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

[BertieBott]

Hi everyone!

I've just been reading up on this thread and from what I've gleaned it is that 4" pipe is ideal?

How many pipes would I need for my 6 girls? 2?

Thanks for any info

 

[TerryH]

Hi everyone!


I've just been reading up on this thread and from what I've gleaned it is that 4" pipe is ideal?


How many pipes would I need for my 6 girls? 2? 

Thanks for any info

We've had great success with our 4" feeders. I don't know of an actual formula but I'd say that 1 for every 3 chickens would be a good guess.

 

[TerryH]

I thought I'd add a photo of a modification that we made to keep the chickens from scratching the feed out of the tubes. I got some PVC caps and cut them in half. I then mounted them with screws. Has worked perfectly. Nearly zero waste now.

 

[BertieBott]

We've had great success with our 4" feeders. I don't know of an actual formula but I'd say that 1 for every 3 chickens would be a good guess.

Thanks, Terry!

 

[UtePassChickens]

i used 1 4" 90degree elbow. the end inside the bucket, i cut the little lip off.(on the end sticking out in the picture is what I trimmed off the other end). the bucket lasts about 3-4 weeks per fill up. I have just the one for my 5 hens and have not observed any problems, they each eat on their own, undisturbed. I have watched other hens come to eat, when another is already eating, and they either wait off the side, or just leave and come back later. I just added a "grow drain-table" as a roof to an addition to my little coop. I will be running pvc from the drain to two 5-gallon buckets (that have the nipple drip things for them to drink) then it will drain off from last bucket once both filled. plus filling their water will be as simple of spraying the roof down with water. no more running the hose out to the coop or carrying 5gallon buckets of water up and down the mountain!


this last picture is just a tripod roost we built in the run, so they can perch up like as if in a tree and get a good view of the valley and their surroundings. I use it hold water bucket while I building the rain/snow collector.

 

[TXYrdBrd]

IDEAS, BLUEPRINTS & CONCEPTS FOR AUTOMATIC FEEDERS. HOPE THESE HELP SOMEONE.

NOT CHEAP, NOR FREE, BUT IF IT WORKS AS INTENDED, IT SAVES A WHOLE LOT OF TIME & LABOR.

THESE WERE INSPIRED BY MANY VIDEOS I WATCHED ON YOUTUBE AND OTHER PICTURES ALL OVER THE WEB.


THE T-SHAPE FEEDER:



-The limit switch in the vertical tube (PVC) will only distribute power to the 2 relays and the right side limit switch when there’s feed inside.
-Buzzer will activate when there’s no feed inside the vertical tube (PVC).
-Right limit switch in Horizontal tube will activate the motor when feed is low. The motor will spin the (auger) coil clockwise. When the right side is full the right switch deactivates then sends power to the Left Switch.
-The left switch will now activate the motor, spinning the coil counterclockwise; moving feed to the left side until full. Then the switch turns off.
-The 2 relays are wired to reverse the polarity of the DC Motor depending on which switch is active at the time. Reversing the polarity is what makes the coil spin clockwise and/or counterclockwise.

THE L-SHAPE FEEDER




-When the vertical limit switch is depressed, meaning the PVC tube has enough feed inside. 12V power will pass from “Common” input through “Normally Open” output, supplying 12V to the horizontal limit switch.
-When the vertical PVC tube is empty, the spring will be released, cutting power to the 2nd limit switch to protect the DC Motor from running with no feed in the pipe.
-The buzzer will continuously sound off when the vertical tube is empty.
-When the 2nd limit switch is in the extended position, it will activate the DC Motor, spinning the auger clockwise to push the feed down the horizontal PVC pipe and fill it up until the spring is completely pushed up.
-The kill switch will shut off power to the whole system.

 

[TXYrdBrd]

Just wanted to update my progress on this project. This has been a long time coming project. It still needs some refining but it works for now.

This feeder is controlled by 2 limit switches. The first one in the vertical PVC pipe is weighed down by the chicken feed when it's full and allows (12V) power to pass through on to the next limit switch in the horizontal PVC pipe. The second switch will feed the motor 12V power as long as there's no feed at the end of the tube. When there's enough feed in the horizontal pipe, it will make contact with the 2nd limit switch and shutoff the system until the chickens eat enough to bring the levels back down and the cycle begins again. When the feeder is completely empty, the first switch will cut power off to prevent the motor from running continuously with no feed in the feeder and burning itself out.

Here's an updated version of the diagram previously posted.

and a picture of the finish product.

 

[RonP]

Do you think the system and switches will withstand the dusty conditions associated with chicken feed?

 

[TXYrdBrd]

Do you think the system and switches will withstand the dusty conditions associated with chicken feed?

Valid question ! ... I guess father time will tell. If they fail I will definitely need to start looking at finding a way to fully insulate the switches.

 

[TXYrdBrd]