We’ve been searching for a good chicken feeder solution while the chickens are out on pasture. Sure, we’ve been using the regular 30 or 40 pound tube feeders, but they need a roof over them and that makes them impractical for pasture use. We tried a big homemade hopper feeder on the Chuck Wagon earlier this year, but that was a dismal failure. What we needed was a feeder that was weather proof, had lots of linear inches of feeder space and was easily moved to a new pasture. Bonus points were awarded for keeping the chicken feed inaccessible to cows or pigs, since pasture co-habitation is an occasional reality (intentional or not).
Chicken Cafeteria v0.1 (proof of concept)
Version Notes: lots of linear inches of feeder space, easily moved.
Chicken Cafeteria v0.2
Changelog: added hinged roof
Version Notes: quite weather resistant, chickens prefer to perch on the gutters while they eat.
Chicken Cafeteria v0.5
Changelog:
fixed floppy-gutter, switched from vinyl to aluminum gutter
improved foot-rail usage by implementing a flat rail
added anti-perch roller
added tow points
Version Notes: foot-rail usage much improved, anti-perch roller ineffective, potential runner wear issues.
Chicken Cafeteria v1.0
Changelog:
improved foot-rail & gutter height to reduce feed waste
modified runners to improve towing performance/wear
lowered roof height to reduce non-poultry feed access
added anti-scratch/anti-perch screen
Version Notes: This is it! Detailed DIY instructions coming soon…
Nice work!
I’ve been following your chicken/egg stories. This new feeder design is AMAZING…you are so talented The chickens seem to really like it