There's something to be said about hydrating the feed, although I don't know exactly what should be stated.

I think with an automated feeder, you can't have hydrated feed???

That may be why some folks are using conveyor belt feeding systems...so the feed can be hydrated.

Excerpt from Robert Crais' "The Monkey's Raincoat:"
"She took another microscopic bite of her sandwich, then pushed it away. Maybe she absorbed nutrients from her surroundings."