Lately
the ladies have been making quite a mess with the feed. They have been kicking over their feeder and
getting lay pellets everywhere. Time to
upgrade to a “big girl” feeder!
I
started shopping around for a feeder. I
had already seen how much one was at Zamzows and D&B Supply so I searched
online for ones through Google, Amazon and eBay. Expensive!
Plus you have to pay shipping from most sources.
Surely
I can make one, right? I started
researching this idea and marveled at all the amazing and ingenious
contraptions people have come up with. I
found several I liked but by the time one acquires the materials to make one
you are back in the same boat – expensive!
I
came up with my own design involving a one gallon milk jug, a marker and a pair
of scissors. I cut out a hole in the
side of the jug and voila. Mission
accomplished!
The
key to this project is the hole. It has
to be high enough at the bottom that it holds feed, but not too high and so
they can’t get their feet inside and tip it or get feed all over. It has to be tall enough that they can get
their head inside and not get stuck and wide enough that all three can feed at
the same time.
I
traced it out with a marker and cut it out with scissors. Then I washed it out and let it dry
thoroughly overnight. The next morning I
put four cups of lay pellets inside and then out to the coop for the final
test. Would the ladies like it?
It
was pretty funny because initially they looked at me like “What the heck is this?” It didn’t take too long before one of them
decided she was brave enough to try it and then the rest of them were suddenly
interested. Success!
What
I really love about this feeder is that I made it by recycling a plastic milk
jug. It is easy to carry because of the
handle and easy to fill. It is also easy
to wash and keep clean. When it wears
out I can put it in the recycle bin and make another one. It was FREE!
I
decided to also make them one for water too.
Oh, and a little dish to screw to the side of the coop for holding
oyster shells. I made that one by washing
out a cat food can. It doesn’t get much
easier than that.
This works great! We found your blog post yesterday and tried it last night. No more tipped over feeders! Yay!
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing!
http://mskatiesartstudio.blogspot.com
I made something similar with a megasize peanut bottle. Hope the chicks catch on. They were pooing in the feeding plate i gave them and making a royal mess!
ReplyDeleteThey don't have the best manners at times. Ha!
DeleteGreat Idea
ReplyDeleteI works really well :)
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