I'm gonna be in the van for 18 hours, so I might as well share my vacation setup for our 10 ducks, 5 chickens, 5 rabbits, 3 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 cockatiels. At first, I made a self watering system using a hose sealed with epoxy on slow drip to fill a 5 gallon clear tote, and a pool vacuum hose also sealed with epoxy to drain the water so it dosn't overflow. It worked great, when the ducks weren't using it. It kept getting clogged with hay because of the ducks, it would have worked well for just chickens. My ducks and chickens can drink 5 gallons in 3 days (they're 10 weeks old.) This one isn't hooked up:
Since that didn't work for ducks, the only option I had left was to get a couple of under bed totes. I tried cutting holes into the lid of this one but it cracked all the way up, so I had to improvise to keep them from swimming in it. This one is a 66 quart tote, but not liquid quarts, it holds about 12 gallons. There was only one 12 gallon tote at the store, so I got that one, and a couple of smaller ones:
The lids to these two are made out of a softer plastic, so they were much easier to cut with the carpenter knife and they didn't crack. This one is a 41 quart tote, it holds about 7 gallons:
This one is a 28 quart tote, it holds about 5 gallons:
That would last the ducks and chickens 15 days. We're only going to be gone about a week, but I made sure there was extra just in case there's an emergency. That way we're not worried about rushing home.
The feeder took me 1 minute to make, and would last them much longer than the water; it can hold 150 pounds of feed. This feeder is also good to use if you have a very large flock. I made it out of a 30 gallon storage container, the biggest one I've seen is a 50 gallon, and those are HUGE! All I did was cut a small square hole at the bottom of the container, then slid a tray that go's in a puppy kennel under the container so that a couple inches of it shows (I think you can buy them separately at your pet store.) I also put a piece of a 2 x 4 under the back of it to tilt it a little. It is super easy to make and it works wonderfully! It is very sensitive; just touch it a little bit and food comes out:
This is what the duck/chicken set up looks like:
The rabbit cage has wire floor with trays to catch droppings, so they'll stay clean. For the rabbits, I got a 10 pound chicken feeder, chopped the prongs off with a small hand ax, and hung it in their cage for a feeder:
I made a few tweaks with their cage so I could fit a 5 gallon clear tote in there with no lid that would last for weeks. No, they do not get in it, rabbits hate water lol:
If you want something fancier, check this out, I didn't have time to make it: https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=AjWrbkpykNQ
The dogs are outside on cords; they have a small swimming pool for water that they can both reach, and they each have their own storage container with big bricks around them so they don't get knocked filled with dog food. I put the food under the roof of the duck/chicken shed to keep it from getting wet (a couple feet of roof hangs off the edge.) The dogs guard the shed from predators. Their dog houses are filled with hay to keep them warm.
The cats have a big container of cat food on the porch. Last year I made a tree fort for the cat food so raccoons don't get it, but I had no time. I haven't seen any raccoons lately, so hopefully they won't find it. The cats know how to find other things anyways, so they'll be fine.
My cockatiels are indoor; I gave then a 1 quart chicken waterer and feeder.
Since that didn't work for ducks, the only option I had left was to get a couple of under bed totes. I tried cutting holes into the lid of this one but it cracked all the way up, so I had to improvise to keep them from swimming in it. This one is a 66 quart tote, but not liquid quarts, it holds about 12 gallons. There was only one 12 gallon tote at the store, so I got that one, and a couple of smaller ones:
The lids to these two are made out of a softer plastic, so they were much easier to cut with the carpenter knife and they didn't crack. This one is a 41 quart tote, it holds about 7 gallons:
This one is a 28 quart tote, it holds about 5 gallons:
That would last the ducks and chickens 15 days. We're only going to be gone about a week, but I made sure there was extra just in case there's an emergency. That way we're not worried about rushing home.
The feeder took me 1 minute to make, and would last them much longer than the water; it can hold 150 pounds of feed. This feeder is also good to use if you have a very large flock. I made it out of a 30 gallon storage container, the biggest one I've seen is a 50 gallon, and those are HUGE! All I did was cut a small square hole at the bottom of the container, then slid a tray that go's in a puppy kennel under the container so that a couple inches of it shows (I think you can buy them separately at your pet store.) I also put a piece of a 2 x 4 under the back of it to tilt it a little. It is super easy to make and it works wonderfully! It is very sensitive; just touch it a little bit and food comes out:
This is what the duck/chicken set up looks like:
The rabbit cage has wire floor with trays to catch droppings, so they'll stay clean. For the rabbits, I got a 10 pound chicken feeder, chopped the prongs off with a small hand ax, and hung it in their cage for a feeder:
I made a few tweaks with their cage so I could fit a 5 gallon clear tote in there with no lid that would last for weeks. No, they do not get in it, rabbits hate water lol:
If you want something fancier, check this out, I didn't have time to make it: https://m.youtube.com/?#/watch?v=AjWrbkpykNQ
The dogs are outside on cords; they have a small swimming pool for water that they can both reach, and they each have their own storage container with big bricks around them so they don't get knocked filled with dog food. I put the food under the roof of the duck/chicken shed to keep it from getting wet (a couple feet of roof hangs off the edge.) The dogs guard the shed from predators. Their dog houses are filled with hay to keep them warm.
The cats have a big container of cat food on the porch. Last year I made a tree fort for the cat food so raccoons don't get it, but I had no time. I haven't seen any raccoons lately, so hopefully they won't find it. The cats know how to find other things anyways, so they'll be fine.
My cockatiels are indoor; I gave then a 1 quart chicken waterer and feeder.
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