An automatic feeder is a device that delivers the right portion of food strictly at a set time or as it is consumed. Thanks to this, chickens regularly receive portions of food, do not remain hungry and, therefore, continue to carry an abundant number of eggs. In addition, the breeder no longer has to monitor the fullness of the feeder every hour, which greatly facilitates the maintenance of the household.
Principle of operation
There are a large number of designs of feeders, but they all have a similar principle of operation:
- The poultry farmer pours the required amount of feed into the loading vessel. It is airtight and tightly closes after filling.
- The food automatically and portioned enters the compartment from which the chickens can eat it.
Thus, the poultryman only needs to fill the common vessel with food as it is emptied. Such a feeder can be purchased at any hardware store or made with your own hands.
Features of the device bunker feeders
The most convenient for feeding a large number of chickens are bunker (vacuum) structures, which consist of two parts:
- a closed vessel for food (hopper);
- compartments for feeding.
The hole through which the feed enters the compartments is made small so that the birds do not manage to get grain through it. So, in the morning the breeder needs to pour the feed into a common tank in order to organize proper feeding by the birds for a whole day or even a week.
Before assembling such a design with your own hands, you should first provide a method for attaching it. The fact is that it must be firmly fixed so that the chickens cannot knock it over and scatter the feed around the chicken coop. In addition, it is necessary to provide for the possibility of its removal, since the brooder must be regularly cleaned of the remnants of the old feed and disinfected.
How does an auto-feeder work with a timer?
A similar device is also called stand-alone. It is great for feeding poultry on a personal plot and on farms. Obviously, such a feeder is equipped with a timer, so the breeder can program the feed - the frequency of feeding (usually up to 8 times) and breaks between them.
An autonomous feeding trough consists of two blocks:
- the first - with a feed distribution system (feed distributor);
- the second - with a control system and a power source.
An electronic timer is equipped with the second unit, which is external and can be remote. In this case, it can be installed in any convenient place for controlling the feeder.
All models of feeders with a timer have a backup battery, a container for storing dry food and an auger through which the pellets directly enter the tray. It is removable, so it can be easily removed and cleaned. The compartment itself is reliably protected thanks to a tightly closed lid.
Pros and cons
The automatic feed feeder offers the following benefits:
- Automation of the feeding process. The feed comes from the loading vessel in the trough automatically, so the owner no longer needs to visit the chicken coop every 2-3 hours. The main task of the breeder is only to correctly calculate the amount of feed required for the entire livestock, and maintain its level.
- Feed saving. It enters the chicken compartment dosed, which can significantly reduce its consumption. In other words, the feed enters the compartment in the volume that was consumed by the birds.
- Feed storage. A large supply of feed can be stored in the loading vessel. In addition, it is firmly closed, so the birds do not have the opportunity to access the general supply of food and to disperse it throughout the chicken coop. This is especially true in the case of breeding of violent birds, which include, for example, Andalusian breeds of chickens.
Given the obvious advantages of an automatic feeder, it is also worth paying attention to such a drawback as a limited choice of feed type. The fact is that such a device is intended only for feeding with grain, granules or dry compound feed with flowability. It is not suitable for filling with mash or grated vegetables.
Grain or dry compound feed will not be enough for a full diet of chickens, so in the chicken coop you will also need to put feeders under mixers, grated vegetables, etc.
It should be noted that the main disadvantage of an autonomous feeding trough is its high cost. At the same time, its advantage is obvious - the installed timer allows you to automate the feeding process as much as possible, so the breeder only needs to set the time correctly and fill the hopper with feed when it is empty.
Factory-made car feeders
In hardware stores are various modifications of automatic feeders, which are made of plastic or sheet metal with powder coating. They are conditionally classified into two large groups:
- Cheap models. Often are feed tanks with trays and hopper. When they are purchased, the breeder receives a ready-to-operate structure that needs only to be installed and filled with feed. If the model is very cheap and sold without a hopper, the farmer also needs to find a tank that can be used as a reservoir for filling with feed. As a rule, a sold tray without a hopper is equipped with a special mount designed for a glass jar or a plastic bottle.
On sale there are various trays with mounts, which are designed to wind cans or bottles. They are designed for young animals, but if the barn contains 5-10 adult hens, you should choose a model with a bunker or make a feeder with your own hands.
- Dear models. Often, these are feeders with a timer and a special mechanism that scatters the feed. Their cost on average starts at 6,000 rubles. Some feeders require additional installation of a 20-liter barrel, from the bottom of which a steel pipe structure is installed on the racks. They are powered by ordinary batteries or rechargeable batteries. There are also automatic feeders, which provide power not only from batteries at 6 and 12 V, but also through a specially designed transformer from a 220V network.
In the case of keeping a large number of chickens, it is worth buying a relatively expensive car feeder. With a small number of birds, you can use cheaper or homemade products.
Primitive plastic feeders
The primitive type automatic feeder can be easily made with your own hands according to the instructions below.
Read another our article on how to make a chicken feeder yourself. The article describes the options for manufacturing various types of feeders.
From a plastic bucket
This design should be done if it is not planned to install it on the street, because in this case moisture will get into the feed, which will affect its quality characteristics. So, this is a good option for organizing the feeding of birds in the chicken coop.
For the manufacture of a vacuum feeder, such materials and tools will be required:
- a plastic bucket with a tight lid and a volume of 5-10 liters;
- a tray with dividers, a basin, a tray or another flat container, the diameter of which is 20-30 cm larger than the diameter of the bucket;
- a plastic cutter or other suitable tool;
- screws and nuts.
To collect the feeder, you will need to perform the following steps:
- At the bottom of the bucket, make several semicircular holes with a radius of 4-5 cm. Their exact number and radius should be determined by the optimal amount of incoming feed. When using a tray with dividers, the number of holes should correspond to the number of these dividers.
- Screw the tray to the bucket with screws.
- Pour feed into the feeder and close the lid. To prevent the chickens from injuring themselves during feeding, the holes should be treated as necessary to remove any burrs that might have formed during cutting.
Experienced craftsmen advise to install something conical inside the bucket, for example, the upper part of a plastic bottle. Thus, the feed will not remain at the bottom, pouring along its walls to the edges of the tray, which will make it easier for birds to access it.
From plastic bottles
Such a feeder has the same drawback as the previous one - it does not imply protection from the weather. In this regard, it can also be used only indoors.
To make such a product, you will need:
- plastic bottles - 2 pcs.;
- a flat bowl or basin, the diameter of which is slightly larger than the diameter of the bottom of the bottle;
- a sharp knife or other plastic cutting tool.
Assembly instructions for a simple design are as follows:
- Cut the first bottle into two parts. In the future, only the part with the bottom will be used, so the upper half with the cone can be postponed.
- Cut holes in a circle around the bottle so that hens can freely stick their heads into them during feeding. The edges of the hole must be processed, otherwise the bird will be injured.
- Cut the bottom from the second bottle, and then place it in the first neck down and connect it in a convenient way, for example, with self-tapping screws.
- Pour food into the upper bottle and close its bottom tightly with a wide bowl or basin. Such a “cover” should not be easily removed, otherwise the birds will get to the feed.
From plastic bottles (for chickens)
Young growth is kept separately from adult individuals, so it is worthwhile to make separate small feeders for it, otherwise the chicks will not be able to reach food. This will require:
- 2 plastic bottles with a volume of 1.5 and 3 liters (they need to be selected so that the top and neck of one bottle fit freely in the middle of the other);
- feed tray (lid, plastic bowl or other dishes with low walls);
- a tool for cutting plastic (for example, a stationery knife).
You can collect the feeder in this way:
- From the smaller bottle, cut off the upper cone, which will be used in the future.
- Cut off the upper cone and the bottom from a large bottle, and then make small holes about 2 cm in diameter in the lower part of the bottle. Attach a feed tray to the bottle in the upper part.
- Close the upper cone of the small bottle and place it inside the larger vessel with its neck up to prevent the accumulation of feed at the bottom of the feeder.
Instead of a large bottle, you can use a small plastic bucket or CD container.
Automatic PVC pipe feeder
This design is popular among breeders, because it can contain up to 10 kg of feed and at the same time is fixed on the walls of the chicken coop, so there is no risk of it tipping over and spoiling the feed. Difficulties in cleaning can be noted as a drawback, since such a feeder cannot simply be removed and washed under running water. In any case, it can be easily assembled using step-by-step instructions.
With tee
To make it, you will need:
- 3 PVC pipes with a diameter of 110 m and a length of 70 cm, 20 cm and 10 cm;
- 2 stubs;
- tee angle of 45 °;
- brackets for ventilation pipes or other material for attaching the feeder to the wall.
Assembly is carried out in the following sequence:
- Attach a plug to one end of the 20 cm pipe to get the bottom of the feeder, and to the other a tee (its side elbow should face upwards towards the bottom).
- Attach a piece of 10 cm pipe to the side elbow of the tee. At the same time, its edges must be processed so that the birds do not injure themselves while feeding.
- Attach a 70 cm pipe to the third hole of the tee. Feed will need to be poured into it, after which it will be necessary to close it with a second plug.
- Attach the resulting feeder to the wall using the bracket.
The disadvantage of such a feeder is that the remaining food at the bottom will need to be raked out by hand.
Another option for assembling a feeder with a tee, see the video below:
With a knee
Considered a more suitable option. To make it, you will need:
- PVC pipe with a diameter of 110 mm and a length of 1.5 m;
- 2 knees - at 45˚ and 90˚;
- stub;
- brackets for mounting.
To assemble the feeder, you need to connect the pipe, elbows at 45˚ and 90˚. The specified sequence must not be violated. In this case, make sure that at the edges of the knee there are no burrs and sharp protrusions that are dangerous for birds. The assembled structure must be fixed to the wall, and then fill the feed inside the pipe and cover it with a plug.
Varieties of wooden automatic feeders
Such products are considered more reliable, because, unlike plastic feeders, they do not dry out over time, do not crack and practically do not deteriorate from accidental mechanical influences. The difficulty lies in the fact that their production will take more time and effort. If such difficulties are not frightening, you can use the instructions for assembling automatic feeders from sheet material such as chipboard or multilayer plywood.
Without pedal
The standard feeder has a length of 29 cm and is designed for 2-3 individuals, since 20-15 cm of the feed tray should come to each. In the case of a larger herd, you can make several of these structures or calculate your own dimensions.
The scheme of a classic automatic feeder looks like this:
To assemble such a “box”, you need to get:
- thick plywood or wooden boards;
- drill, drill;
- a screwdriver, screws;
- loops;
- emery paper;
- a saw;
- pencil or marker;
- tape measure or ruler.
Before proceeding directly to the assembly, you need to prepare sketches according to which the details of the future auto feeder will be cut:
- for sidewalls - 2 figures with a height of 40 cm, an upper edge of 26 cm and a lower 29 cm (2 triangles must also be cut on the walls);
- for the front part - 2 rectangles 28x29 cm and 7x29 cm;
- for the lid - a rectangle 26x29 cm;
- for the bottom - a rectangle of 29x17 cm;
- for the back wall - a rectangle 41x29 cm.
Having prepared all the drawings, you can proceed to the following work:
- Transfer all drawings to sheet material, and then cut out all the details along the lines.
- In places of fastening, make holes using an electric drill.
- Sand the cut parts with sandpaper to remove burrs and smooth their surface.
- Assemble the feeder according to the above scheme, taking into account the fact that the front and rear walls must be positioned relative to the horizontal at an angle of 15 °. Thanks to this, the feed will not stagnate in the far corner of the box. For greater density, you can use a clamp.
- Screw the cover to the rear of the sidewalls using two hinges.
- Handle the assembled box with an antiseptic, but you should not use varnish and paint, since all this will adversely affect the quality of food and the health of birds.
With pedal
This type of automatic feeder is also a hopper with a tray, however it is also equipped with a pedal. Chickens are pressed on it, after which the lid of the tray rises through the rods and access to the feed is opened. When a bird satisfies hunger, it moves away from the pedal, so it rises, and with it the lid of the tray closes.
For the manufacture of such a feeder, you can use the previous scheme, and you should not increase the size, because the mechanism works without failures if the lid of the tray is not heavier than the chicken that went onto the pedal. This diagram needs to be supplemented with two rectangles for the tray cover and pedal. Traction need to be made of six bars:
- 2 longest workpieces - for fixing the pedal;
- 2 bars of medium length - for fixing the lid of the tray;
- 2 short workpieces - for connecting the lifting mechanism to each other.
Having collected the hopper feeder using the above method, it remains to install the pedal mechanism. To do this, follow these steps:
- Attach two bars of medium length to the lid of the feed tray with self-tapping screws, and make 2 holes at their opposite end to fix the mechanism with bolts. The diameter of one of them should be slightly larger than the diameter of the bolt, and it should be located closer to the end of the bar. The same holes must be made on the side walls of the box, and then screw in the screws so that the bars move freely along their axes and raise the lid.
- In the same way attach the longest bars to the pedals. Drill holes for about 1/5 of the length of the bar to connect them to the walls of the brooder.
- Connect the whole mechanism with short bars, at the edges of which you need to drill holes. On already fixed strips, there are 2 free holes on each side (one on the upper and lower bar). They need to be fastened with short bars, but taking into account the fact that the connection must be rigid and strong, otherwise the cover will not rise when you press the pedal. If necessary, the pressure of the bolts will have to be adjusted.
- Finish the finished construction with an antiseptic and use as intended.
An automatic feeder with a pedal can be placed on the street, however, it should first be treated with a waterproof solution that is harmless to chickens.
Automatic feeders can significantly reduce feed consumption and facilitate the process of feeding birds. They can be purchased at the store by choosing a simple design or a more modified model with a stand-alone unit and a timer. In addition, there are various options for home-made feeders that even an inexperienced craftsman can make to significantly reduce their costs for arranging a chicken coop.