Category: Solway News

Using automatic feeders can be a fantastic time saving exercise for part-time keepers who need to be in several places at once. Small rough shoots and informal syndicates can get the best out of their ground without the investment of time and effort which was traditionally associated with hand feeding poults at the release stage.

Automatic Feeders

Some of the bigger automatic feeders have large hoppers designed to hold up to 115Kg of wheat or pellets, which is the equivalent of almost five sacks. Fill these feeders up, set the timer and then leave the birds to themselves. The motor will be activated for as long as you choose, and the spinner plate will cast the feed in a broad circle around the hopper, giving the birds a chance to work for their feed. There is the useful option of setting an electronic horn to go off at feed times, which soon becomes a good alternative to the traditional keeper’s whistle and certainly lets birds know what time it is.

Flight Ponds

These big feeders are also ideally suited for use on wild duck flight ponds. The treated legs allow the hoppers to stand out in shallow water, scattering feed for mallard, wigeon and teal. It’s best to set the timer to scatter feed just before the ducks are due after sunset so that feed doesn’t lie around in the shallows all day attracting moorhens and rats.

Duck usually prefer barley, but you can put most kinds of cereal through the spinner plate depending on what you have access to. It is worth remembering that some kinds of bruised barley or barley tails may end up jamming the mechanism, so make sure your chosen feed is as clean as possible. The same is true of feeds which contain molasses or which have been left in the damp and gone clumpy.

If you find that there is feed left over when the ducks depart in the morning, shorten the feed time until there is nothing on the water except the odd stray feather.

DIY automatic feeders

Smaller automatic feeders are supplied in kit-form which you can attach to plastic hoppers or feed bins. These have the advantage of being easy to move around and set up according to where they are most needed, but the function and operation remains much the same. Most DIY kits are powered by a 6v battery which lasts for several weeks before needing to be recharged.

Much is made of the value of ATV feeders,  and it is hard to overstate how useful they can be for keepers who need to cover the ground. ATV feeders are available for all kinds of off-road vehicles, including quads, mules and kubotas. There are even trail feeders which can be attached to the towbar of a quad like a mini trailer.

These feeders certainly make light work of feeding, but they can be limited by safe access. Good tracks and hard ground are a must for ATV feeders, because while a quad will happily tackle even the wildest feed ride on any given day, the ground needs to be firm enough for the same route to be followed day after day in all weathers. This may mean some forward planning is needed before investing in a mobile feeder.

Extra Notes

Remember to add a game attractant like aniseed oil to your feed and feed hoppers; it’ll keep birds coming back.  

Find the right amount of food for your birds. You don’t want them being over fed and lazy or getting hungry and heading off into the distance. 

Spreading too much feed or spreading it in the wrong place can leave food lying for too long and attract rats. Keep an eye on your birds and their feeding habits. 

In readiness for professional pest controllers in private and public sectors, farmers, land managers and gamekeepers having to show proof of competence when purchasing professional use rodenticides under the forthcoming rodenticide stewardship regime, a list of 14 CRRU approved certificates has been released.

Five approvals are of ‘grandfather’ certificates from courses no longer taking place now ratified as appropriate to stewardship conditions: For example, RSPH Level 2 Certificate in Pest Control (2000 – 2004). One new and seven current certificates, plus one more included as an approved update, make up the total.

The Campaign for Responsible Rodenticide Use (CRRU) has been empowered by HSE for the stewardships regime’s development and implementation, funded 100% by the industry. 

Training courses are reviewed for approval by the CRRU Training and Certification Work Group. To gain approval, they must cover 13 specific content elements and 11 training process attributes .

The course gaining new approved status is Rat Control for Gamekeepers, while CRRU Wildlife Aware gained approved status as an update, both being accreditied by BASIS. An important distinction, explains CRRU chairman Dr Alan Buckle, is that Wildlife Aware is not a stand-alone certificate, but serves as a custom-made update for those who need to top up a time-expired basic certificate to approves status, or feel like they want to update themselves because they have an existing approved certificate that was obtained some time ago.

Under the Stewardship regime, professional use rodenticide labels will state, ‘For supply to and use only by professional users holding certification demonstrating that they have been trained according to the UK second generation anticoagulant rodenticide (SGAR) stewardship programme requirements’.

This will apply to professional pest control companies and technicians, staff of local authorities who carry out routine rodent pest control, farmers, land managers and gamekeepers. According to an information document published by HSE in January this year, form 1 June 2016 only holders of an approved certificate will be able to buy professional SGAR products. 

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Most amateur and small scale breeders will find the use of standard electric heat lamps and bulbs the most reliable and economic way of brooding and rearing small to medium numbers of poultry and game birds during the first few weeks out of the incubator. As with all items of equipment we at Solway Feeders advise you to keep your setup as simple and uncluttered as possible.

Firstly you need the lamp which houses the bulb holder and cable to the 13amp plug.

Secondly you need the bulb, this is available in a number of wattages (power output) and light and heat style (infra red or ceramic dull emitter). Power out put is normally between 60 and 250 watts.    60 watts being low output for use in very small areas for a very small number of birds, 250 watts is  considered a large space heater and can be used to great effect in kennels and catteries. The most  popular and useful bulb is the 175 watt PAR38 with hardened glass lens, when used with a dimmer switch  this will give full 175watts and on dimmed will give approx 100watts giving a very good range  of heat output to cover most brooding situations.

 Installation and siting of the lamp.

The lamp must be hung from a suitable and strong point above the lamp in the centre of the area in which the chicks are to be brooded. Always use steel chain, never use string or nylon cord as this is flammable and may melt causing the lamp to fall with disastrous effects. The chain links will also   allow you to position the height of the lamp more accurately to within about 1cm. The height from the bulb face to the floor is generally between 60 & 120 cms .

Set up the brooder at least 48 hours before it is required. Decide on the temperature you require for the size & species of chick you are going to brood. This will  give the average temperature under the heat lamp, in the centre on the floor the temperature will be higher than the outer diameter of the lamp and the spread of heat in the circle below the lamp. The temperature will drop the further away you go from the centre of the lamp. To achieve the desired temperature set the lamp at 60cms above the floor, insert your bulb and connect to the mains and switch on. Allow the lamp to heat up for a couple of hours at least. Check the temperature directly below the lamp centre point, if this is higher than your desired brooding temperature raise the lamp on the hanging chain by 5 to 10cms. If the temperature is not high enough drop the lamp by 5 cms on the chain. Repeat this process until you are satisfied you have the correct temperature. Remember the central area will always be the hottest and the outer area will be cooler. Check over the next  24 hours that the temperature remains the same before you introduce your chicks. Once the chicks are settled under the brooder  continue to check the temperature on a regular basis and adjust as required. If the chicks appear to be huddled in the centre area it is an indication that they are not warm enough, if they appear to be on the outer edge this indicates that they are too warm.   

Always be aware that changes in temperature can occur at any time due to outside factors such as draughts, fall or rise in outside temperature, movement within the brooding area etc . Power failure or fluctuations in power may also raise or lower the temperature.

A question that is always asked is How long will a bulb last ?  Very difficult to say with any accuracy.    Some customers seem able to get many hundreds of hours out of 1 bulb others seem to struggle to get a few hundred. The cheaper thin glass bulbs do not last anywhere near as long as the PAR38 or Dull Emitter  type. If you live in a rural area, as we do, your power supply fluctuate up and down on a daily basis, causing premature failure of bulbs and equipment. We always fit  the lamp plug to        anti surge sockets similar to those you would find on computer or sensitive electronic gear.

ALWAYS HAVE A SPARE BULB READY, chicks will only survive for a short period without heat.

At the end of each brooding session always clean and disinfect your equipment ready for next time. Bio-Security is of utmost importance to healthy and successful rearing.

For further information and advice contact our sales or technical department;

 SOLWAY FEEDERS LTD    MAIN STREET  DUNDRENNAN  KIRKCUDBRIGHT  DG6 4QH

Tel.  01557 500253  Fax.  01557 500652    OR EMAIL  mail@solwayfeeders.co.uk

As with most items of equipment a little regular care and attention will pay dividends in terms of longevity, general hygiene, and overall biosecurity.

Regular washing with warm soapy water will remove most ordinary day to day dirt and the inevitable bird droppings. Try not to use harsh household or industrial chemical products. If you are using a disinfectant be sure to use the correct dilution rate as specified by the manufacturer. There is no sense or advantage in using too concentrated mixture which might even damage the plastic material.

Take the feeder or drinker apart and tackle each individual component, use a soft brush on stubborn areas but be careful not to scratch the surface as this will be a point where micro-organisms will prefer to breed. If you have used a disinfectant mix it is best to rinse off with clean water. A pressure washer may be used but not on the maximum setting, mains pressure or a little above is all that is necessary in most instances. Always allow to dry before re-filling and putting back into use.

When not being used or at the end of the rearing season follow the above procedure then store in clean dry place, well ventilated and away from direct sunlight, ready to be used when required. Well before they are required check all is well ready to put back into use.

Be aware that vermin may still take a fancy to drinkers & feeders in storage even if there is no obvious feed material present.