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For dry feed, it is very convenient to use the hopper model of the feeder. The structure consists of a grain tank installed above the pan. As the bird eats, the feed is automatically poured into the tray under its own weight from the hopper. Such feeders are beneficial when feeding broilers for meat. The size of the hopper can be calculated so that the filled up feed will be enough for a day. To make your own bunker chicken feeder you will need to build a pattern from several elements. In extreme cases, any container can be adapted to the hopper.
Why is it better to have a bunker feeder on a farm?
When a poultry farmer first starts chickens, he usually puts them in a bowl or simply sprinkles them on the floor. The first option is not very convenient in terms of contamination. Dung, bedding material and other debris enter the feed. If the bird stands on the edge of the bowl, it will turn over and all the contents will be on the floor. The second feeding option is not suitable when using shallow feed. Instinctively, the chicken is constantly rowing in search of food, so it will eat most of the feed, but if we are talking about whole grains. Scattered compound feed is not always possible to get out of cracks and other hard-to-reach places on the floor. In addition, such food is simply trampled into the mud.
By placing a bunker feeder in the chicken coop, the poultry farmer immediately solves several problems. Firstly, chickens will not be able to get into the feed with their paws, with all their desire. But at the same time, each bird is given free access to food. Secondly, the design is easy to maintain. This is especially felt when they put feeders for broilers, because this meat breed of chickens constantly eats. The bunker can be filled up once a day, and you will have to add food to a regular bowl every hour.
Requirements for the parameters of the feeder
First, it should be noted that any feeder that has a large capacity for a stock of feed is considered a bunker. Now let's see what the design requirements are:
- The chicken should have free access to feed and it should be easy to obtain. At the same time, the bunker structure simultaneously serves as a barrier for the bird so that it does not row in food. The sides play an important role on the tray. Their height should not allow food to spill out onto the floor.
- The design of the bunker feeder is thought out to the smallest detail to make the product easier to use. They think over everything: material, fasteners, an opening lid and even a pedal with a feed dispenser. Feeders are usually made of plywood or plastic. A lightweight product can even be attached to a cage; if dirty, it can be quickly removed and washed.
- A very important requirement is imposed on the size of the feeder. If the capacity of the bunker is insufficient to provide feed for all livestock, then the maintenance of such a feeder is no different from a bowl. Broilers will constantly have to add compound feed. It is important to calculate the length correctly. The norm for 10 cm of the food tray is 1 adult chicken. The chicken needs 5 cm of space. This does not mean that a two-meter structure will have to be made for 20 broilers. Two or four smaller feeders can be built.
There should be enough space for all the chickens near the food tray.Otherwise, weak birds will be repelled, and they will greatly lag behind in growth.
The video tells about the feeder:
Homemade plastic container feeder
We will begin to consider the manufacture of bunker models of broiler feeders with our own hands with the simplest design. You need to dig around in the barn and find any plastic container and tray. This can be a bucket with a lid, a thick sewer pipe, or similar things.
An example of how to make a bunker-type feeder, we will consider on a bucket from water-based paint:
- So, we have a 10 liter bucket with a lid. This will be the bunker. For the tray, you need to pick up any bowl larger than the diameter of the bucket. It is better if it is also plastic.
- Windows are cut out with a sharp knife in a circle near the bottom of the bucket. Don't make big holes. There will be enough holes with a diameter of 30–40 mm.
- The bucket is placed in a bowl, a through hole is drilled in the center of the bottom, after which the two elements are pulled together with a bolt. Although this action is not necessary, as the hopper under the weight of the feed will firmly press against the tray.
Now all that remains is to install the feeder in the chicken coop, fill in a full bucket of feed and cover it with a lid.
Drawings, photos and the procedure for making a bunker feeder made of wood
A reliable and complete chicken feeder can be made of wood. Only a board for this job is not the best choice. Sheet material is perfect: plywood, OSB or chipboard. We will connect the cut elements with slats and self-tapping screws.
First you need to draw up a drawing of a bunker feeder for chickens with your own hands, according to which sheet material will be cut. The photo shows a diagram. You can leave these sizes or calculate your own, adjusting the dimensions of the structure to the number of chickens.
The diagram shows that the structure consists of two identical side parts, a front and a rear wall, that form a bunker. The lid is hinged on top. The bottom of the side parts and the back wall form a tray. It remains only to cut out the front element - the side, as well as the bottom. As a result, you should get a bunker structure, such as shown in the photo.
If desired, the drawing can be modified. The side parts are cut into a V-shape, and the tray is expanded on two sides of the hopper, and made as a separate box. The result is a double-sided bunker feeder.
The principle of manufacturing the bunker structure is simple:
- all the details of the pattern are drawn on the selected sheet material;
- the drawn fragments are cut out with a jigsaw;
- the edges of the workpieces are ground with fine-grained emery paper;
- use a thin drill to make through holes for bolts or small indentations for self-tapping screws;
- installing rails for reinforcement on the connecting joints, assemble the entire structure, tightening with bolts or self-tapping screws;
- the hopper cover is hinged so that it can be opened.
Feed is poured inside the finished hopper, and the feeder can be placed for the chickens in the barn.
Feeder improvement by pedal with dispenser
The hopper type feeder, improved by the dispenser, was invented by a farmer in Australia. The design is intended for feeding a small number of chickens. If necessary, it is better to make them larger, but not to increase the size in any way. Otherwise, the dispenser mechanism will not be able to work.
The principle of operation of the structure is simple. A wide pedal is installed in front of the plywood tray. It is connected with the lid of the tray by means of wooden slats. When the chicken steps on the pedal, it goes down. At this time, the rods raise the lid of the tray where the feed is poured. When the chicken is off the pedal, the lid will re-cover the tray.
A self-made feeder made of wood will last longer if it is impregnated with a protective antiseptic.It is undesirable to use varnishes and paints, as they can harm the health of chickens.
