Gravity Water and Feeder question

[urbancountrygal]

I am about to order 2 sets of these. http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=130472865837#ht_958wt_905 Has anyone had any experience with these? Also if you have, does the feeder make for a lot of waste for the feed? I am feeding organic so I want to keep the feed waste to a minimum

 

[urbancountrygal]

Anyone?? lol

 

[The Kibble Goddess]

I haven't made a waterer yet, but I did put together 2 feeders from parts bought from Home Depot. Took less than 15 minutes each using a hand saw to cut the pipe, and cost less than $8 each. Bought one 3" width of pipe, 2 of those well, they're not T's but I forget what their called, kind of half a Y shape, 2 pressure testing inserts to cut off wasted space at the bottom and 2 threaded plugs and sleeves. My feeders are in the run and I screw in the plugs at night so I'm not feeding other critters. The caps I was going to use to cover the tops of the pipes to keep the rain out were too tight to remove easily for refilling so I just put tin cans over the tops. Bungee corded those babies to the run fence and we are good to go. Nothing's glued together just tapped in tight with a hammer. Two chickens can eat from each feeder at one time. And at a total of of about 8' of 3" pipe, I only have to add feed about once a week. Since the feed is about 2-3 inches down the throat of the feeder, chickens have to stick their heads in to get the feed and don't seem to bill out any. Even my bantys eat from these feeders, but they have to stand on a brick to reach in easily.

 

[Royd]

My experience with gravity feeders is that chickens have no self control...Once that crop is empty, they are ready to fill it, again. They will consume far more than what is necessary to keep them alive and trim, even with the opportunity to free range.

That's why I went with an automatic feeder, as noted in a recent thread

As for a waterer, I have gone to a simple livestock float, purchased at TSC or any feed supply, and mounted it in a container, which gives easy access to the chickens. They always have fresh water, because the float opens, when the water level drops about a 1/2".

 

[mybirdslovetofly]

My husband built a gravity feeder out of pvc parts from Lowes. Basically, a 3 inch diameter, 2 ft long section of foam core pvc with a cap at the top. AT the bottom is a capped off elbow section with an oval cut out of it. It works fantastically. when they ate out of a tray/trough, they would stand in the food, poop in the food, scratch food out of the tray and make it go everywhere....Now I see no ground waste. As for overeating, I can't say. They are young and growing, so as with my 12 yo son, I let them eat as much as they want! I think, as a busy mom, anything that makes taking care of the pets easier is a good thing. Good luck with your decision.

 

[urbancountrygal]

Quote:
Thanks for your input.