Gravity tube feeders

[Al Gerhart]

This kind of feeder works fine until it doesn't. Keep a close eye on feed used per day, a quarter pound per bird, a bit more for ducks, ignore the rooster. In your case, 6.5 pounds of feed per day. I believe you posted the other day, or someone with the exact flock count and make up did, because you were feeding or wasting a lot of feed.

This feeder might help on the waste but it is a rat buffet.

Bottom line, you pay for a treadle feeder even when you don't own one.

 

[LyndallA]

Hey yall, this past Friday I switched from the old faithful hanging feeders that allow 360° access to feed, to a gravity tube feeder.

Ours is made from 1 5 ft by 3 inch piece of tubing (provides storage) which couples into a 3 inch WYE with a cap on the bottom that screws in and out to allow for easy cleaning of what's at the bottom. On the Y section that they eat out of we added another 3 inch piece of tubing to control spillage and minimize rodents.

All I will say is that if you're on the fence of trying out this type of feeder and changing from the hanging types, pull the trigger and do it ASAP.

Our flock is as follows:
19 laying hens
1 rooster
3 ducks
1 peacock

Normally, I would go out with a 3 QT scoop in the morning and throw 2 scoops into the hanging feeder and of course in typical chicken fashion they'd quickly attack the feeder and.... end up spilling 70% of it. Then again at night after putting them in for bed time, I'd put another 2 scoops into the hanging feeder, which would also spill. (Which leads to rodent problems).

I switched us to this DIY gravity tube feeder (which I did not use any glue on the tubing because I was worried about leeching chemicals) and I filled it up with 4 3QT scoops of feed on Friday at around 11 am. It's now Monday at 11 am, there's still about a scoop left in the tube feeder which I will probably refill tonight or tomorrow depending on what the levels are at bedtime tonight.

There's MINIMAL and I mean MINIMAL spillage from the chickens pecking and scratching out their food, it is ALOT more rodent proof (however as I'm finding out nothing is 100% rodent proof). All my birds can access it, even my ducks.

I feel like we have already saved massively on feed given how much less I've had to put in (which is 20% all flock pellets with scratch grains 1 bag of scratch grains for every 4 bags of all flock).

If you're thinking about swapping to this design of feeder I 100000000% encourage it.

Below are pictures of our old feeder vs our new feeder (note on the old hanging feeder the insane amounts of spilled food under it)

If yall have any advice to improve or any advice to fix any errors I've got with this setup please let me know but I wanted to tell yall how much more efficient this has been even just over 4 days especially with the fact we sell our eggs a lot so saving on feed costs only makes us able to save $ for more cartons, or to put that $ towards improving the quality of life for our chickens in their coop and run

 

[LyndallA]

Wow, this is helpful. I have a serious ground squirrel raiding problem and lose a lot of feed to them. Question: this year I have a 10x12 henhouse (vs. last year’s funky coop and net fencing). I’ll have 14 hens. Should I put gravity feeders in henhouse or outside in their yard?

 

[Auntiejessi3]

Wow, this is helpful. I have a serious ground squirrel raiding problem and lose a lot of feed to them. Question: this year I have a 10x12 henhouse (vs. last year’s funky coop and net fencing). I’ll have 14 hens. Should I put gravity feeders in henhouse or outside in their yard?

They only use the coop to sleep and lay, no sense in putting food in your coop that may invite even more critters.

 

[LyndallA]

They only use the coop to sleep and lay, no sense in putting food in your coop that may invite even more critters.

Thank you!