RentACoop 40 lb Automatic Treadle Chicken Feeder, Metal Rat Resistant Rainproof Step-On Feeder Review (2026)

Who this treadle feeder suits

This feeder is built for keepers dealing with rodents or wild birds raiding an open feeder, since the step-on treadle door only opens under a chicken's weight and stays closed the rest of the time. With a 40 pound capacity, RentACoop notes it can feed around 12 full-grown hens for roughly 10 days, making it a good fit for keepers who want to travel or take a break from daily refills without running their flock low on feed. Because the mechanism relies on a bird stepping on the treadle plate, it suits standard-size chickens, bantams, ducks and pheasants rather than very young chicks who may be too light to trigger the door reliably.

Materials and mechanism explained

The feeder is made of galvanized sheet metal with stainless steel screws, a combination chosen for durability and resistance to rust from outdoor exposure over multiple seasons. The rat-resistant design works because the treadle door needs real weight to swing open, which keeps out rats, mice, squirrels and most wild birds that would otherwise help themselves to a bucket of feed. The rainproof build is designed so water does not pool on the step itself, avoiding a slick or frozen surface that could put birds off using it. The 40 pound hopper sits above the step mechanism, feeding down by gravity as the level in the trough drops during normal use.

Setting it up and training the flock

Placement matters for a treadle feeder, since it needs a level, stable surface so the step plate closes fully and seals against rodents and rain rather than sitting slightly open. Training a flock to use the treadle takes patience, and timid or older hens in particular may avoid stepping on it at first, so propping the treadle open briefly during the first days, or scattering a little feed on the step itself, often helps birds learn that stepping on it delivers food. Once trained, most flocks adopt the habit within one to two weeks, after which daily feeding becomes largely automatic aside from periodic refills of the hopper.

Trade-offs and how it compares

The training period is the clearest trade-off against an open trough feeder, since birds need to learn a new behavior before the rodent-proofing benefit pays off. Against RentACoop's own smaller 25 pound treadle feeder, this 40 pound version trades a bit of portability for longer stretches between refills, useful for keepers who travel or simply want to check the coop less often. Compared with rivals like the Grandpas Feeders 40 pound treadle feeder, which scores slightly higher on our scoring scale, the core mechanism and rat-proofing approach are similar, so the choice often comes down to price and specific hopper design preferences rather than a major functional gap.

Verdict and who should pick something else

This feeder earns our score of 8.4 out of 10 for genuinely cutting rodent and wild bird losses while stretching refill intervals for a medium to large flock, backed by a durable galvanized build. It suits keepers who can tolerate a short training period and have level ground to set it on. Keepers with very young chicks too light to trigger the treadle, or anyone who wants zero training curve, should stick with an open trough or hopper feeder instead, and those who want maximum capacity should compare this against the similarly built Grandpas Feeders 40 pound treadle option.

Frequently asked questions