PVC Feeder help

[arthurpete]

ok so i made a pvc feeder this weekend. My feeder goes something like this.... 4ft straight (4") pipe>22.5 degree elbow>45 degree elbow>22.5 degree elbow> 2ft straight section.

The feeder isnt exactly working out. The feed gets stuck at the 45 elbow. I was figuring the 2 22.5 elbows would make the turn a bit more easy but apparently not.

any suggestions? do i go with 4 22.5 degree elbows?

 

[prodds]

What if you were to take out the 22.5 degree elbows? I have no idea if this would work, just a suggestion. Let me know, because I was planning on making this exact type of feeder next week!

 

[shend]

I read in here about a stove pipe so I tried it. It's 4ft tall and kind of oval rather than round but both would work. I made sure it was clean and attached it to the wall so it sits just a bit above the feed vessel. The vessel is the bottom of a hard plastic barrel 3-4 inches tall and about 18 inches in diameter.

Since the St Valentine's Massacre few weeks ago I'm down to 4 teenage chickens so its not in full use yet, but it works!

 

[mtnpull]

Post up a picture so that we can see how it works.

Here is how I did mine and it feeds just fine.

 

[arthurpete]

mtnpull, i cant see the pics (at work) could you describe what you did?

prodds...if i take out the 22.5 it would still get stuck (i think) because i can reach up in there and feel the feed at the 45, it made it past the first 22.5 elbow. Another problem if i take out the 22.5's is that i would have just a weird angle for the entire feeder and would probably have to cut more off the top and then there is no guarantee that it would even flow.

hmmm??

 

[timp123]

The more bends you have, the more potential is has with the food hanging up. Here's what I made... a 4ft 4" dia pvc, 1 90 Degree bend back into a 16" long pvc 4" dia. I've capped the end of it and then cut out the notch for the feed. I'm not having any food hang up at all. It holds 16.5 lbs of feed. Saves alot of morning refill trips.. though I find myself going down there every morning anyway.. and toping it off while I'm there.. so not sure that I helped me out any..

I screwed in to small blocks of wood as spacers into the pipe... then that gave me something to screw into from inside the coop so it mounts the pipe.

Hope that helps...

 

[Schwartzfarmnc]

Timp123 I do like your design.

I made ours a little different and have attached photo's. I know have 6 feeders and one thing I love about them they cannot waste anything and it is so easy to fill and move too.

 

[timp123]

Quote:
Schwartzfarmnc
How cool! That would also help keep poo out.. (My chickens pride themselves on Pooing, where I think it's not possible)

I built mine like I did.. because I wanted to feed them, without having to go into our coop.. they would all crowd the door, when they heard me coming. This way.. but I do like your smaller opening.. Hmmm, I might have to make another version & try it out

 

[Schwartzfarmnc]

That was one issue I was having in design also, I did not want to keep cleaning the poo out of the feed, so I came across this design on here and just went with it, and as the birds grow I put a 2x4 underneath to keep the opening at neck level and so far it has worked perfectly and now 6 feeders can hold my 50lb bag of feed.

 

[prodds]

OK - You all have me sold on the wye (sp?) design - I don't like the idea of cleaning poop out of food. I also need something that I can access from outside of the coop. It looks like mtnpull's feeder might be the way to go for me. Are there two 45 degree elbows in there? I'm going to fill the bottom of the wye with a plug, so the feed doesn't go all the way down and sit on the floor. Maybe I'll put a small hole or 2 on the underside of the plug for drainage in case rain/water gets in. What do you all think?