self feeders how to make a cheap one

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dusty48

dusty48

Chirping
12 Years
Jan 14, 2009
9
15
69
Central Kentucky
Hello everyone,

I am in need of a design for a cheap self feeder for my chickens. I have been forced to hit the road and travel for work and i am in need of a feeder design so my girls are never without food. They have plenty of water, but the Kids at home lack the knowledge of importance on keeping the food full. Our property , where our chickens are, is about 5 miles from the house and you all know that teenagers are not usuallly worried about mom's chickens. I have about 17 hens and 1 roo inside, and 4 roosters and 8 guineas running around outside.
I know you can make something with 5 gallon buckets, but I would like to see what other ideas are out there without spending alot.

And if it's good , maybe I can use one for my dogs food too.

Hello to any and all kentuckians out there.

thanks for your help

bonnie;)
 
A five gallon bucket with a lid
A vege tray with dividers
A nut and bolt aprox 3"

Drill holes in bottom of bucket about a silver dollar size so food falls through into the vege tray. Attach the five gallon bucket to the vege tray with the bold and nut right in the middle and there ya have a homemade feeder
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ETA:
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like this, it holds a good 2 weeks of food for my 6 girls. I added a funnel turned upside down to keep the food towards the holes for distribution.
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* ETA sorry I did not see that you did not want this design, but it seems like it would work well for your needs and even the dogs.
Made for about $5.00
 
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You know...I'd never thought about one for dogs, but that would work. The feed holes would have to be quite a bit larger. I couldn't use one because my male dog would try to eat all 5 gallons worth of food in one sitting, but it would work for other less gluttonous dogs...
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Thanks for the info. I really think these idea will help. I like the addition of adding a funnel to divert the feed towards the holes. I'm gonna try it for my dogs, I don't think they will eat all the food, they would rather bark and chase my outside chicks/guineas. of course they are behind fence so they can't get them at least not unless they fly into the pen.
 
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I love this idea, I'd like to steal it please! What I can't quite figure out is what your tray is, is it rubber?


Would this work for a waterer too? I know the holes would have to be smaller and closer to the bottom of the bucket but would it work? The galvanized ones are so expensive!
 
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I do not know how to convert it to a waterer but it works great for a feeder! I stopped using an "official" waterer once the girls were old enough and just use a shallow plastic bucket for water, it is so much easier to scrub and fill.
Steal away, it was not my idea I saw it online a while back.
The bottom is a large potted plant tray but a rubber/metal feeder would be a great alternative because it may give you a bigger lip to keep all the feed in.
 
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I made two of these for $12 or so. I filled the bottom with DE and gravel to prevent rotting food/bug homesteading. They come apart for easy cleaning.
 
Quote:
I love this idea, I'd like to steal it please! What I can't quite figure out is what your tray is, is it rubber?


Would this work for a waterer too? I know the holes would have to be smaller and closer to the bottom of the bucket but would it work? The galvanized ones are so expensive!

I'm not sure what her bowl is, but we make them using a rubber bowl that you can buy from tractor supply. They are heavy rubber, made so that chickens can not tip them over when they stand on the edges of them.

You can make a waterer this way too. I would only recommend to do it this way. Get a 5 gallon bucket with a lid. Put the lid on the bucket. Drill holes just under where the lid closes. Now you can fill the bucket, put the lid on it and use the handle to carry it to the rubber bowl (I mean carry it if you have to take it somewhere to fill it up). Flip it upside down so that the lid is on the bottom and the water will flow out through the holes into the rubber bowl!
 

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