Pliers to hold the corks while you drill them if you’re not comfortable holding them with your hand.A 3 ⁄16-inch drill bit for the corks and a 3 ⁄4-inch spade bit for the eyebolt holes.Bit that allows you to predrill holes for the hook or bucket holder.
Something from which to suspend the bucket so the corks are about head-high to a chicken: either a 4-inch galvanized hook like you’d use to suspend a porch swing or a folding bucket holder.Two galvanized eyebolts (4-by- 1⁄4 inch).One or more 5-gallon bucket (or larger plastic container if you have numerous chickens).Gather everything before starting this project. Of course I’ve customized my chicken vending machine a bit for my Hentopia coop, but I have to give credit for the concept. I was very glad to find this YouTube video from Gr8scott 1985 (which has been viewed about half a million times). And if enough debris gets under the treadle to block it, the feeder won’t open and the chickens learn about fasting. There are construction plans available for these self-locking feeders, but the angled cuts and the lever arms would be time-consuming to build. However, they can be expensive and were out of my budget. When the chickens aren’t eating, the feeder closes up, blocking any birds or rodents. The chickens step on a treadle that opens the lid on the feeder, which allows them to eat. There are also some boxy, vermin-proof feeders made of either metal or cedar available online.
But it is much heavier, more unwieldy and costlier than the 14-gauge fence wire commonly used for enclosing hen pens.įor example, a 3-by-50-foot roll of hardware cloth costs three times as much as the same size roll of 14-gauge wire fencing. Hardware cloth is not a cloth really but a heavy-gauge type of wire fencing with 1 ⁄2-by- 1 ⁄2-inch openings. That’s a valid option if you have the time and money.
Some people choose to keep sparrows and rodents away from their feeders by enclosing the entire pen in hardware cloth. Coming up with a new and improved vermin-proof feeder that functioned like a chicken vending machine was on my to-do list. So far, we haven’t had signs of rodents, but I was sure some would show up for the grainy buffet eventually. Thank goodness mourning doves can’t get in or I’d be buying bags of feed twice a day! Despite their big appetites, they’re small enough to fit through the 2-by-4-inch openings in the fencing. However, gangs of sparrows did raid the feeder’s open saucer now and then. Plus, the chickens can’t roost (and poop) on it. It holds 25 pounds of feed and resides under the coop where it stays dry and is easy to clean. I had purchased it at a junk-tique shop for a few dollars. Sometimes they are made of plastic or, like mine, galvanized metal.
So why can’t chicken feeders work like vending machines? It seems like when they’re hungry, hens should be able to poke a button and have well-balanced, healthy snacks drop out.
Chicken feeder diy zip#
In my very first picture, you will see I used a chimney pipe bracket, but a couple of heavy duty zip ties will work as well if mounting to a fence post or such.Aren’t vending machines great? You pop in some change, poke a button and a well-balanced, healthy snack (well, a snack of some kind!) drops out.
0 kommentar(er)
