I used to think a $20 feeder from the farm store was fine, but after my flock wasted half a bag of feed in a week, I switched to a treadle feeder.

Has anyone else found a good way to stop the sparrows from figuring out how to trip the treadle plate?

3 comments

3 Comments

Ugh, sparrows are the worst. What kind of treadle feeder did you get? I had to adjust the spring tension on mine to make it heavier, so the little freeloaders can't just hop on it.

carter.ben1mo ago

Hold up, are we really calling sparrows freeloaders? They're just trying to eat like everything else. Maybe if your chickens left less mess the sparrows wouldn't hang around so much. I kinda like seeing them, adds a bit of life to the place. Seems harsh to rig the whole feeder just to keep out some tiny birds.

the_lucas1mo ago

Got a buddy who welded some extra weight to his treadle plate. Just a couple flat washers. Made it too heavy for the sparrows but the chickens could still manage. He said it worked like a charm after that. Might be worth trying if you can rig something up. Those little birds are too smart for their own good sometimes.