Best feeder for 3 birds?

[valewife]

Can someone recommend a feeder for just a few birds ?
Is there one made specifically for turkeys?
The round, hanging poultry feeders I've seen look like it
would be hard to fit a big old turkey beak into.

 

[Dogfish]

5 gallon bucket with a lid and a planter base. Drill 1" holes around the base and insert a large funnel. I made my own cone from scrap metal.

 

[ShadyHoller]

We use the "bucket feeders" as well, and have never had any complaints. If you a are going to use it with chickens (I know you said turkeys, but just FYI) it helps to put a lid or cap on the top so they don't poop in the food or start using it as a laying box. If you search for "feeder" and "bucket" in the BYC search engine, there are about a dozen threads on this subject, with a bunch of pictures.

My only advice is that when you bolt the planter base to the bottom of the bucket, put some washers on the bottom, between the head of the bolts and the bottom of the planter base, to help support the weight of the food in the tray. Actually, I don't think it's the food that gets heavy: I think sometimes you get some wise-guy turkey who tries standing on the edge of the planter base, and that's when it needs a little extra support.

ETA: the general rule of thumb is to hang the feeders about the height of the turkeys' backs when they are standing. If the feeder is too low, they root around in the feed and throw it all over the place.

 

[Olive Hill]

I use the bucket feeders too, but use metal feed pans for the bottom. They're deeper and bigger around giving a better basin for the feed to spill out into and they have vertical side walls that make it harder for the birds spill feed out of.

 

[SaraF]

for me, it depends on the type of the birds. my meat birds i try to restrict their feed some with something that looks like Dogfish's feeder. I'd rather have a slower growing meat bird that doesn't get free choice than get issues to fast such as stressed and crop issues. for my heritage birds I give them free choice since they arnt feed hogs and would eat and eat and eat XD. So they just get a big bucket filled with feed at all times.

 

[valewife]

Thanks for the bucket feeder advice, everyone, and thanks, Dogfish, for the pictures.
That helped alot.
Yep, it looks like it should work for my birds.