Overstock Sale on 5-gallon Bucket Feeder Kit at Amazon, reduced 50% to $6.49!

[gtaus]

Here’s some pics. I have it sitting on a piece of plywood and you can see all the food the chickens have knocked out.

I might have a slightly different approach to fix your problem then was addressed by @TooCheep. I mentioned a number of times that I have my bucket feeder hanging so that the bottom of the PVC port is level with their back. That allows the chickens to stick in their heads to get food, but not comfortable enough for them to pull the feed out.

I see your bucket feeder is much lower than I have mine. Maybe you could try putting it up on some cement blocks or something. I think the bottom of my PVC port is about 6 inches off the floor, maybe a little higher. I can adjust the height it hangs on my chain.

OK. I see the problem. I think it is a design problem with the kit. Under the right conditions, there is a fix is fairly easy.

Chickens love to flick around food looking for the best bits. They are naturally messy eaters. With this setup, they are using their beaks to scoop feed forward and wasting a good amount.

I have seen some people add a small lip to the PVC port to reduce spillage. I have not needed to do that. But it might help in your case. You might be able to temporarily glue on some heavy-duty cardboard to the front to see if it stops the spillage. If it works for you, then you could use plastic or something else for a more permanent fix.

As mentioned, you have to be sure to leave enough room for the chickens to get their head in the port without damaging their comb.

Honestly, though, I would try to elevate the bucket feeder first to see if that stops the spillage. You should not have to modify those ports. They are already designed to minimize spillage.

Here is a picture of what one company shows is the preferred height. You can see that they put the bucket up on a log so the bottom of the PVC port is about level with their back. The chicken can stick in their head to get food, but it's not so easy for them to pull out the feed with their beaks and spill it all over the place.

I hope that makes sense. At any rate, I have my bucket feeder hanging up off the floor and I get very little spillage.

 

[gtaus]

This is the same setup though with a different tray. It shows the approximate height of the feeder.

I have my PVC feeder bucket hanging even a bit higher than yours. But I don't have smaller bantam chickens to worry about feeding. Again, love the picture with the catch tray under the bucket feeder idea.

 

[TexasBlues]

I’ll take the suggestions and raise up the feeder and also get a saucer underneath to catch the spillage.

 

[gtaus]

I’ll take the suggestions and raise up the feeder and also get a saucer underneath to catch the spillage.

Let us know how it works out for you after you get it reset.

I hope it solves your spillage problem.

 

[fuzzi]

I’ll take the suggestions and raise up the feeder and also get a saucer underneath to catch the spillage.

Try a "dollar" store for something large enough that won't break your wallet.

The tray I am currently using came from a catered event at work, wish I had a spare.

 

[gtaus]

I’ll take the suggestions and raise up the feeder and also get a saucer underneath to catch the spillage.

Looking around for more examples of how high people set up their PVC bucket feeders and came upon this...

Again, I think the height of the feeder might make a big difference in spillage. That bucket is about 6 inches off the ground whereas I believe you stated that you had your feeder sitting on a plywood board.

Try a "dollar" store for something large enough that won't break your wallet.

The tray I am currently using came from a catered event at work, wish I had a spare.

Dear Wife gets upset with me because I always save those large trays after a party. I figure they will come in handy for something. I know I have at least a couple trays that would be perfect for under a 5-gallon bucket to catch any spillage of feed.

But I think our local Dollar Tree has some of those big trays as well. Good suggestion if you have to buy a tray.

 

[TexasBlues]

I haven’t gotten a saucer yet, but I elevated the feeder and closed off 2 of the openings and the spillage seems to have improved considerably.

 

[gtaus]

I haven’t gotten a saucer yet, but I elevated the feeder and closed off 2 of the openings and the spillage seems to have improved considerably.
View attachment 3708654

I was thinking about your situation today, so I took out a tape measure to see how high I have my 5-gallon bucket feeder hanging. From the floor to the bottom of the PVC port, it was 8 inches. Looks like your new setup is about the same height as mine now. I really think the height of the feeder makes a big difference in the amount of spillage.

 

[TexasBlues]

Thanks for the tip. It made a world of difference. I watched one bird feed for several minutes, and no food came out, I don’t think I’ll even need a saucer underneath.

 

[Red Horse]

This is my favorite type of feeder! I loved the ones I put together... the ports came with caps so you could plug them up at night. They worked great when my flock was young, but now my roosters can't fit their fat heads inside. Has anyone found a port/pvc size that works for them?