best feeder

[Carson213]

If you want a great feeder, buy a 200 lb hog feeder. they’re cheap and will supply a flock of 25 for weeks. add a 50 gallon food safe barrel with metal nipples for water, auto door, and back roll out nests...you can leave for two weeks and not worry.

 

[EmmaRainboe]

Nice!

 

[RojoMarz]

If you want a great feeder, buy a 200 lb hog feeder. they’re cheap and will supply a flock of 25 for weeks. add a 50 gallon food safe barrel with metal nipples for water, auto door, and back roll out nests...you can leave for two weeks and not worry.

Unfortunately, the chipmunk and bears would love for me to do this.

 

[Carson213]

If you want a great feeder, buy a 200 lb hog feeder. they’re cheap and will supply a flock of 25 for weeks. add a 50 gallon food safe barrel with metal nipples for water, auto door, and back roll out nests...you can leave for two weeks and not worry.

Unfortunately, the chipmunk and bears would love for me to do this.

yeah...you probably don’t want an outside feeder where you live. i haven’t researched chicken feeders that are near proof outside. i have four 200 lb hog feeders but they’re all inside.

 

[Carson213]

yeah...you probably don’t want an outside feeder where you live. i haven’t researched chicken feeders that are near proof outside. i have four 200 lb hog feeders but they’re all inside.

not “near”...”bear”

 

[Al Gerhart]

Rats and mice. You are gonna pay for those feeders many times over.

Just saying.... : )

 

[gtaus]

If you want a great feeder, buy a 200 lb hog feeder. they’re cheap and will supply a flock of 25 for weeks. add a 50 gallon food safe barrel with metal nipples for water, auto door, and back roll out nests...you can leave for two weeks and not worry.

I see that there are a number of styles of hog feeders and the ones I see would not work for chickens. Do you have a link and/or picture of the hog feeder you are talking about? Thanks.

 

[Carson213]

I see that there are a number of styles of hog feeders and the ones I see would not work for chickens. Do you have a link and/or picture of the hog feeder you are talking about? Thanks.

like this but i don’t put the lower doors on it. i have outside barn cats so mice and rats have yet to ever be a problem

 

[gtaus]

like this but i don’t put the lower doors on it. i have outside barn cats so mice and rats have yet to ever be a problem

OK. I found that type on Amazon, but that 200 lb hog feeder costs $200. Looks like it was built to last forever. Did you have something in mind less expensive?

Brower 22H 2 Door Supplement Hog Feeder - Heavy Duty - Hogs won't destroy!

For comparison, I built a hanging chicken feeder out of a 5 gallon pail and PVC elbows for about $8.00. I usually only fill it up about 1/3 full, or about 11 pounds of feed. That will last my 10 chickens about 10 days before I need to refill it. If I filled the 5 gallons to the top, then it would last me about 30 days for my 10 chickens. For a number of reasons, I only put out a small pail full of feed every 10 days. Works good because my 3 gallon waterer also lasts about 10 days, so I just refill the feed and water at the same time.

I have my feeder hanging in the chicken coop and have never seen any signs of rodents. I think lots of people don't store much feed in these feeders because of mice and/or rat issues. It's not an issue for me so I feel OK with 10 days of feed out there on a refill.

I would think the problem with a 50 gallon barrel for water might be that the water gets funky in the barrel. Or does it stay clean and potable? I know the nipples prevent debris from getting into the barrel, just wondering if you have to be concerned about algae growth, etc...?

Well, if everything works out well for you, I guess you could take a holiday and not have to worry about food and water for your chickens. Don't know what you could do about the eggs, though. I would think they still need to be collected daily.

 

[Carson213]

my waterer is basically a pass through from rain water.

but for the feeder...without a doubt...you could use a 50 gallon barrel with PVC pipe...and would be cheaper than the $150 i paid. i was actually thinking of using my grain elevator to buy feed in bulk, feed into a hopper and then gravity feed into feeders.