****** DIY chicken feeder pipe! ******

[mat2dong]

Hello to all my chicken friends!!!

So, some time back I made a chicken feeder pipe that is 3" in diameter by 50" long. It fed my 3 girls for 25 days. (Keep in mind they free range) I think it's the best thing since sliced bread and so I wanted to share it with you

I also made a video of how to put it together. You can watch that video and read what I did to build it and why at my blog

Please tell me what you guys think!!


http://homefarmideas.blogspot.com/2012/08/chicken-feed-pipe.html

 

[RonP]

I cut the top off a 5 gallon water bottle.

I actually made several "large" funnels from multiple bottles.

They are very useful...

The bottoms also make excellent bowls.

 

[MrsRodgers]

I made both of these things for my coop..and here are the cons: make sure you have a cap on the feeder that will not allow water to get in, as then you have moldy food. As for the nipples...make sure they are attached very tightly..the chickens pull them off and then all the water dumps out. By the way, I have my tube feeder on the outside, but it actually fits into a hole at the bottom of the coop, and is on the inside. Other than that..it's all good!

 

[mat2dong]

Here is the video I did on the feed pipe if you guys just want to watch that

 

[mat2dong]

Wow, that's a lot of poop I have two girls right now but my family sure love them. I will put up my videos up on what I am doing to water and feed my girls. You will just need to up the amount of feeders and waters

I am uploading a video as we speak so I will wait to post it

Okay, here is the new video I made to try and help on feed getting stuck. I hope this helps

Also, here is other videos I did on my feeder and waterer.


Feed sticking? Hope this helps





Pipe feeder put together





Chicken waterer!!

 

[mat2dong]

No I didn't get the chance to fix up the coop on Friday

, I get home from work after 4 pm and with Autumn and DST it gets dark so early the girls are already starting to stretch their necks upward planing to retire for the night. I wouldn't bother them when they want to sleep. I just check in the morning that the food has gone down into the trough and if not I bang it a bit or pock at it with a stick, it usually dislodges if it gets stuck. Mostly, just the daily moving of the coop dislodges it.

I really liked the youtube on feed sticking, I hope this Friday I will be able to get a bit done.

I also noticed that the feed I bought has a lot of dust-like particles in it, the next batch I will buy elsewhere, and it will be bigger grain-like feed. I think that would flow better, just by being a different texture. I don't see them eating the dust-like whatever it is, so I think that even though the feed wasn't expensive, I am paying for stuff they can't eat so I want to try buying from a different place. I still have a lot to learn about feed and everything, good thing I found this wonderful site!

Thanks for all of the help!

Yes, it is getting darker faster now. BOO!!! I would think the "dust" would flow better in the pipe. You just to to ajust it when you can my friend

I am starting my girls on an all organic nonGMO feed in the next week or so and this is what it looks like.



I am also raising these grubs I find in my garden to feed to my girls when they are full grown. These grubs will eat chicken and rabbit manure as well
Part 1



Part 2





Check out all the videos I have on these grubs in my playlist and let me know what you all think about the idea!! http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLvauaFZJqCU8_5jvw2kFOiwEP6fO4lGh8&feature=view_all

God Bless!!

 

[ChickEngineer]

I too decided a PVC feeder would be better than the Little Giant I was using.
Used the 3" PVC drain pipe and end cap. The elbow and adapter are rain gutter parts, the straps are for electric conduit.
Used my jigsaw to cut the trough opening. Clamped the base to a piece of 2 X 6 board.
The cost was about $15.00 from HD.
Started out with the mash, too much waste, went to the pellets, much better.

 

[Sondacop]

I put in a pipe feeder a couple of months back and it works GREAT! Mine is the type with a couple of elbows that they reach into.

I like the "J" design, I think I am going to take off the trough and see if this "J" works better for my girls. I can also think of a type of a lid to put on this "J" to keep out the mice at night, I'll just connect a stick to a lid and keep it inside the coop, accessible from the outside.

This is what I like about this site, the brainstorming gets those wheels turning. Now, if I only had some time and if it wouldn't get dark so early!

 

[mat2dong]

You know for sure the feed on the bottom is not wet as well? I cannot see that fitting very good on the top but it does not look like it can leak at the top since the fitting looks like it is overlapping the feed pipe.

Let me mock up this photo to show you some areas of concern.

 

[Phottoman]

Nice work Sondacop.

And here is the corrected schematic in a size that can be read. Click on the picture for a larger version.




In looking at this schematic, it would LOOK like a negative is being fed to both sides of the diode, however, as marked on the timer, the relay has an input of positive, and when closed the circuit allows the positive flow out and into and through the diode. The plus and minus going into the "POWER" side are to power both the relay and the timer.

Simple, right?

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