A Feeder for periodic dispensing of dry-feed, where the dosing is done automatically by a pre-programmed dosing-curve, covering a period of several weeks of dispensing amounts, varying in dependence of the time of dispensing within this period. The feeder has a simple keypad for shifting the dosing-curve to a higher or lower level of dosing. The invention also relates to a method for programming the automatic feeder, the use of such a feeder and a method of feeding.