homemade chicken feeder

Last summer/fall we were raising about 160 broiler chicks and couldn't seem to keep the little feed troughs full. So I found some videos on youtube that showed me how to make my own feeders and waterers out of 5-gallon buckets. They worked beautifully and reduced the waste of feed. With about 25 birds to a chicken tractor in the heat of the summer, one 5-gallon bucket would last pretty much the whole day, as well as one 5-gallon bucket of feed. Every evening we refilled the waterers and feeders, instead of two or three times a day.

For the feeders I drilled fairly large sized holes in the bottom of the 5-gallon bucket, and drilled them about 1 - 2 inches apart. Then I took an oil drip pan and placed the bucket inside of it and the feed fell into the pan. If the feed got stuck the chickens would peck at the holes and more feed would fall out.

The waterer uses the same concept, but I drilled smaller holes (1/4 to 3/8ths inch) and only four of them spaced fairly evenly apart. I drilled them on the bottom of the bucket but if I had to do it again, I would drill them towards the top of the bucket and then flip the bucket over after it's filled with water. The reason being that when the lid is off and you're filling the bucket, with the holes on the bottom, the water continues running out until you get the lid on tightly, creating more of a mess. You also set the bucket in an oil drip pan or pan of some type. Once the water goes over the holes in the bucket, it creates and vacuum and stops flowing. Just make sure the lid is on tight.

Naola