Keeping the flow with homemade bucket/saucer feeders

[Mrs. Mucket]

I've been having trouble with crumble and pellets not flowing out of the 5-gal. bucket/plant saucer feeders I made. The holes are one inch in diameter. I end up stirring the inside of the bucket twice a day. Do you do something like put an inverted funnel or bowl at the bottom inside the bucket so the feed will slide out the holes more freely?

BTW does anyone have a good way of centering the bucket in the saucer upside down to screw them together? I have been putting in one screw from the inside just to set it when I can see it's centered, then turning it all upside down to put three screws in, then removing the first screw.

Thanks

 

[vermonster]

Bigger holes.

Mine has 2-1/4" holes, and the feed flows just fine.

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

A funnel works perfect, I put the wide part down and covered the small with strong tape and used the little nub (used to hang it) to screw it to the bottom of the bucket. It keeps the food moving to the outside of the bucket. I have 1 1/2 inch holes.

 

[gryeyes]

Quote:
Ooooh, I like that funnel bit!!

But, in the interim (since I just filled the bucket up to the top this morning), what I do is just grab the planter saucer bottom and give the whole thing a good sideways shake back and forth, once. Problem solved until the next time. I use larger holes, too....

But I bet the funnel will totally mitigate the need to shake the feeder bucket saucer! Thanks!

 

[Frogdogtimestwo]

I saw this post just in the nick of time I was getting ready to go outside and fill it! The only time I shake it is at the very end when there is and inch or less the rest of the time the funnel does the job.

 

[Dogfish]

Same idea as a funnel. I just made a cone out of sheet metal, 3 screws, and a piece of duct tape. Also, the cones people use above feeders and waterers will work.

If you make the funnel/cone large enough, there is no need for that shake part. Run the cone to the very edge of the bucket, and it all flows out.

 

[Mrs. Mucket]

Dogfish, what size are the holes in the bucket? You have more than I do too--that might be part of my problem. Your metal cone and Frogdog's funnel look like they'd do the trick. Thank you all.

 

[obxWaMi]

I'm using a pyrex bowl from my mixing set

It works pretty well, butI still find myself shaking the bucket as it gets nearer to empty. I think I'm gonna switch to a funnel and I'm gonna add more holes to my bucket.

 

[Dogfish]

1" holes about 1" apart.

 

[Rennie]

I just made one of these out of a couple of empty paint buckets .. I find that the chickens tend to pick the food from the holes and it comes out by itself ....so far