If you are into chicken raising, you know how important it is to have a sustainable and efficient feeding system for your birds. A well-designed feeding system ensures that your chickens get the right amount of food and nutrients they need to thrive. However, feeding chickens can also be a messy affair, and that’s where a gravity-fed chicken trough comes in handy.
In this article, we will discuss how to design and convert a trash can into a gravity-fed chicken trough, the materials you need, and the positive and negative impacts it has on chicken feeding. With this specific build it cost less than $100. A flat bottom trash can, Toilet flange, Sewer pipe and 22 / 45 / 90 fittings. And some pallets that I have modified
Steps to Design and Convert a Trash Can into a Gravity-Fed Chicken TroughStep. Before building, decide on a good location that will keep the rain out, easy to fill, easily accessible to you and the chickens, and keep other critters out; Raccoons, possums, and mice.
1: Drill a hole in the trash can’s bottom using a 4 inch hole saw. If the hole is to small you can use shears to make it bigger for the flange to fit in. If you don’t have a holesaw you can use shears, or a jigsaw.
Step 2: Attach the toilet flange to the trash can’s bottom using screws or bolts. It is important to seal the flange all the way around the trash can so no seeds will fall out.
Step 3: With your sewer pipe and fittings prebuild your feed shoot and fit it into the toilet flange. In this particular build I did not use a pvc glue, I screwed the fittings together as this application is not used to move liquids. Also if I not like this build I can tear it apart, file the holes down and reuse for another application.
Step 4: Design a platform to rest this feed hopper on. I took and old pallet, tore it apart and rebuilt it. I built the platform so the trash can low enough I can fill it, and high enough the feed will slide down the pipe.
Step 5: Take your pallets and Place the trash can on top of the pallets, ensuring that the sewer pipe fittings are aligned with the holes in the end caps.
Over the years I’ve built my share of feeders for chickens. All having their own positives and negatives. Between undersized/constantly filling, Cost/to many fittings, small/mobile, accessible/mice. The solution is Finding the right balance for your situation.
Positive Impacts of a Gravity-Fed Chicken Trough – Cost-effective: You only need a few materials that are readily available to make this feeding system. – Easy to refill: The system can hold a considerable amount of feed at once, reducing the frequency of refilling. – Reduced feed waste: The gravity-feed trough reduces feed waste caused by chickens pecking and spreading feed everywhere. – Cleanliness: The trough keeps the chicken feeding area clean as all the chicken feed is contained.
Negative Impacts of a Gravity-Fed Chicken Trough- Pests: If the feed is left out for long, it can attract pests like mice or rats, which can be hazardous to your birds.- Clogging: The gravity-fed system may be prone to clogging, especially if the feed exposed to moisture or other contaminants
In conclusion, converting a trash can into a gravity-fed chicken trough is a simple and practical way of providing your chickens with an efficient and constant supply of feed. With just a few basic materials and tools, you can save time and effort while keeping your flock happy and healthy. This project is an excellent DIY project for beginners, so why not try it out for yourself today?