Chick feeder upgrade update
The new
automatic chick feeder is
a huge improvement over the first small
plastic chick feeder we
tried.
It's easier to load, and Anna
feels like there's less waste.
I found a lid to fit on the
top, but there's still a problem with chicks roosting on the bracket
where the feeder hangs. I'll get around to fixing that one of these
days.
Or explore more posts by date or by subject.
About us: Anna Hess and Mark Hamilton spent over a decade living self-sufficiently in the mountains of Virginia before moving north to start over from scratch in the foothills of Ohio. They've experimented with permaculture, no-till gardening, trailersteading, home-based microbusinesses and much more, writing about their adventures in both blogs and books.
Want to be notified when new comments are posted on this page? Click on the RSS button after you add a comment to subscribe to the comment feed, or simply check the box beside "email replies to me" while writing your comment.
Use a piece of paper to make the shape for an appropriate sized steep cone (top-angle 45 degrees or less), then open it up to get a cone cut-out.
Take an old 5 gallon bucket, and cut off the bottom and the top edge. Slice the resulting cylinder open to get a sheet of thick plactic.
Transfer the paper cut-out to the plastic, and cut it along the lines. Roll up the plastic and use e.g. rivets or heavy staples to fix the cone shape. Put the cone on the feeder.
The angle of the cone and the slipperyness of the material working together should prevent chickens from roosting there.
It's even easier to buy one; Get a right-sized funnel, and cut off the stem.
Alternatively, integrate it into the water container; make both sides conical, one side ending in a screw thread for the nipple, another side ending in an eye to hang it up from. This does mean that the waterer would have to be filled by unscrewing the nipple. And it would mean investing in a blow-molding tool.
Roland --- Another reader was talking about using a funnel on a differnt post --- it took me a second to figure out that you weren't both commenting the same thing on the same post.
We considered making a fancy shaped waterer a bit like that, but ended up deciding not to just yet. Not only would it cost a lot to get something specially made, we'd also have to find a place to store them all....
David --- I suspect you're on the right track. I think this spot is enticing not just because of height (there are perches just as high elsewhere), but because the chick on top of the feeder can look out the door and the observation window easily. I like your idea of deleting the whole hanging option and just setting the feeder on blocks.