6 Best Metal Hog Feeders For Rodent Control on a Budget

You walk out to the pig pen one morning and see it: a perfectly chewed hole in the side of your plastic feeder, with a trail of expensive feed leading away into the grass. Rats and mice don’t just steal feed; they contaminate it, spread disease, and cost you real money. Investing in the right feeder isn’t an expense—it’s one of the smartest moves you can make to protect your animals and your budget.

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Why Metal Feeders Beat Plastic for Rodent Control

The single biggest failure of plastic feeders is their vulnerability. A determined rat can chew through a typical plastic hopper in a single night, giving them and their friends unlimited access to your feed bill. You end up feeding the local rodent population more than your own pigs.

Galvanized steel solves this problem completely. It’s impenetrable to gnawing teeth. This isn’t just about the hopper, but the entire feeding mechanism—the trough, the doors, and the lids are all protected. A well-built metal feeder creates a physical barrier that rodents simply cannot breach.

Beyond being chew-proof, metal feeders offer other pest-control advantages. Their weight makes them difficult for pigs or predators to tip over, preventing massive spills that attract every scavenger in the area. The tight-fitting metal lids also provide superior protection from rain, keeping feed dry and less appealing to mold, insects, and vermin.

Tarter 2-Door Hog Feeder: Durable and Weatherproof

When you think of a classic hog feeder, something like the Tarter model probably comes to mind. It’s built from heavy-gauge galvanized steel and designed to sit outside in the elements without a second thought. This feeder is a workhorse, pure and simple.

Its primary defense against rodents is the door design. The two heavy steel doors hang over the trough and are lifted by the pig’s snout to access the feed. They are too heavy for a rat or mouse to lift, and when the pig is done eating, the door falls shut, sealing off the feed supply. The angled, hinged top lid sheds water effectively and is too heavy and tight-fitting for pests to get through.

With a capacity often around 80 pounds, the Tarter is ideal for a pair of finishing hogs or a small sow-and-boar operation. It’s not fancy, and it doesn’t have a lot of adjustments, but its rugged simplicity is precisely what makes it so effective and reliable. It just works.

Behlen Country 250 lb Feeder for Small Herds

For those with a slightly larger group of pigs—say, five to ten—constantly refilling a small feeder becomes a major chore. The Behlen Country 250 lb feeder is a significant step up in capacity, which translates directly into time saved. It allows you to fill it once and forget about it for a good while, depending on the size of your animals.

This feeder is more than just a bigger box. It features an adjustable feed gate inside the hopper, allowing you to control how much feed flows into the trough. This is a critical feature for reducing waste, as pigs are notorious for playing with and spilling their food. Less spilled feed on the ground means less free food for rodents.

The all-welded, heavy-duty steel construction is made for longevity. While the upfront cost is higher, the ability to buy feed in larger, more economical quantities and the time saved on labor can make it a smarter financial choice in the long run. Think of it as an investment in both rodent control and operational efficiency.

Little Giant Galvanized Steel Trough Feeder

Sometimes the best way to control rodents is to not leave any food out in the first place. A simple trough feeder, like the ones made by Little Giant, is an essential tool for this strategy. This isn’t a free-choice, bulk feeder; it’s designed for measured, supervised feedings once or twice a day.

The concept is simple: you put in only what the pigs will clean up in a single meal. By the time you leave the pen, the trough is empty, leaving nothing behind to attract pests overnight. The galvanized steel construction ensures that if a pig misses a few pellets, a rat can’t chew through the trough itself to get to them.

This is the most budget-friendly option on the list and incredibly versatile. You can use it for slop, grains, or supplements. While it requires more daily labor than a gravity feeder, it gives you absolute control over rations and is a cornerstone of an integrated pest management plan.

Sioux Steel Poly/Steel Feeder: A Hybrid Option

Not all feeders are purely one material or the other. The Sioux Steel Poly/Steel feeder is a smart hybrid that combines the best of both worlds. It typically features a tough, rust-proof polyethylene hopper with a galvanized steel trough, agitator, and door assembly.

This design cleverly puts the steel where it matters most. Rodents don’t chew through the middle of a hopper; they attack the access points. By making the entire feeding area—the part the pigs and pests interact with—out of metal, you get excellent rodent resistance.

The poly hopper offers its own benefits. It won’t rust or corrode from minerals in the feed or moisture in the air, potentially giving it a longer life than an all-steel hopper in certain climates. It’s also lighter, making the feeder easier to move and clean. This is a great choice for someone looking for modern materials without compromising on pest-proof durability.

Brower Creep Feeder for Piglets and Growers

Protecting your youngest animals is priority number one. A creep feeder is specifically designed to allow small piglets to access high-quality starter feed without competition from the sow. The Brower creep feeder is a classic all-steel option built for this critical life stage.

Rodent control is baked into its design. The openings are small, sized for little snouts, making it physically difficult for larger rats to get in. The adjustable feed slide and solid metal top lid keep the feed secure and dry, preventing contamination that can be devastating to a young pig’s developing immune system.

Investing in a dedicated creep feeder means your piglets get the best possible start, converting expensive feed into healthy growth, not rodent fat. For any hobby farmer farrowing their own litters, a tough, pest-proof creep feeder isn’t a luxury; it’s a necessity.

Applegate Nursery Feeder: Compact and Efficient

Once piglets are weaned, they move into a nursery phase where feed efficiency is everything. The Applegate Nursery Feeder, though often seen in commercial settings, offers a compact and highly efficient design perfect for a small-scale weaning pen. Its all-steel construction provides a formidable barrier against pests.

The key feature of this feeder is its precision. It’s designed to minimize waste with a lip on the trough and a finely adjustable feed flow. Every pellet that drops is meant to be eaten, not pushed onto the ground. This meticulous design starves out rodents by eliminating their primary food source: spilled feed.

For the hobby farmer raising a litter from farrow to finish, a small nursery feeder is a brilliant tool. It helps transition weanlings smoothly, reduces your feed costs through efficiency, and reinforces your rodent control program by keeping the pen clean and free of attractants.

Choosing Your Feeder: Capacity and Door Design

Simply choosing "metal" isn’t enough. The two most important factors in selecting the right feeder for your operation are capacity and door design. Getting these right will determine how effective and convenient the feeder is for you.

Capacity should be matched to your herd size and your schedule. A feeder that’s too small means you’re hauling feed bags every day. A feeder that’s too large for just a couple of pigs can lead to feed sitting for weeks, becoming stale and unpalatable. A good rule of thumb is to choose a size that requires filling no more than once a week.

Pay close attention to the door or flap mechanism. This is the frontline in your war against rodents.

• Gravity Flaps: Look for heavy steel flaps that cover the entire trough opening and sit flush. Flimsy or lightweight doors can be pushed open by raccoons or clever rats.
• Hinge Durability: Check the hinges. Are they welded securely? Do they move freely without catching? A stuck-open door is a dinner bell for pests.
• Trough Lip: A deep trough with a lip around the edge helps prevent pigs from "raking" feed out onto the ground with their snouts.

Ultimately, the best feeder is one that fits the number of pigs you have, is built with heavy-enough components to deny access to pests, and is designed to minimize the waste that attracts them in the first place.

A good metal feeder is a powerful tool, but it’s not a complete solution on its own. It works best as part of a system that includes keeping pens clean, storing bulk feed in secure metal bins, and managing the area around your farm. By combining a chew-proof feeder with smart farm hygiene, you can effectively cut rodents out of your feed budget for good.