How to make a do-it-yourself chicken feeder from scrap materials, drawings
Feeding chickens in poultry farming ranks first in terms of financial costs and labor costs. To facilitate the process and save money, you should think about building chicken feeders with your own hands. There are several options, which differ in the type of construction and the materials used.
Requirements for chicken feeders
Regardless of the type of feeder, it must meet a number of requirements. Standard conditions include:
- Strength. For manufacturing, it is worth using materials that keep a given shape or are not subject to deformation at all.
- Convenience. Food should be poured into the trough without problems, and it should be easy for the birds to eat food.
- Capacity. In the chicken coop, you can put one large feeder or several small ones to feed all the livestock.
- Stability. The structure should not tip over or topple to the side during feeding.
Types of structures
All options for chicken feeders can be divided into categories. The designs differ from each other in the material of manufacture, the method of supplying power and placement in the chicken coop.
By material
The trough can be constructed from a variety of materials that meet standard strength and safety requirements. Most often, farmers make structures from polypropylene pipes, plastic, wood and improvised means.
By the way of feeding
Depending on the method of feeding the birds, a bunker and auger structure is allocated. The bunker consists of two containers - the first is filled with grain, and it is stored there, and if necessary, feed the chickens, the grain is poured into a second container, access to which is always open. In the hopper tank, there is an opening for filling the food on top, closed by a lid.
The auger design involves feeding grain using a rotating auger, which is a spiral pusher. The best option would be a modern feeder with an automated auger mechanism.
By location
The easiest way is to place home-made constructions on the floor in the chicken coop. It is also allowed to build structures into walls, which will give them maximum stability.
Blueprints
Before proceeding with the direct manufacture of the feeder, a drawing plan should be prepared. It indicates the type of construction, method and location, materials used and exact dimensions.
Homemade chicken feeder options
Most farmers prefer to make structures from available tools. This allows you not to spend money on building materials and simplify the workflow.
From a cutting board
For this method, you will need to prepare a wooden board, a plastic container, a funnel and a hose. The manufacturing process includes the following steps:
- The outer contour of the funnel is drawn on the board and many small holes are drilled within the outline.
- The transparent hose is connected to the end of the funnel. For reliability, you can use additional clips.
- A hole is made at the bottom of the plastic container, into which the second end of the hose is placed. If the connection is not tight enough, the edges of the container and the hose itself are treated with a sealant.
- The funnel mouth is glued to the board with holes.
- To feed the birds, grain is poured into the container, and it is fed in portions through the holes in the board.
From a plastic bucket
In the lower part of the plastic bucket, holes are made on the visible part. A sectional bowl is fixed to the bottom of the bucket using standard screws. When food is poured into the bucket, it will pour out through the holes made. This method is convenient in that the grain will be fed automatically as it is eaten by the layers.
From plastic bottles
There are two ways to make a design from a 5-liter plastic bottle. The easiest way is to make holes along the perimeter of the bottom and pour the grain into the neck, and put any container on the bottom. In the second case, enlarged square holes are made in the container so that the chicken can stick its head inside.
Made of wood
A rectangular feeder can be built from slats or wooden boards of any size. The optimal size of the blanks for the side walls is 150 x 10 cm and 20 x 15 cm. For added strength, a wide bar is nailed into the top of the trough so that birds do not climb inside the trough.
Two-story wooden feeder
This variety is suitable for use in small chicken coops, since the presence of a second tier compensates for the lack of free space. It is necessary to install wooden structures in rooms where there is a minimum risk of moisture penetration, since contact with water destroys the material. The structure is made according to the standard instructions described in the process of creating a one-story feeder, after which the second tier is attached to the ends of the first and fixed with loops.
PVC pipes
The option using PVC pipes is easy to implement and requires minimal costs. The material is sold everywhere and is cheap.
With cutouts
For the construction of this structure, you will need 2 pipes 40 and 60 cm long, a pair of plugs and a connecting elbow. A long pipe is installed horizontally and a hole is made in it, from which the chickens will peck grain. A knee is fixed at one end, and a pipe is installed at the second. Having filled up the grain, the ends of the sewer pipes are covered with plugs so that debris does not get inside.
With a tee (feeder or drinker)
In this case, you need a pipe 20 cm long, at the end of which a plug is put on. A tee is hooked to the second end so that the knee looks up as a result. A small tube 10 cm long is placed in the side hole. A 70 cm long tube is inserted into the third free hole.
From the canister
To make a canister feeder, you need to rinse and dry the container well. Then with a knife they make 5-6 holes on the side of such a size that the chicken's head fits inside.A hole is made on top for filling the feed and the pipe is fixed so that the birds do not get into the feeder completely.
From CD container
Next to the rim of the container, cut out 2-3 rectangular holes and fill the container with grain. Then it remains to screw the lower part and turn over the disc container. The food will spill out as it is consumed.
Automatic
One of the automatic design options involves opening the lid under the weight of the hens. To do this, the cover and the step are connected in such a way that the pressure leads to the operation of the mechanism. This method allows you to protect food from moisture and foreign debris.
The specifics of homemade chicken feeders for chickens
The main design feature for chicks is their size. Chicks require less feed and the size of the feeder may be smaller than that of adult birds.
Because chicks are more active, drinkers and feeders need to be stable, durable and safe to use.
I agree with the methods of making feeders given in the article. In principle, any oblong containers will do. the only thing is to make sure that no poisonous or other harmful substances were previously stored in them.