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Turkeys are brought up for the sake of delicious, tender, dietary meat and healthy eggs. This type of poultry gains weight quickly enough. To do this, turkeys need good nutrition and the right conditions for eating. Properly selected and installed turkey feeders are the key to good bird growth and feed savings.
Types of feeders
There are various types of turkey feeders:
Made from various materials:
Made of wood
These feeders have good durability, but are difficult to clean and disinfect. Suitable for dry food.
Made of metal
Strong, reliable material, it is well washed and disinfected, but when making a feeder you need to make sure that there are no sharp corners and edges. You can remove them by bending a sheet of metal inward. Suitable for wet feed.
Made of plastic
In the manufacture, only very durable plastic should be used, otherwise heavy turkeys can damage it. Suitable for all types of feed.
From mesh or metal rods
Suitable for fresh herbs - turkeys can safely reach the grass through the net or rods.
Regular (trays with sides)
Sectional
Divided into several parts. Suitable for feeding: gravel, lime, shells can be placed in different compartments.
Bunker (automatic)
They do not require constant monitoring of the amount of food in the tray - food is added automatically as the turkeys eat it. Suitable for dry food.
With automatic lid lifter
The lid rises automatically when the turkey stands on a special platform in front of the feeder. A big plus of this mechanism: when the birds are not eating, the feed is always closed.
Suspended and floor
Outdoor ones are suitable for turkey poults.
General requirements for the equipment of the feeder
The height of the trough should be on average 15 cm. For this, it can be attached to a post or any wall.
To prevent food scattering, it is more convenient to fill regular feeders up to a third.
It is best to install two feeders for turkeys: a solid one for daily feed, and one divided into sections for feeding.
You can make one long turkey feeder, or you can install several in different places in the house, it depends on the size of the room.
Bunker structures can be overturned by turkeys, so for greater stability it is better to additionally strengthen them.
After installing the feeders, you should monitor the livestock for several days: are the structures convenient for them, it may be necessary to change something.
Feeders that are easy to make with your own hands
Due to the fact that making a feeder for turkeys with your own hands is not a big deal, you can avoid unnecessary financial costs when arranging a poultry house.
Feeder made of sanitary plastic pipes
One of the easiest to manufacture. Its advantages are that the feed is not scattered on the floor, as well as ease of cleaning. Designed for 10 birds.
Materials:
- plastic plumbing pipe at least 100 mm in diameter, at least one meter long;
- plugs suitable for pipe sizes - 2 pcs.;
- a tool suitable for cutting plastic;
- Tee suitable for pipe dimensions.
Manufacturing principle:
- The plastic pipe must be cut into 3 parts: one must be 10 centimeters long, the second 20 cm long, the third 70 cm long.
- Leave the longest segment unchanged, and cut round holes on the other two: through them the turkeys will get the food in the pipe.
- Install a plug on one end of the 20 cm pipe, and a tee on the other.
- The shortest length needs to be attached to the tee so that it appears to be an extension of the 20-centimeter.
- Attach the remaining piece of pipe to the last entrance of the tee, at the end of which to put the second plug. You should get a T-shaped structure.
- The structure is attached to any vertical surface with its longest part so that the pipes with holes are 15 cm from the floor. Make sure that the holes face the ceiling.
How it looks, look at the photo
Instead of several round holes, you can cut one long one.
Bunker bottle feeder
Suitable for turkey poults or as its own feeder for each bird.
Materials:
- a plastic water bottle with a volume of 5 liters or more;
- board or plywood for the base of the trough;
- a hacksaw or other tool that allows you to cut plastic;
- hammer or screwdriver;
- rope;
- electrical tape (fixing or plumbing);
- mounting angles;
- fastening materials (screws, nails, etc.);
- plastic pipes (one with a diameter of 30 cm, the second of such a diameter that the neck of the bottle fits into it).
Manufacturing principle:
- Cut a piece from a plastic pipe of the largest diameter - turkeys will peck feed from it. The piece should be of such a height that it is convenient for the turkeys to eat (for babies - lower, for adults - higher).
- Cut a piece from the second pipe, twice as long as the first. This piece needs to be cut lengthwise, starting from one edge and not reaching the middle of about 10 cm. One sawn part is cut off completely. It looks like a scoop for loose cereals.
- Using corners and self-tapping screws, attach a plastic plumbing pipe with a diameter of 30 cm to the base board so that it looks up. The mounting angles must be inside the pipe. You need to attach so that the nails or screws do not stick out, otherwise the turkeys can get hurt about them.
- Remove the bottom of the plastic bottle. Insert the neck of the bottle into the smaller pipe (on the side from which it was not cut). The place of contact of the neck with the pipe should be wrapped with electrical tape.
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Attach the opposite (cut) part of the pipe from the inside to the wide pipe so that the end rests against the base board.
How to make a feeder, look at the video:
- The construction is ready. Now it needs to be installed in the house. To give the structure more stability, you should attach it to a vertical surface with a rope tied to the top of the bottle.
It remains to check the design by pouring food into the bottle and inviting the turkeys "to the table".
Bunker feeder made of wood
This design is more stable than a feeder, for example, made of plastic. The easiest way: to put together from boards or plywood the container itself, from where the turkeys will eat, and the "bunker" into which the feed will be poured. The "bunker" should be wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, like a funnel. Then the "hopper" is attached to the walls of the trough. The structure itself is either made on legs or attached to the vertical surface of the house.
For example, see the photo:
Conclusion
Buy feeders from suppliers or make them yourself - each farmer decides for himself. The main thing is to remember that, first of all, it should be convenient for turkeys and meet safety requirements. Ease of cleaning and disinfection of the feeders is also important.
