Badger-proof feeder springs

Tamar

Well-Known Member
THe badgers have learned how to rip out my feeder springs:-| Despite surrounding them with sheep net, the small and medium ones are still getting in and tearing the springs out. Can anyone recommend a brand that are tough (I'm using ones from Agrigame)? Has anyone tried the springs with spikes attached that are meant to deter badgers? I'm not keen on letterboxes as they seem to attract more rats. Any suggestions (barring asking the badgers to leave - nicely)? Thanks.
 
I had the same problem, in the end I just put hurdles around the feeders. Birds hopped over the top and everything else kept out
 
Theres a lot of poor springs on the market which stretch too easy
I dont like the spikey things
I am replacing with the mac feeder attachment which is strong steel with slots.
The electric auto feeders are good to dispense a set amount of grain
just after dawn and again in the afternoon
crows rats squirrels, badgers and deer will all eat your grain:confused:
you cannot beat hand feeding daily

Mac Feeder Attachment | Feeder Accessories
 
Yes - I've had the stretchy spring thing as well. What don't you like about the spikes? Not effective, or cause problems of their own?
The Mac feeder head looks good, but is it plastic or metal? I'm also skeptical about it getting gummed up. I'd be interested to hear if that happens.
Electric autos on 50 feeders is not feasible I'm afraid. I also wonder if predators hone in on that feeding time as wella s the pheasants. They hear the whistle and come running in to eat the visiting birds...

I'm not too worried about some of the grain going to other animals, but I do resent losing a feeder full to one fat badger! The deer can't get in past the sheep net.

Hand feeding would be good, but for practical reasons, it's not suitable for me.

Thanks for the comments.
 
hook the spring up to a strand of wire and connect to a fence unit if you do that on them for a while they soon get the message
 
I gave up on the springs a few years ago because of the same problems. Badger and deer were having a right old feed off them.
i changed to the Wright feeder. Nothing is ever perfect but they do a good job. They can be screwed to the inside or outside of the barrel. I found it easier to drill a hole to drop the tube through and then cut a piece of coat hanger and shape it to push through the top feed hole to stop the deer/badgers pushing it up into the barrel.
 
I use the wright feeders as well. Also use the metal pans.
you can also hold the spring tight with a threaded T rod
attachment, readily available.

Dont like spikes for the same reason I dont like barbed wire
just me. dont like to cut a critters mouth.

pheasants favour some feed points
and will eat 95% of the feed in the feeder.

other feeders will hardly ever be visited by pheasants
but the feed will still go ( 95%to squirrels and rabbits etc)
 
Try the spikes

Had this problem the Badgers were getting hold of the springs and stretching them (some serious power in their jaws) I used the Spikes and problem solved, also there is an anti deer fitting available that has 4 vertical bars surrounding the spring with a circular plate at the bottom, this works very well as well if you don't like the spikes.

regards WB
 
a few years ago i had one feeder being targeted , i put a pell fencer in the feeder clipped to the spring and ran the earth down the leg , they dont like a mouth full of sparks
 
I know pheasants aren't affected by electric fences, which I think is the insulation qualities of their feathers. But don't they get a shock if you wire up a spring and they peck it?
 
I had major problems with spring feeders and badgers but then I went to pan feeders and although they tried them they never got much out, it more or less solved the problem.
 
If ur still feeding u could try a few with just the 'T' bars pretty cheap fix if they work for u.

We tryed the vertical slit things(like wright feeders) but i never liked them. Have thought about going to wright feeders to stop deer but how do u fix a blockage in a full hopper? (u never get a block in an empty 1 do u)

Heard of 1 shoot with a serious broc problem raised his hopprs up on a few pallets, bird just hop up but the badgers don't

1 of the neighbouring shoots done away with his springs a copuple of years ago, and filled them with ripped plastic bags and just went back to old fashioned holes in the bottom says he saed a fair bit of wheat and birds never noticed any difference with the birds
 
Thanks for all the advice. I'll try the T-bars idea. Seems a simple solution and looks like they should stop both the stretching of the spring and the ripping out of the springs. I'll get some ordered now:) I guess that they fit most standard spring sizes? Presumably, you need to set them so that there is some flex in the spring that the birds can peck at to get the garin out, but not too much.
 
with T bars you need to experiment with the tension
but you need to put two nuts on the end or a nyloc nut
otherwise the pheasants continual pecking will unscrew it??
 
I had major problems with spring feeders and badgers but then I went to pan feeders and although they tried them they never got much out, it more or less solved the problem.

Must agree using the pans instead of the springs worked great, even if they knocked the barrel over very little feed will be lost

stacey
 
@ country boy ,the Wright feeders rarely block up. I do mean rarely. The stalks just drop through. End of the season I empty them out as a few pebbles of stones will gather in them. It depends on how clean you wheat is.
i certainly don't use mill quality wheat.
 
wright feeders are exellent as sika98 says they never block up,sometimes get a bit of wet pellett in em but just prod it out with a stick.never had wheat block em.i had a massive problem with deer and badgers with springs.no bother now.if you look on solway feeders website they do a mini wright feeder that goes in the same size hole as the spiral.i use these round the outside of shoot and the big ones on main feed rides.
 
I have been using Sycon springs since they first came out years ago. In the early years they were fine but badgers have been a pain. I use T bars, anti badger spikes, I even ran a 10mm bolt down the side of one and wired the spring to it.

In some drives I am using 3 times as much wheat in spring feeders as I do with old fashioned side slotted ones, and I have to replace maybe 30 springs a year. I have built feeders with steel or galv rain covers above the slots to reduce water intake into the slots, on test these work pretty well and I will be converting more but this slotted spring replacement feeder from Solway looks a good idea and well worth a try. Not seen the Wright feeder either, downside is mild steel so likely to rust and needs a 75mm hole so wont directly replace a spring.

But all in all worth trying some. Thanks for the heads up.

A
 
I like the look of the Solway mini-Wright feeder. And no need to redrill holes. I'll get an order in. Thanks for the heads up
 
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