PVC Feeder help

[mtnpull]

On mine, I think I have two 45 angles and I neck it down from 4" to 2" to save space inside the coop. I haven't seen a need to put a hole in the bottom, plus I think feed would absorb any moisture prior to it getting all the way to the bottom. If it is sealed there shouldn't be any water getting in there.

 

[vjbakke]

Quote:
We made a small version of these, 2, 3 in feeders about 2 1/2 ft tall. DH attached them to a piece of wood and they can be removed from the coop to clean ect. I will take pics later.

 

[GreeneAcresFarm]

I have the PVC with the Wye's on the bottom too. I am having problems with waste. 10 birds have emptied mine in 3 days. Thats 40 lbs. of feed on the floor now!

 

[prodds]

I'm concerned about that happening, too (haven't made mine yet). Is yours raised off the ground, GreenAcres? People on here have suggested having the feeders at the heights of the chickens' backs, if I'm understanding them correctly. For others with feeders raised off the ground, does waste seem to be an issue with the Wye feeders? I'm guessing chickens will eat off the ground, too, so maybe it's not something I should be too concerned about?

 

[Schwartzfarmnc]

Quote:
If you haven't already raised the feeders to their back level, I would recommend that, I have 16 and keep raising about every 2 weeks until full grown, they can only put their necks into the feeders and we have no waste at all.

 

[PetRock]

I love our PVC feeders! We started off with one with a 45 degree elbow and a 1 ft long horizontal pipe with a cut out on top for them to eat out of. We had to fiddle with the angle to keep the food flowing down. Then when the winter rains came, due to the way our run is built we switched to the straight PVC pipe with a Y at the bottom. We just placed it on the ground and it wasn't high enough so the first day our hens shoveled all of the feed out of the feeder onto the ground.

So we raised it up on cement pavers but not high enough and they were still shoveling the food out. So we added a 4 inch piece of PVC pipe to make the neck of the feeder longer. That has worked perfectly for us! We have one 5 ft tall by 4 in. PVC pipe feeder for food and another one for oyster shell. We have 7 hens currently using them and there have been no problems. We plan on adding another one when we integrate our teenagers in with the flock. This weekend, our project is going to be PVC nipple waterers!

 

[prodds]

Brilliant idea adding the extra length of PVC, PetRock! (light bulb goes off in head). You don't have any pictures, do you? I'm excited to get my feeder put together! Let me know how it goes with the PVC nipple waterers - I'll be making those, too. Should be getting my nipples in the mail soon. (Never thought I'd be writing something like that!).

 

[timp123]

Quote:

 

[SumDumGuy]

I have a 4 foot vertical section of PVC attached to an 8 inch horizontal piece of PVC via a 90 degree pvc bend. It is 3 inch diameter pipe (found it in a field near some stores).
I had not experienced much food waste with this feeder until the ducks found it.
In the early times, BD (before ducks) the food would fall into the horizontal section fairly well. If the chickens thought there was not enough food in the pipe they would kick at the pipe until the feed settled farther into the horizontal section.

Next time I build one I am going for a larger diameter pipe and the "Y" at the bottom.

 

[arthurpete]

well i guess i am gonna pull my all my elbows and add a 90 degree, sounds like that is what is working for ya'll.