Chick feeder - No waste

[EllisB]

I suspect I'm not the first chicken newbie to look at the stacks of the small jar-top gravity chick feeders at the animal supply store and say, "well, those must work pretty well since they're the only small feeder option." After my first 10 chicks went through several quarts of food in the first couple days I realized why the stores only sell these food-wasting units. Of the many great solutions I found on BYC and other sites (http://www.tillysnest.com/2012/09/outsmarting-chickens-at-feeder.html) I came up with this simple mod and my chicks went from shoveling food onto the litter to not wasting any food. Carefully open the crimp around the edge holding the 2 pieces together, cut a piece of 1/2" hardware cloth to fit (press into place), and re-crimp the 2 pieces together.

This is my first BYC post but I have been reading all winter and I really appreciate all the great advice from all of you.

 

[crisisfarm2]

I am king of the world

 

[Tatiana110]

Here is our 'no waste' chick feeder. $0 cost, and it works wondefully. No poop gets in there

Serves 8 chicks at a time., and it is good up to 4 weeks old. It takes much less space compared to the commercial round chick feeder - which is important when the space is tight in the brooder.





Tatiana

 

[aart]

Quote: Oh good idea!
I made one, inspired by yours-but adding a funnel aspect, and used a block of wood so they wouldn't tip it over and so it was a bit higher.
I wouldn't say it was no waste but better than other chick feeders I had.
Used a quart yogurt container, love the clear top to tell when it needs refilling.

 

[DreamStone]

Here is my zero waste feed and water setup. Just like Kathleen's my chicks could fit in the holes when I first brought them home. Added some doubled over duct tape as a temp boarder and we were good to go! No gravity feeder element just full so the can eat and since its so big (holes around 75% of the coffee container) we will only have to top off twice a week till they grow more.

 

[pmcont3]

We put a 45 degree roof over our feeder, this keeps all the poop out. We also raise it as the chicks get bigger to chest height.

 

[sumterflfreed]

I have not tested this feeder I will post again when I do. But it was easy to make with a knife and some glue. I just cut the front for the flap make sure you don't cut a square out just |___| this shape and fold it in glue it in place and I sealed mine with caulk but it's not really necessary. It was a flower pot with a flat back. The notch could be cut lower to allow less of a dish and more storage I really should have cut mine lower but to late now lol

 

[ehunter]

Get my chicks today!! Here's my feeder ready to go! Currently using regular waterer but will install nipple set up in the next week. Thanks so much for this thread, I never would have thought to try this.
Container has 1.25" drill bit holes every 2.5" (20" circumference). I used sand paper to dull any sharp edges and duct tape where I couldn't smooth it completely.

 

[Sonya9]

That is a great idea! Yeah they do seem to waste MOST of their food. I started elevating it on an upside down metal dog dish when they were 3 weeks old, then they grew and started spilling it all again! So I put it inside the dish instead.

They are just about ready to go to the coop, wish I had seen your idea earlier. I did buy a feeder for the coop that their breeder said would save us from wasting feed: It is spring loaded so you can adjust the height of the plastic separator things.

 

[Tumbleweed Farm]

I just bought one of these feeders too--but I'm doing fermented feed so not sure if it will work for me.