Automatic Feeder Ideas

[winer39426]

I'm raising quail and I'm having trouble with the store bought feeders. They waste a lot of food plus they are constantly having to be filled. Anyone got advice or ideas on something more efficient.

 

[mrwoodboat]

I use PVC feeders scaled for the size of the birds I am feeding...for quail, I use 2" PVC with 2 45 degree elbows going into a pc about 4 inches long with 1" holes along its length...the stand pipe is about 18" tall with a cap on it to keep it sealed. I mount it with EMT clamps

 

[mrwoodboat]

here is what I am using for the button quail- it is just a peanut butter jar with a K cup inserted in the side. I cut the hole for the K cup about 1/2" up from the bottom of the PB jar, the K cup gets about a 3/4 x 3/4 opening cut into the side, then I hot melt glue it in...works great and doesn't cost me anything...the birds don't make a mess or waste feed..

 

[winer39426]

Mrwoodboat, I like your idea but what is a k cup?

 

[mrwoodboat]

K cups are those single coffee servings for Keurig coffee makers..

 

[winer39426]

I like the idea, but I'm trying to figure out how to do it on a larger scale. I have a pen with 50 birds. Any suggestions?

 

[mrwoodboat]

for my pheasant grow out pen- I use 5 gallon buckets with 1 1/2" holes around the sides at the bottom- I then bolt an oil drain pan to the bucket on the bottom for a feed trap. Maybe you could utilize a Tupperware container with 1" holes around the sides and a pc of PVC mounted through the lid as a feed supply- thinking 3" cap bolted to the bottom of the Tupperware with a corresponding hole in the lid for a pc of PVC about 24" to stand up through- you would need to drill holes through both the cap and pipe before mounting the cap so feed could get out.- I would probably try to fit an inverted funnel inside the pipe to direct the feed out the holes into the Tupperware container...

 

[winer39426]

I more like the idea of the birds having to stick their heads in the feeder. This way they don't waste so much.

 

[winer39426]

Any suggestions?

 

[pawtraitart]

This is what I use in my breeder pens. I feed my quail pellets instead of crumbles.