birds is recommended. If you find that birds struggle to access the feeder, it may need to be lowered by 1-2 cm.

Black and White chickens using Dine A Chook chicken feeder and drinker

If you have a severe rodent infestation, we recommend that you install your chicken feeder above chicken height and provide a “step” for chickens, such as a brick of block, to allow them to access the feed.

Where should I install my Chicken Feeder?

Although Dine a Chook Feeders are designed to be as water-tight and weather-proof as possible, we recommend installation in a sheltered area where practical. Installation inside the chicken coop rather than in the run or yard will ensure that feed is better protected from rain and weather. If installing in a position that will receive heavy rain, do not worry. My 3 feeders constantly cop heavy downpours here in North Queensland. I am always happy to see how effective the rain gutter is. Mind you, I did spend many hours perfecting it!

How often do I need to fill my Dine a Chook Feeder?

The amount of feed consumed by your chickens will determine how often your feeder needs to be refilled. As a general guide, our 3.5 Litre Feeder will feed 4 chickens for 4 days, while our 4.7 Litre Feeder will feed 6 chooks for 4 days. However, the amount of feed consumed by your chickens will vary depending on their age and breed, as well as the time of year, so you should check your feeder regularly until a feeding pattern has been established.

How much feed should be in the feeder?

Dine a Chook Chicken Feeders will function perfectly well no matter how little or how much feed is in them.

Now go and enjoy watching your chickens enjoy their brand new Dine A Chook Automatic Waste reducing chicken feeder.

Cheers

Ryan Biggin