NameIwish
Songster
- Jan 27, 2023
- 130
- 147
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Years ago I scored some plastic 55 gallon drums with removable lids and lid locking ring things (I never use, they just hang there and mock me) which time has shown to have been an excellent purchase at $15 each or less. The locking ring things; I don't use - the chickens can't reach the lid and it likely weighs more than any one of them.
The one large black barrel holds nearly 300# of feed. I often fill it with a mix of crumbles, cracked corn, scratch grains and oyster shell - sort of layering these ingredients one on top of the other so as to get a mixture that varies with every few scoops extracted.
Ah, yes, 'scoops' - the reason for this post was to share my 'invention" born of drinking Folgers Gourmet Supreme coffee sold in those red plastic containers with the black plastic lids.
It turns out that the downside of the feed barrel is the downside exposed after extracting half the contents or so. Up until that point any old scooper'll do ya just fine. I first bought one of those cast aluminium scoops when I was not knew to raising chickens.
Over time, I've found alternatives worth sharing.
Mounted as shown, they are excellent tools to access the last few scoops of chicken, dog, or cat food at or near the bottom of a four foot tall fifty-five gallon food grade sealable plastic drum - a feat few folks can reach with a hand held cast aluminum 'professional' scoop!
Mounted to a much longer (broom?) handle with the open end up, they can be of service collecting pears (in our case) or other high hanging fruit ripe and oh so smugly up there just out of reach (of normal-sized folks and midgets).
Actually, at our age stooping and bending, while one of our few forms of exercise, is not as pleasant as it once (if ever) was and these scoops crafter using the eleven, then ten, now nine ounce coffee plastic 'tins' work well for us getting the dog food out of a 30-inch tall 14" diameter metal barrel used to house our puppy's feed in the garage.
Try it! I like it!
The one large black barrel holds nearly 300# of feed. I often fill it with a mix of crumbles, cracked corn, scratch grains and oyster shell - sort of layering these ingredients one on top of the other so as to get a mixture that varies with every few scoops extracted.
Ah, yes, 'scoops' - the reason for this post was to share my 'invention" born of drinking Folgers Gourmet Supreme coffee sold in those red plastic containers with the black plastic lids.
It turns out that the downside of the feed barrel is the downside exposed after extracting half the contents or so. Up until that point any old scooper'll do ya just fine. I first bought one of those cast aluminium scoops when I was not knew to raising chickens.
Over time, I've found alternatives worth sharing.
Mounted as shown, they are excellent tools to access the last few scoops of chicken, dog, or cat food at or near the bottom of a four foot tall fifty-five gallon food grade sealable plastic drum - a feat few folks can reach with a hand held cast aluminum 'professional' scoop!
Mounted to a much longer (broom?) handle with the open end up, they can be of service collecting pears (in our case) or other high hanging fruit ripe and oh so smugly up there just out of reach (of normal-sized folks and midgets).
Actually, at our age stooping and bending, while one of our few forms of exercise, is not as pleasant as it once (if ever) was and these scoops crafter using the eleven, then ten, now nine ounce coffee plastic 'tins' work well for us getting the dog food out of a 30-inch tall 14" diameter metal barrel used to house our puppy's feed in the garage.
Try it! I like it!
Another back saver I have discovered is using dollies underneath my 5-gallon buckets, garbage cans, and storage bins...
