I’ve kept chickens since 2005. My first coop was an outbuilding that friends helped me convert over a weekend. My flock was small – nine hens – and my equipment was pretty basic. Over the next two decades I’ve expanded their housing, erected fencing with overhead netting and increased my flock size. I’ve picked up a number of plastic feeders and waterers at garage sales, from Marketplace and, sometimes, from other chicken keepers. Plastic, being what it is, wears out over time. It’s exposed to the elements (freezing and heating) and breaks easily when dropped. My bin of feeders and waterers resembles my sock drawer – an odd number of mismatched tops and bottoms that don’t always fit together. Sometimes free or cheap means frequent replacement.
I started this blog in the fall of 2018. Since then I have published almost 1000 posts and garnered more than two million views. I have no sponsors, no ads, no paid subscribers or amassed a little nest egg for my retirement. My raison d’être is the sense of satisfaction I get connecting with some really interesting folks and helping other chicken keepers improve the lives of their flocks. One of the few perks I get is the occasional complimentary product offered in exchange for an honest review. In 2023, I was approached by ChickCozy asking if they could send me an automatic coop door. Unfortunately, the first door failed and the replacement didn’t work from the get-go. Needless to say, I wasn’t able to endorse their product. After that, I was proactive, contacting companies that had good reputations making it more likely I could write a positive review.
One of those companies was Omlet. I had heard lots about them, but living in Canada was unable to access their products due to a lack of a Canadian distributor. The company was founded by four students who met at London’s Royal College of Art when completing a postgraduate course in Industrial Design Engineering. During their final year, they developed the Eglu backyard chicken coop. That project morphed into a business that now includes products for chickens, dogs, cats and pet rodents. Although not the least expensive manufacturer of chicken gear, Omlet makes quality products that I feel will outlast their competitors.
I reached out to them and asked if they would send me an automatic coop door. Their sales staff were quite easy to deal with, offering me the auto door, a smart control panel upgrade and a coop light. That door was installed in the spring of 2024 and has operated since, with no issues.
Last winter, Omlet sent me their insulated waterer. Again, I have no issue endorsing this product, having happily used it daily since then. They contacted me a few months ago, asking if I would like to try their new no-waste feeders. Of course, I was glad to oblige.
No Waste & Smart Feeders Boxed & Assembled (Bitchin’ Chickens)
I received the 5 kg feeder and the 5 kg Smart No Waste Feeder in April. I had a couple of stumbling blocks which prevented me from using them right away. Firstly, rodents. My main coop was a fortress for many years, having been built on a concrete foundation. Although I saw evidence of Norway rats in my pen they weren’t able to penetrate the coop. Then Roof Rats moved in and nibbled holes along the roofline, making it more difficult to prevent their intrusion. I am able to eradicate a few with snap traps, but still they persist. I was nervous to use the regular No Waste feeder as its ports don’t close and I didn’t want to attract nocturnal rodents. (I ended up using them in tandem and make sure it’s empty at the end of the day)
And the second issue: I was under the impression that the Smart Feeder requires a cellphone – it doesn’t. If you can believe, in this day and age, I didn’t have one. For the last two decades, my employer provided me with a cellphone but I didn’t want to set my feeder up on a device that wasn’t mine. I retired recently and sprung for my own.
I am the first to admit that I’m not patient or knowledgeable with technology so I had a younger friend sit with me while we downloaded the Omlet app and set up the parameters for the feeder. Omlet ships around the world and the manuals I received in the past were written in English as well as a number of European languages. For some reason, this time I ended up with an English, German, French and Italian manual with loads of illustrations for the regular feeder and a fat manual in eight languages but no English for the Smart version. No worries as Omlet does provide comprehensive online instructions and videos. They were both easy to assemble in minutes.
I was concerned that it might take a bit for my flock to transition to a new style of feeder, particularly my visually impaired hen, Helen. I was relieved to see that within minutes they all figured out how to access feed by pecking inside the ports. The amount that is released is minimal so they are not able to toss it out with their beaks.
No Waste Feeders
The feeders look similar, are made of the same heavy-duty materials and come in the same colour options. There are two differences between them: the regular one is available in three sizes (2.5 kg/6 lbs, 5 kg/12 lbs and 11 kg/25 lbs), while the automated one only comes in the 5 kg size. The big difference is the Smart version can be WiFi enabled or used without a cellphone and programmed so the ports open and close automatically.
Smart No Waste Feeder
The options for setting the Smart feeder ports are manual, light sensor or timer. I set mine for light sensor which is the most practical given the changing daylight throughout the year. What’s worked for me is allowing the ports to open when it gets light and then manually closing them at the end of the day (before dark when they would close via the light sensor). That way rodents don’t have the opportunity to access any leftover feed. Although the feeder can be left outside overnight I’ve been bringing the two feeders into the storage area of my coop as a precaution. It’s actually been more practical as that is where I keep the feed and it makes refilling them easier.
Features
- Easy assembly and maintenance
- Gravity funnels feed down through five narrow chutes so there are no spills and no waste
- 360 degree five ports design discourages bullying and crowding
- Capacity: 2.5, 5 or 11 kgs/feed
- Locking convex lid discourages roosting/pooping on feeder
- Option to use legs as elevated stand, or hang in the run/coop using a strap
- Can be kept inside or outside (must be under dry cover and use dry feed only)
- Smart Feeder has automated opening and closing ports, runs on two AA batteries
- Regular No Waste feeder has translucent panels enabling you to see feed level
- Smart version window allows you to see when feeder needs to be refilled without removing the lid
- WiFi alerts on your cellphone when feeder requires refilling or batteries need replacing
- Two year warranty
Cost (USD)
- No Waste Feeders: 6 lbs $69; 12 lbs $89 and 25 lbs $109
- Smart No Waste Feeder 12 lbs $229
- Hanger Strap $20
Although I am happy with both styles of feeder I do have three suggestions: 1) a feeder that didn’t have opening ports on all sides. It would be practical to have one flat side so the feeder could be placed directly against a wall for coops that might be a little smaller to avoid chickens pooping on the feeders from the roost bars at night. 2) It would also be desirable to have ports that could be manually closed on the non-Smart version. 3) My final ask would be a greater range of colours. Both feeders are only available in Eglu green or sage green. I chose the latter for both the feeders and waterer. I have to say they are stylish and a change from the ubiquitous red and white ones.
Again, many thanks to Omlet for their ongoing support to chicken flocks around the globe, including my own. The good news is they often have sales and specials, check out their site here.
Photo credits: Omlet, except where noted. Featured photo: Bitchin’ Chickens (showing both Smart Feeder & Insulated Waterer)
“Smart hens, messy coops, and the truth about keeping chickens.”
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