Make your own - No waste - 5 gallon (25# feed) bucket feeder for about $3

[aart]

Does this help keep critters away?

It might, have seen some folks use pvc pipe caps to cover opening at night. What 'pest proof' feeder did you try?

Gotta set traps to reduce rodent load, lots of info on rodent control here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/predators-and-pests.13/.

Here is my version.

Got an article for that?

 

[Jamity46]

It might, have seen some folks use pvc pipe caps to cover opening at night. What 'pest proof' feeder did you try?

Gotta set traps to reduce rodent load, lots of info on rodent control here https://www.backyardchickens.com/forums/predators-and-pests.13/.


Got an article for that?

 

[Jamity46]

That’s the feeder I bought - thank you for the link, I appreciate the help!

 

[Cluckingitup]

For those who have this type of feeder do you have roosters and do they have any issues with the waddles/combs? My roosters are pretty big and I wouldn't want him to cut/injure them. (assuming they are big, my first rooster) I imagine you could use wider openings?? I keep food in the coop in the metal feeder which is working just fine, however when my birds face the wall on their perch, they have pooped on their food.

 

[aart]

I imagine you could use wider openings??

Yup, 4", even then openings can be a bit small.

they have pooped on their food.

Move the feeder or make a poop board.

 

[j3ni]

I just made a smaller version of this feeder for my chicks. I used two 1 1/2in. elbows. My youngest chicks are 3 weeks old and my oldest are 6 weeks old and they can all eat out of this feeder with no problems. I also made the horizontal nipple waterer and they all took to it pretty quickly.

Would that size pipe work for banties?

 

[Got10]

*blush!* Thank you! Yes, I think HD used a picture of a 45-degree elbow for all the hub and spigot street elbows. I was skeptical too until I looked at it in the store. If my birds like it I might just add another elbow or two so that multiple birds can eat at once and the food will be distributed evenly around the bottom of the bucket. I only have four currently and they take turns eating throughout the day as it is.

Thanks so much for the instructions. My husband just made this last night with three elbows. I had to teach the girls how to use it but they're finally getting it. So happy to no longer be eating a huge amount of feed!!!

 

[K0k0shka]

I just found this thread and made this feeder. I'm sad to report that it failed the spill-proof test miserably! The chickens raked an obscene amount of food out of it. Because of how the elbow is cut on the inside end, there isn't really any kind of a lip there to prevent food from being billed out. Just the length of the elbow on the outside. Even if you add more pipe to lengthen it, it's still horizontal and there isn't really a good lip to catch the food. So... That was a waste of time and effort

 

[RoosterML]

I just found this thread and made this feeder. I'm sad to report that it failed the spill-proof test miserably! The chickens raked an obscene amount of food out of it. Because of how the elbow is cut on the inside end, there isn't really any kind of a lip there to prevent food from being billed out. Just the length of the elbow on the outside. Even if you add more pipe to lengthen it, it's still horizontal and there isn't really a good lip to catch the food. So... That was a waste of time and effort

Doesn’t sound like it was made correctly. the elbow should extend idown into the bucket at least an inch. It is the vertical section of elbow that keeps the feed in not the horizontal one.

 

[K0k0shka]

Doesn’t sound like it was made correctly. the elbow should extend idown into the bucket at least an inch. It is the vertical section of elbow that keeps the feed in not the horizontal one.

The design itself doesn’t leave any vertical room in the elbow, because the pipe is cut so close to the inner bend of the elbow. There’s practically no vertical section left at the red line where you’re supposed to cut:

The red line is pretty much at the same level as the other end of the pipe, which is on the bottom where they stick their head in. So the feed is at the same level as well, no lip left. Maybe if there was a piece of pipe attached to the cut end from the inside, it would’ve been better, but then the hole cut into the bucket would need to be 1” higher, to allow for a 1” lip as you claim there is, AND the 1” space from the bottom end of the elbow to the bottom of the bucket, for the feed. The design only has the latter 1”, off the floor of the bucket. It does not call for a 1” lip on top of that at all. Maybe there are better PVC elbow designs out there, but this particular one just doesn’t work, because it doesn’t provide a lip at all.