Automatic feeder, waterer, and nifty way to drain your duck pool!

[RedfogsFlock]

Ok we'll start with our automatic waterer! It can supply water to up to 65 birds with no problems.

This is the inside of the waterer. We took a 5 gallon bucket, cut 3 inch holes all the way around about 2 inches from the bottom. Then we put an automatic float in it, and hooked it up to a faucet outside with a washer hose.

This is the outside of the waterer, and as you can see there is no huge muddy mess!

Now our automatic feeder

Again a 5 gallon bucket, and I went to Goodwill and bought an old plastic drink tray with about a 2 inch lip on it. I melted a hole in the center of the pan, and in the center of the bucket. I then screwed the pan to the bottom. Then we took a hot knife and made 1 inch high by 2 inch wide holes all around the bottom. Put a screen on the top to keep little birds out and whalla!

Okay so we have ducks too, and we know how much of a pain it is to empty their pools!

Went to Home depot bought a small piece of pvc, and a cap to go on it. Went home cut an small X in the side of the pool. Shoved the pvc piece through it, and used caulking inside and out. Now when it's time to clean the pool we just unscrew the cap and it empties itself!

ENJOY! And please feel free to post pics of your automatic waters, feeders, and such!

 

[mrszlopez]

what great ideas !!! my favorite is the duck pool.

 

[fifenashia]

LOVE the duck pool! I may have to get hubby to go to Lowes this afternoon for me!!!

I have been struggling with trying to come up with a good automatic waterer. We bought one at TSC but it wasn't working very well, the water continued to spill everywhere! I may have him look at your pics now and see if he can do something similar for me. OR I may just have to do it myself.... I'm so not handy at this stuff!

 

[galanie]

I love the waterer but I'm holding off building one. Reason? I can't get my toilet to stop running/leaking and it's basically the same thing so I'm betting I'm just as retarded with fixing an automatic waterer.

 

[RedfogsFlock]

Quote:
lol

 

[NoLongerNurse]

Ok we'll start with our automatic waterer! It can supply water to up to 65 birds with no problems.

This is the inside of the waterer. We took a 5 gallon bucket, cut 3 inch holes all the way around about 2 inches from the bottom. Then we put an automatic float in it, and hooked it up to a faucet outside with a washer hose.

This is the outside of the waterer, and as you can see there is no huge muddy mess!

Now our automatic feeder

Again a 5 gallon bucket, and I went to Goodwill and bought an old plastic drink tray with about a 2 inch lip on it. I melted a hole in the center of the pan, and in the center of the bucket. I then screwed the pan to the bottom. Then we took a hot knife and made 1 inch high by 2 inch wide holes all around the bottom. Put a screen on the top to keep little birds out and whalla!

Okay so we have ducks too, and we know how much of a pain it is to empty their pools!

Went to Home depot bought a small piece of pvc, and a cap to go on it. Went home cut an small X in the side of the pool. Shoved the pvc piece through it, and used caulking inside and out. Now when it's time to clean the pool we just unscrew the cap and it empties itself!

ENJOY! And please feel free to post pics of your automatic waters, feeders, and such!

 

[NoLongerNurse]

What is the drink thing you got at Goodwill? Not sure what that is. Thanks.

 

[Lazy Farmer]

I love them all! It is so great to see crafty people still exist. We reuse allot of things instead of filling up our local landfill.
Not only saving tons of hard earned cash, but a tremendous since of accomplishment. Not to mention pride. Old days farmers didn't have credit cards and Tractor supplys around every corner. Awesome job guys!!
I hope your post inspires others to use their imagination and be creative.

 

[PD-Riverman]

Now our automatic feeder

Again a 5 gallon bucket, and I went to Goodwill and bought an old plastic drink tray with about a 2 inch lip on it. I melted a hole in the center of the pan, and in the center of the bucket. I then screwed the pan to the bottom. Then we took a hot knife and made 1 inch high by 2 inch wide holes all around the bottom. Put a screen on the top to keep little birds out and whalla!

With this feeder, get a cheap wide plastic funnel from say Tractor Supply or similiar about the width of the bucket or trim to that---attach it inside in the bottom of the bucket with point up. Now put a cap over the point so no feed will get in it. I use a drill with a step bit to drill holes all the way around the side/bottom of the bucket like the ones you cut. Using the funnel makes all the feed go to the edges and no old food stays in the middle of the bottom nor do I have to tilt the bucket to get the feed in the middle to the sides. Works great.

This is the one I use---I cut the side off the funnel to where the tapered part starts and use a 1/2" pvc cap in the point.
http://www.agrisupply.com/plastic-funnel-10-in/p/67950/

 

[Lazy Farmer]

With this feeder, get a cheap wide plastic funnel from say Tractor Supply or similiar about the width of the bucket or trim to that---attach it inside in the bottom of the bucket with point up. Now put a cap over the point so no feed will get in it. I use a drill with a step bit to drill holes all the way around the side/bottom of the bucket like the ones you cut. Using the funnel makes all the feed go to the edges and no old food stays in the middle of the bottom nor do I have to tilt the bucket to get the feed in the middle to the sides. Works great.




This is the one I use---I cut the side off the funnel to where the tapered part starts and use a 1/2" pvc cap in the point.
http://www.agrisupply.com/plastic-funnel-10-in/p/67950/

That's kinda what we did while ago. A neighbor gave us a self filling water pan last year when he moved away. We bent the tabs which mounted it to the blue pan upwards and inserted it into a a 5 gallon bucket with holes we drilled out with a hole saw. The original design of the pan self waterer allowed them to poop in it. Now in the bucket with a lid keeps us from cleaning it out twice a day. We were like "what is the since of having a self waterer if we still have to dump and fill it everyday"? Just a little improvement on an existing design.
Every once in a while we add a couple ounces of electrolytes easily by popping off the lid.
A word of advice. Don't turn the hose all the up, unnecessary. We did the first time and the garden hose bursted while we were away and turned of coop into lake front property.
Happy Farming mate!