let's talk feeders

[WagonWalk]

I am researching feeders at this time. The question is straight forward what are the pros and cons of each of the feeders. Pro-B Feedsaver or Fine-X

Thanks
WagonWalk

 

[grumpy]

I've got Fine-X throughout the rabbitry. Overall, they're my first choice. With
that being said, one will have a doe every so often, that will do their dead-level
best to scratch and destroy the sifting wire in the bottom. A change to a flush
mount feeder will slow this down, or stop it altogether.

Every pellet that falls to the ground is money lost. I don't like losing money.

If the doe persists, she's history.

 

[WagonWalk]

Thanks Grumpy, you are the reason that I am even posting the question. I saw you made some flush mounted feeders and it got me comparing the two.

Thanks

 

[craneman54]

I found out really fast. Don't put treats like BOSS or calfmana in your feeders. I did this a couple of times and 2 of my rabbits would dig out the pellets looking for the treats wasting most of the pellets. I use a small bowl for things like that.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I like Bass pro B feed savers, -- just because they save feed. but-- the wire in the bottom doesn't last forever on those either, I have had to replace some in as little as 5 years,[or just replace the wire mesh with sheet metal ] and some have lasted more then 8 years, [it doesn't help when the sheep , or coons, get to biting them trying to get the feed either.] -- I have some pro b feeders with no wire in the bottom of them, they last a lot longer, but were a special order mistake, and may not be available now.

 

[shawn]

I like Bass pro B feed savers, -- just because they save feed. but-- the wire in the bottom doesn't last forever on those either, I have had to replace some in as little as 5 years,[or just replace the wire mesh with sheet metal ] and some have lasted more then 8 years, [it doesn't help when the sheep , or coons, get to biting them trying to get the feed either.] -- I have some pro b feeders with no wire in the bottom of them, they last a lot longer, but were a special order mistake, and may not be available now.

I agree and like them a lot. I will provide a link below to their new riveted ones...

http://www.bassequipment.com/feeders/st ... fault.aspx

I have no affiliation with bass equipment but use them and for the price I haven't found anything to compare!

 

[Miss M]

I have Fine-X feeders from Bass. They're great for sifting fines. Drawback... the same feature that sifts fines so well is also relatively easily damaged. We've covered holes in the mesh with sheet metal so far.

 

[Ramjet]

Anyone use the Feedsaver version ?? I'm really sick of a couple of my does and most kits wasting so much feed.

 

[jimmywalt]

We only use J-feeders when going on vacation for a week. Otherwise we just use ceramic bowls for our pet rabbits (Holland Lops, Lionheads and Mini Rexs). We only feed them 1/2 cup per day so they don't get overweight.

But when we go on vacation we use the J-feeders. Some are the small "Pet Lodge" with the wire mesh in the bottom, the others are pictured here that we borrowed from a friend (and I hope he will just let us keep them forever :mrgreen: ).

Would LOVE to find some more of these (pictured below). If you know where I can get some I'd love to know. Thank you.

 

[Ramjet]

Those probably wouldn't solve my problem .... This particular doe will bite the feeder and shake all the food out of it. More food on the ground than there is rabbit poo ... Don't know why she's doing it as it is a new behavior , like in the past couple weeks. Started right after I removed her kits.

They would likely stop diggers being so narrow.

I ordered some of those feed saver types from Bass that don't hang inside the cage so she has nothing to grab hold of.

 

[EnglishSpot]

Jimmywait, there is a feed store near me that sells those. Worcester's, located in North Ridgeville, Ohio.

 

[Miss M]

I think Grumpy has feedsavers... and he built some, too.

 

[grumpy]

Nightmare remembered...... :x :x :x It's cheaper to buy them, I know that.

But....back to the wasteful doe.....
IF....she continues, her value will soon be out-stripped by her wastefulness.
The flush-mount feeder "seems" to alleviate their penchant for scratching.

As for "shaking"? That's a toughie....I've got an old doe that still likes to do
it every once in a while. Especially if I'm a few minutes late with the evening
feed. I've stood and waited on her to begin her shenanigans and summarily
poked her on the end of her nose with a carpenter's pencil. :lol: :lol:
She didn't like that...........at all!!

At one time, I seriously considered culling the top doe in the herd because
of this behavior. Those problem children don't stay very long in my herd. If
I can't get them stopped quick enough, they've got a ticket on the next
"Snake-Train" outa here.
flush-mount-feeders-t21058.html

 

[michaels4gardens]

Nightmare remembered...... :x :x :x It's cheaper to buy them, I know that..
flush-mount-feeders-t21058.html

I have made a lot of rabbit feeders, you have to be really poor, and have access to scrap [free] sheet metal to even consider building your own feeders, I have at least 1/2 hr maybe an hr, into each of the feeders I have made, yes they are tough, and made from heavy gauge metal,[ 2x6 and 2x4, metal stud framing material] pop-riveted together, -but what a pain to make a dozen of them, I think Bass wanted about $6/ each for the big feed-saver feeders I have, -- and-- they work very well, with no feed sticking, or waste.

 

[Ramjet]

Nightmare remembered...... :x :x :x It's cheaper to buy them, I know that.

But....back to the wasteful doe.....
IF....she continues, her value will soon be out-stripped by her wastefulness.
The flush-mount feeder "seems" to alleviate their penchant for scratching.

As for "shaking"? That's a toughie....I've got an old doe that still likes to do
it every once in a while. Especially if I'm a few minutes late with the evening
feed. I've stood and waited on her to begin her shenanigans and summarily
poked her on the end of her nose with a carpenter's pencil. :lol: :lol:
She didn't like that...........at all!!

At one time, I seriously considered culling the top doe in the herd because
of this behavior. Those problem children don't stay very long in my herd. If
I can't get them stopped quick enough, they've got a ticket on the next
"Snake-Train" outa here.
flush-mount-feeders-t21058.html

Normally I would have culled her already .... Two reasons I haven't , she's a really good mother & she's my 10 year old sons favorite. He'd come unglued if I were to assassinate her (his word).

I ordered the Bass feedsavers for each hole even if the others aren't wasting feed .... Part of that was it didn't make sense to buy one feeder for $5.80 and pay $18 shipping when I could buy 11 and get the same shipping cost ... and maybe this keeps others from doing the same wasteful behavior. Kits are notorious for it.

Funny , I waited for her to start her shenanigans yesterday and poked her with a twig. No , she didn't appreciate that at all but stopped immediately and didn't repeat it today.

I did put a ceramic bowl under the J feeder to try & deter her from doing it .... and maybe catch feed if she does it anyway. Hopefully that solves the issue or at least minimizes waste while I wait for delivery of the replacement feeders.

 

[grumpy]

Nightmare remembered...... :x :x :x It's cheaper to buy them, I know that..
flush-mount-feeders-t21058.html

I have made a lot of rabbit feeders, you have to be really poor, and have access to scrap [free] sheet metal to even consider building your own feeders, I have at least 1/2 hr maybe an hr, into each of the feeders I have made, yes they are tough, and made from heavy gauge metal,[ 2x6 and 2x4, metal stud framing material] pop-riveted together, -but what a pain to make a dozen of them, I think Bass wanted about $6/ each for the big feed-saver feeders I have, -- and-- they work very well, with no feed sticking, or waste.

Michael,

You forgot one more "have-to" and it's probably the most important.

You "have-to" possess that eternal problem called
"I can make this...HAH! Piece-of-cake!"
It's a toughie. :x

Grumpy

 

[Ramjet]

Michael,

You forgot one more "have-to" and it's probably the most important.

You "have-to" possess that eternal problem called
"I can make this...HAH! Piece-of-cake!"
It's a toughie. :x

Grumpy

Been there , done that ... wore holes in the T-shirt. Now I stop and think how mad my wife will get before I start.

 

[MamaSheepdog]

I have the Feed-savers in my BunnyBarn, 11-1/2" Fine-X feeders in my growout pens, and some really nice J feeders with perforated sheet metal bottoms in some of my other cages.

Overall, I prefer the Feed-Savers since they don't intrude on the cage space, but the J feeders with the perforated metal bottoms are a close second.

This particular doe will bite the feeder and shake all the food out of it.

When you have switched her to the Feed-Saver, she will likely just grab the cage wire and shake that. I have a doe that shook the cage, but she only did it when she was on limited feed. When I started free feeding her the behavior stopped.

 

[Ramjet]

This particular doe will bite the feeder and shake all the food out of it.

When you have switched her to the Feed-Saver, she will likely just grab the cage wire and shake that. I have a doe that shook the cage, but she only did it when she was on limited feed. When I started free feeding her the behavior stopped.

Lets hope she doesn't just bite the cage .... ugh.

The statement about free feeding that doe gets me to wondering if she is just really hungry and getting excited when its feeding time because she's wasted so much over time and I don't refill the feeder if she does it - I will give her some hay / alfalfa but that's it.
She started this right after I removed her kits , there is one kit left because I didn't have a place to put him & he is the runt & his siblings were roughing him up so I put him back w/ momma until I have a hole free.

 

[michaels4gardens]

I had a doe with week old kits, that started to waste feed from a feed saver also, so-- I just gave her just a little feed each morning for a week, and when she scratched it out, she was left with filling up on timothy hay, after a week I put her back on normal ration, she has never wasted her feed again. If that had not worked - she would have been switched back to just root crops and hay, to raise her young, then sent to freezer camp. I try not to feed very much pellets, and usually only when I am working a lot of hrs, or in the winter when root crops run low. so-- for me ,wasting expensive pellets is not something I will tolerate. [even though technically they are not wasted with ducks and chickens under the cages ]