How to Make a Poultry Feeder for Outside

Young pullets, like grown chickens, need a safe source of food.

Poultry need a safe source of dry food. Poultry feeders function on the principle of gravity and have a few components in common. Feed must be kept dry, particles of feed must flow freely and the feed container must be kept a few inches from the ground to keep the chickens from soiling their food. Manufactured feeders combine these functions with removable caps for ease of filling and by hanging from hooks for simple elevation. Homemade feeders use the same principles and installation.

Things You'll Need

• 5-gallon bucket with handle
• Utility knife
• Power drill
• 2 circular pans wider than the bucket
• Bolt
• 2 nuts
• Screwdriver
• Hook
• Rope

Instructions

1. Open and wash out a 5-gallon bucket. Cut two semicircular openings in the bottom of the bucket using a utility knife. Leave a 2-inch-wide strip between the openings for mounting a pan. The strip must be wide enough to hold the tray on the bottom and support the weight of the feed.

2. Use a drill to drill a hole in the center of the strip at the bottom of the bucket. Verify that a pan fits over the bottom of the bucket and has a lip of 1 to 2 inches.

3. Drill a hole through the center of two circular pans wider than the bucket. Thread a bolt through the hole in the first circular pan, then through a nut and then through the hole in the bottom of the bucket.

4. Tighten the bolt and nut by hand, then finish tightening the bolt with a screwdriver. The nut between the pan and the bucket should create a gap to ensure the flow of chicken feed.

5. Thread a mounting rope through the second circular pan with the lip facing down. This pan keeps squirrels and rain out of the feeder and allows access for refilling. Attach a hook to the bottom end of a rope and hang the bucket feeder from the hook by the handle.

Tips & Warnings

• Use a sharp blade to make cutting easier.

• An alternative to suspending the bucket is placing it on bricks and tying the top pan with enough slack in the rope to allow filling.

• Keep cut edges clean to prevent shavings falling off into the feed.

References

• Mother Earth News: Hang Your Chicken Feed

Resources

• Blains Farm and Fleet: Farm Tuff Hanging Feeder