best feeder

[gtaus]

@Carson213 , I am having a hard time following this thread. Where did you mention anything about zero bedding and coop fallacies? The topic of this thread is about "Best Feeder", but now you seem to be talking about some other thread and topic issues raised elsewhere.

i don’t know...hog feeder is easy for $150

Well, yes, buying a hog feeder is easy. I was only trying to point out that you cannot simply put some PVC elbows on a 50 gallon barrel and use it as a feeder because the feed in the middle of the barrel will never get eaten. The barrel is just too wide for that. You would need a cone in the barrel to force the feed to the outer walls. If not, the feed in the middle would sit there forever and eventually turn bad.

If your goal is to minimize your labor time in taking care of a large flock, then I think your idea of a large hopper into the 200 lb. hog feeder is an interesting idea.

Along that thinking, if you used a 50 gallon barrel with nipples to water the chickens, you could simply put in an automatic float that hooks up to a garden hose and never have to touch the watering system until you need to clean it out. Unless you have some really good filtration system for your rain water, the hose water would be much cleaner and therefore you would expect to have a longer time between cleanings.

I understand that some people on town water supply have to pay for water, so collecting rain water is a great option. I live out in the country, and have my own well, so I don't have to pay a water bill per se. My biggest issue with water is that I have to heat it for about 6 months out of the year or it will freeze.

 

[Carson213]

i is

@Carson213 , I am having a hard time following this thread. Where did you mention anything about zero bedding and coop fallacies? The topic of this thread is about "Best Feeder", but now you seem to be talking about some other thread and topic issues raised elsewhere.



Well, yes, buying a hog feeder is easy. I was only trying to point out that you cannot simply put some PVC elbows on a 50 gallon barrel and use it as a feeder because the feed in the middle of the barrel will never get eaten. The barrel is just too wide for that. You would need a cone in the barrel to force the feed to the outer walls. If not, the feed in the middle would sit there forever and eventually turn bad.

If your goal is to minimize your labor time in taking care of a large flock, then I think your idea of a large hopper into the 200 lb. hog feeder is an interesting idea.

Along that thinking, if you used a 50 gallon barrel with nipples to water the chickens, you could simply put in an automatic float that hooks up to a garden hose and never have to touch the watering system until you need to clean it out. Unless you have some really good filtration system for your rain water, the hose water would be much cleaner and therefore you would expect to have a longer time between cleanings.

I understand that some people on town water supply have to pay for water, so collecting rain water is a great option. I live out in the country, and have my own well, so I don't have to pay a water bill per se. My biggest issue with water is that I have to heat it for about 6 months out of the year or it will freeze.

i use a float from the rain gutters

 

[Carson213]

i is

i use a float from the rain gutters

so, yes...water feeds to a float...to fill the 50 gallon barrel

 

[Carson213]

the b

so, yes...water feeds to a float...to fill the 50 gallon barrel

the best hack is hog feeders. all of mine hold 200 lb of feed. chicken feeders are pointless

 

[Dephora]

I assume you close the doors at night to limit issues with mice and rats?

 

[Finnie]

like this but i don’t put the lower doors on it. i have outside barn cats so mice and rats have yet to ever be a problem

I know this is an old thread, but I am researching ways to feed a lot of chickens in bulk, with less waste. The title caught my attention because it’s the first I’ve seen recommending hog feeders. But, I don’t see how this feeder pictured would stop the hens from billing out a lot of feed onto the floor.

Other than the hog flaps, it looks like every other type of silo feeder. I don’t know if OP is still around to comment. Does anybody else have an opinion?

@gtaus ?

 

[gtaus]

Other than the hog flaps, it looks like every other type of silo feeder. I don’t know if OP is still around to comment. Does anybody else have an opinion?

@gtaus ?

Well, I think I said all I could say on this topic. My half-full 5-gallon PVC feeder had enough feed in it for about 10 days for 10 chickens. If I filled it full to the top of the 5-gallon capacity, it would last 20 days for 10 chickens. I like the hanging 5-gallon bucket PVC feeders because, in my experience, they reduce food waste.

I keep both my hanging feeder and waterer inside the chicken coop. I don't have any problems with varmints getting into the feed. At least, I have never seen any mice getting into the hanging feeder. Maybe they eat some feed if it drops on the floor.

I have had silo type feeders, outside, and everything gets into them. They did not work for me. Maybe they would work better inside the locked coop, but I still think the hanging feeder has proven to be the best option for me.

I don't know how many chickens you plan on having, but at least now you have an idea of my setup for 10 chickens.

I live in northern Minnesota, and my setup is anything but automated. It is currently -12F outside. I have to check the eggs about every 2 hours and still I find frozen and cracked eggs at these temps. No way could I just fill up my feeder and waterer and leave for a week. A roll away egg nest box is not going to prevent the eggs from freezing and cracking. So, I don't give a lot of thought to any feeder that would last for weeks on end.

Good luck on your search for the feeder you need. Best wishes.

 

[Finnie]

Thank you!