This is my review on the Dine-a-Chook chicken feeder.
The Dine-a-Chook is a tube chicken feeder made from standard PVC. Besides the bonza name choice, it's also a very clever design and made from standard parts anyone could find in a hardware plumbing section. Nevertheless, it would take a fair amount of skill and time to actually make one of these tube feeders from scratch - that's why I bought mine (from eBay).
Measuring 790 mils high and holding 4 kgs of feed the Dine-a-Chook chicken feeder should keep a small flock of birds fed for several days. It's totally water proof and also comes with a storm cover (fitting is optional) if you live in a high rainfall area or want some extra protection to stop heavy rain from splashing into the feed mouth.
Filling the Dine-a-Chook is pretty easy - just remove the top lid and pour the feed into the tube. The feed is dispensed through a channel at the bottom of the tube mouth as the chickens peck and eat.
The maker is an Australian business who I'm sure started this as a bit of a hobby build and sell (I think from memory he's a plumber). Regardless, they sell and ship to anywhere in the world according to their eBay description. Their actual eBay store is here.
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- General Information
- Specifications (if any)
- Pros
- Cons (if any)
- Other Information
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- Reviews (1)
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Securing
The Dine-a-Chook chicken feeder comes with a wall bracket or you can secure it to a fence post or mesh with zip ties. Mine actually came with zip ties but now they come with a solid bracket set.
Access
Chickens won't have an issue working out how to use the feeder and neither do ducks - my ducks really LOVE it. But, smaller wild birds and rodents won't be able to access the feeder mouth and that's great for stopping freeloaders and disease.
Feed spill
Although the design is such to prevent feed from being racked out by picky hens looking for their favorite grains, some feed does still fall to the ground and make a small mess under the feeder. This is usually quickly cleaned up by the chooks themselves. Unfortunately, feed spill can be an annoyance (well, it is for me) so I'd see this as a design flaw. -
Cleaning
You can see from the images that the Dine-a-Chook chicken feeder will get dirty on the outside. A wipe down with a damp cloth or a brush off occasionally is all that's required (perhaps I should follow my own advice)
Cleaning the inside is a rare event (I haven't cleaned mine internally for 12 months) having said that, grime and feed powder will build up over time (like any feeder) so a simple washout and dry before refill will keep the feed flowing nicely.
Price
The cost for the unit varies but it's pretty reasonable.
Final say
Overall, this is one of the best chicken feeders I have ever used - definitely a thumbs up
The hens like it, it's not messy, safe from pests, and easy to mount/operate.
You can find it on eBay here
You can read more about chicken feeders here. -
Feed spill - depending on the flock feed being raked out over the ground can be minor or in some cases excessive!
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I believe there is a new model of Dine-a-chook feeder out (2015) which claims to address feed spillage so if you own one feel free to comment here.
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