The Paddlesdown Pro Staff review the Kenco Lifetimer II Automatic Electronic Pheasant and Duck Game Feeder
The Paddlesdown Pro-Staff have carried out extensive Field Tests on the Kenco Life Timer II Electronic Pheasant and Duck Feeders and we are delighted with the results, costs savings and 100% reliability.
We started using Kenco Lifetimer II feeders in September 2008 and since then we have used them without a break on all of our main Pheasant Drives and on our Duck Ponds. We continued feeding through until May of 2009 when we moved the feeders into our rearing and release pens - they have now worked continously for 11 months. Our shoot is situated high up on the North Pennines and over the winter these Electric Game feeders have been subjected to some pretty serious weather conditions. One of the Duck Feeders was frozen into a pond for the best of a month and despite Gale Force winds, driving snow and Badger attacks it carried on working without fault. We have now increased the number of these Automatic feeders on our site to 18 and these have taken the place of 50 “traditional” Spring Feeders.
So let’s have a look at the benefits of using these Electric Game feeders:
- First of all, for us, there has been a huge cost saving. Previously we undertook daily hand feeding to supplement our hopper feeding. We found this was necessary in the days before a shoot in order to bring birds into specific drives at a specific time. The vehicle costs for this hand feeding amounted to about a fiver a day and in terms of “work” time we were giving up almost a couple of hours if we take into account travel time. You can safely say daily feeding was costing is about £20 a day and this is not sustainable. In our case 8 Kenco Pheasant Feeders would have cost us £360 and, based on the cost to us of daily hand feeding, they paid for themselves in just 18 days. We now top the hoppers up once a week and spend the rest of out time doing something more useful.
- Reliability and regular feeding has been achieved by using the Kenco Pheasant Feeder. We now know that our birds will be fed every day at exactly the same time, in the same place and without disturbance. Previously if business or family commitments got in the way we may be late for feeding or we may miss a feed altogether. We experienced very heavy snow this winter and for over a week we could not get to our feeders. This would usually have spelt disaster and led to our birds straying off the shoot. However with the Kenco Electric Pheasant Feeders the birds were still fed and as consequence they held. No more worries about finding the time to get over to the shoot.
- Using the Kenco Game Feeders we were able to manipulate our birds so they were where we wanted when we wanted. These automate feeders cut right down on straying and put birds in the drives when we wanted them there. Basically when we set the time on our feeders we consider when we are likely to drive that particular bit of ground and we then set the timer accordingly. So for example we normally do our first Pheasant Drive at about 10.00 so that feeder is programmed to give a feed at sunrise, just before sunset and then several short feed either side of 10.00. We’d probably have it feeding small amounts at 0930, 0945, 1000, 1010, 1020 and 1030 so that the birds remain in that area over a one hour period giving us plenty of time to get the drive completed. You cannot get this result with a Spring Feeder as birds just fill their belly where and when they want and they go for a walkabout!
- Using the Kenco Automatic Pheasant Feeders has greatly reduced the number of feeders we now need to use. We reckon that 18 of these Electric Pheasant Feeders have replaced about 50 Spring Feeders. How is that I can hear you asking? Well a Spring Feeder will only feed a very limited number of birds at any one time and an aggressive or territorial Cock Bird will often dominate a Spring Feeder and prevent others from using it. With these Electric Feeders the food is dispensed over a wide, circular area so a greater number of birds can access the feed at any one time – we regularly see 60+ birds at a single feeder after it has gone off.
- Disturbance has been reduced as we no longer need to walk into our Drives on a daily basis to hand feed. We probably got the best results from this with our reared Mallard as daily human contact was eliminated and as a consequence last seasons birds were far wilder than any we have ever had before.
- Ease of use. The Kenco Pheasant Feeders are very easy to use, we can now fit on into a suitable barrel and have it up and running in about 5 minutes. You simply cut a hole in the base for the downspout, drill 4 holes to attach the feeder unit to the barrel, bolt the feeder unit to the barrel, take the base of the unit and insert a 6V battery with 2 clips, set the time of the LED Display and then set you feed times and “run” time (length of time you wish the feeder to spin). We attach our Kenco Lifetimer II to large plastic feed barrels to which we have added 3 wooden legs. Remember that the height of the feeder from the ground will, up to a point, increase the distance feed is spread – the taller the feeder the further it will shoot feed.
- The Kenco Lifetimer II Game Feeder is a multi species feeder. Unlike most “manual” alternatives this Game Feeder can be used on Pheasant, Ducks and Partridge without any need for alteration.
- The Kenco Lifetimer II Game Feeder has greatly reduced wastage particularly on ducks. Any of you who have reared ducks or fed wild ducks will know that they will eat what they want and not what they need, they will eat for more than is necessary. With this Automatic Duck Feeder we are able to programme it so that it dispenses the exact quantity of feed needed for a bids welfare and development – no more and no less.
Kenco® timers feature a one-piece, indestructible plastic housing, it is not alloy as claimed by another seller (if they opened the box and looked this would be pretty obvious!). The housing is bolted to the base of your feeder drum and it contains all the electronics, there are no exposed electronics. Power is by a single 6V Battery, the type with two springs on the end - used in big torches, electric fences, flashing lights on road sides, etc....We put new batteries at a cost of £3 in our feeders back in August and they lasted until February
The galvanized steel spinner plate sits on to of the housing and a metal downspout funnels the grain down from the food container to the spinner. The spinner plate is reasonably small, with some feeders we have had problems with the wind spinning the plate but this has not happened with the Life Timer II. Access to the timer, battery and all the buttons, etc is by removing 4 retaining screws from the base of the housing. The timers have a very clear LED Display that show the time, feeder time, feeder run time - with a little commonsense and practice they are idiot proof. Timers include patented electronic boards featuring surface mount technology and microprocessors with on-board software – the circuit boards are sealed to ensure they are weather proof. Test buttons, quick battery hook-up and change-out, and vermin-proof designs not only make Kenco® feeders the most advanced in the industry, but also the easiest to use.
Feeding Run Time is adjustable from just one second upwards. We have most of our feeders set to give 4 or 5 feeds a day that vary between 5 and 10 seconds per feed. This uses about 50 kg a week.
Up to 24 programmable feedings per day
6 volt battery life of 6 months to a year
Adjustable height - raise the feeder closer to the funnel to decrease flow rate or increase the gap between funnel and spinner plate to increase feed flow rate.
Easy to fit with clear instructions. We can now fit and programme one of these to a barrel in 5 minutes!
Comes with instructions.
Your are purchasing the Feeder Motor, Electronics and Housing as pictured and described. You will need to fit the kit to a suitable barrel and these are very easy to pick up, we use plastic ex-fruit juice and spice barrels that we found on eBay at £3 each – bolt 3 wooden legs and this motor on and your away!
