5 backyard feeders, ranked by feed waste (with actual measurements)
$15 generic vs $80 treadle. 30 days of weighed feed spill across five feeder types. The cheap one isn't always wrong, but here it was.
I ran this experiment for one reason: every chicken keeping forum has the same argument about feeders, and nobody backs it with data. So I bought five common feeders, ran each one for six days with four laying hens, and weighed the spillage daily.
The methodology was simple. Each feeder started with 5 pounds of layer pellets. Every morning I collected what had fallen on the coop floor and weighed it on a kitchen scale accurate to 0.1 oz. The chickens were the same group, in the same coop, with the same feed throughout. The order was randomized to control for any "the chickens learn this feeder" effect.
The feeders tested
| Feeder | Price | Type |
|---|---|---|
| Little Giant 22lb hanging | $22 | Gravity-fed plastic |
| Harris Farms galvanized 20lb | $35 | Gravity-fed metal |
| RentACoop PVC trough | $28 | Trough with grates |
| Grandpa's Feeder 20lb | $179 | Treadle (step-activated) |
| Royal Rooster treadle | $95 | Treadle (budget) |
The waste data
Average daily spillage per feeder, in ounces:
| Feeder | Daily spill (oz) | Annual waste cost |
|---|---|---|
| Little Giant hanging | 4.2 oz | $58 |
| Harris Farms galvanized | 3.6 oz | $50 |
| RentACoop PVC trough | 2.8 oz | $39 |
| Royal Rooster treadle | 0.4 oz | $5 |
| Grandpa's Feeder treadle | 0.2 oz | $3 |
Annual waste cost calculated at $0.038/oz, the rough cost of standard layer pellets in late 2024.
What the numbers say
The hanging plastic feeder loses about 95lb of feed per year to spillage and rodents. The Grandpa's Feeder, at the other end, loses about 4.5lb. The difference between those two feeders, over five years, is roughly $275 in saved feed.
The Grandpa's Feeder costs $179. It pays itself back in feed savings in about 3 years. Then it keeps paying you back for the next 10-15 years (these things are nearly indestructible — galvanized steel, no electronics).
What the numbers don't capture
Treadle feeders have a real downside: chickens have to learn to use them. The first two days with the Grandpa's Feeder, my hens stood next to it and complained. By day three they'd figured it out. Some chickens — especially light breeds like leghorns — take longer. The Royal Rooster has a sensitive trigger; the Grandpa's needs more weight.
Rodent reduction is the under-discussed benefit. The treadle feeders don't just stop spillage — they stop the night-time mouse buffet. I had a steady mouse problem with hanging feeders. The mice are gone since the switch. That's not in the price comparison, but it should be.
The middle ground
The RentACoop PVC trough with grates was the surprise of the test. It cost $28 and reduced spill by 33% vs hanging feeders. It's not as good as a treadle, but the entry cost is one-sixth the price. For a small flock owner who can't justify $179, the PVC trough is the best honest compromise.
What to avoid
The flip-top "barn feeders" sold on Amazon under various Chinese brand names are uniformly garbage. Thin plastic, springs that fail, lids that don't seat. I tested two of these earlier in 2024 and didn't include them in the formal data because both broke in under 30 days.
Avoid wooden feeders entirely. Chickens chew them, they grow mold, and they're impossible to clean properly between feed changes.
