markyboy Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Does anyone use auto feeders for feeding ponds if they can't be checked everyday ? I was thinking of putting a couple out ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted March 12, 2013 Report Share Posted March 12, 2013 Yes, we use them, attached to 200 litre steel drums Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 What kind of auto feeder are you using pal ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ostrea Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 (edited) We do not have any ponds but we have 5 auto feeders when the poults arrive for a few weeks bought from http://www.gamekeep.co.uk/prodpage.asp?productid=42 found these to work well feeding twice a day and an excellent company to deal with. Mounted under 45 gallon drums. Edited March 13, 2013 by ostrea Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 What kind of auto feeder are you using pal ? We use these: http://www.cabelas.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=742249 Had to buy them from the USA, but Cabelas ship here with no problems. We have 3 in total, you just need to make sure that the batteries dont go flat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted March 13, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Thanks guys I'm wanting one that will take the weight of alot of grain say a 205 litre plastic drum filled with barley, the smaller one I'm guessing will burn out with the weight on top of it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 Thanks guys I'm wanting one that will take the weight of alot of grain say a 205 litre plastic drum filled with barley, the smaller one I'm guessing will burn out with the weight on top of it The Moultrie one definitely will, as ours are set up on 200L drums, but I don't see any reason why the other one wouldn't cope with it. I think you may find that pasitc drums are too flexible to hold the weight of 200L of barley, depending on how you attach the legs? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ostrea Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 The gamekeep feeder is no problem under 200ltr drum there is adjustment on the spinner to cope with pellets and later we feed barley, we had ours on for five weeks after poults arrived last season each feeder working once a day alternating in the pens one in the morning another on afternoons 20 seconds each and the battery's did not need charging once in that time. We have three sturdy wooden legs on the drums and set higher than spring feeders to get a good spread when spinning and to avoid the feed hitting the poults in the eyes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ferretboy111 Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 I too am looking into one of these for one of my ponds with reared duck on- naturally I'll feed them away from the pond to get them flying. Anyone used one for reared stuff aswell? I usually hand feed the 6 ponds but would like too see if using the automatic feeders makes them wilder? Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted March 13, 2013 Report Share Posted March 13, 2013 We use ours for reared duck, I think it does help keep them wilder as they dont associate seeing people with being fed Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted March 14, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 My concern with auto feeders is duck sitting there all day can this be a problem, my reason for putting these down is the acsess to pond is going to be tricky with the farmer planting maize and want to keep walking through that to a minimum with the use of auto feeders, the pond didn't work last season so it has to work this season Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted March 14, 2013 Report Share Posted March 14, 2013 I don't think it would be any more of a problem than it is with other methods of feeding. What happened to this pond last season? Lots of people struggled with ducks, including us, due to all the flood water that was around and the amount of stubbles that have been left over winter. Hopefully, it will be a more "normal" season ahead Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted March 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Hi Colin, this pond had prospects to be a cracking flight pond was drawing duck in start of season coundnt feed enough for around 2 weeks then went on holiday came bak planned to shoot it and went to watch flight and absolutely nothing came In the rest of season, there was a bird of prey working the area apparently the area was full of flood water we couldn't draw duck for love or money , also pond weed seemed to grow by mass clogging the pond up so we got waders on and ripped about a tonn of the stuff out I hope this season will be differant it was our first season at this pond so not sure when it was used for flighting duck could be a good few years Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
misser Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 last year i was lucky enough to get a permission with a cracking flight pond on which i know in the past has been good for duck, i could not get anywhere near it to feed it due to the floodwater - acres & acres of barley/wheat left in the surrounding fields, seems to have been like this all over country so dont think anyones ponds will have done ok (probably get shot down now) - last year was an extraordinary season so wouldnt take it as the norm for things to come - atb - regards Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
scotslad Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 (edited) Ur safe from me at least misser Can only say wot u found if someone else had a bumper year, lucky them, must off had my ducks too The last 2 years have been pretty bad for duck because off uncut arable fields or lot of grain lying on stubbles that was so small went throu riddle, last year was exp bad as the wild broods got hammered with the weather throu the alleged summer, very few wild broods about in this part off the country. Seems to be the same the country over. Did u leave the pond well fed when u went on holiday? Possibly just a coincidence but mibee the ducks ate all that was there then found a different food source elsewhere that never ran out? So never came back, but was not a good yeat to guage a pond Those who have auto feeders do u never get problems with either blockages (**** in feed, know had a few blocked springs this year), battery dying unexpectantly or just breaking. That's my big worry with them, if they broke down ur pond would not be gettin fed and u wouldn't know untill u turned up to shoot it and nothing comes in. I just chuck enough food in the shallows for usually 1 but occasionally 2 weeks so there is just a touch left when u go back, then u know it is fed. Even if u overfeed or ducks go elsewhere due to weather it doesnae really go off that quick and ducks arenae fussy eaters anyway. In the past when i was full timwe i have seen us putting 1/2T or even more in a pond at a time and just feeding once a week and even going down to every 2 weeks when reared ducks wee thinner on ground/water. Ducks seemed to do fine on it Edited March 15, 2013 by scotslad Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
markyboy Posted March 15, 2013 Author Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 My dad was feeding while I was away, we uses mainly barley left over stuff from a bakery skip and tatties frozen and mashed up they were well fed each time everything gone and water murky and feather everywhere then I the heaven opened and didn't stop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ColinF Posted March 15, 2013 Report Share Posted March 15, 2013 Hi Colin, this pond had prospects to be a cracking flight pond was drawing duck in start of season coundnt feed enough for around 2 weeks then went on holiday came bak planned to shoot it and went to watch flight and absolutely nothing came In the rest of season, there was a bird of prey working the area apparently the area was full of flood water we couldn't draw duck for love or money , also pond weed seemed to grow by mass clogging the pond up so we got waders on and ripped about a tonn of the stuff out I hope this season will be differant it was our first season at this pond so not sure when it was used for flighting duck could be a good few years I wouldn't worry about it, just put it down to a bad year. I read somewhere that when a field floods, ducks love eating the worms that come up from the soil. There were floods all around us pretty much all season. On our ponds you would see ducks there one evening, then nothing for several nights, then they would be back, then disappear again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blakloks Posted March 17, 2013 Report Share Posted March 17, 2013 Thank god were weren't the only ones then Marky that pond has serious potential as there is alot of teal around that area and a tidal stream runs at the back of it it's kinda of a wetland down there even when it is dry everywhere else it's definitely duck habitat if we don't get 200 litres of rain again Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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