Duck Troughs: good idea?

[only4cake]

okay so i was thinking about purchaseing some large chicken feeders and waterers for my ducks (you know the kind the are plastic and look like flipped over jars with a big lids on the botton) BUT, they are expensive, would it be better if i just built a watering and feeding trough instead???

 

[Wifezilla]

No. The ducks will get the whole trough full of food wet and it will get nasty.

 

[Trenary Duck Farm]

Yes, building your own feeders will be fine. We emulate the farm shown here, and you can see pictures of them feeding the ducks into large rubber bowls.

 

[ChickBond 007]

My ducks eat out of a regular old bowl (large) and need water that they can submerge their head in, so at least 1 gallon minimum.

 

[Mojo Chick'n]

Yep, rubber feed dishes, here, too. I usually set out two or three, so the big ones don't bully the little ones out of the food.

Only problem I have with the rubber feed dishes is that during the day when the chickens are out, they go into the duck pen and "scratch" in the dishes and tip them over. I've begun to just feed the ducks in the evening, and put a little token amount in one dish in the morning just in case someone believes that they are dying from starvation

(It happens, usually with my Pilgrim Goose, Ethel - that girl loves her food).

I have tried the trench feeder, btw - had some made out of wood. They much prefer the rubber dishes - added bonus is the rubber dishes can be washed out more easily. Wood, if it gets wet will take longer to dry and can hold bacteria more easily than the rubber.

meri

 

[thedoors5to1]

Mojo Chick'n :

I have tried the trench feeder, btw - had some made out of wood. They much prefer the rubber dishes - added bonus is the rubber dishes can be washed out more easily. Wood, if it gets wet will take longer to dry and can hold bacteria more easily than the rubber.

meri

i completely agree with meri, rubber or some form of plastic is best, i just use this giant flexible horse feed rubber dish.
mold and mildew and possibly then disease can occur with wood, so i'd steer clear of them unless you want to do more cleaning than neccessary.
good luck​