I made an inexpensive DIY chicken feeder and DIY chicken waterer. All the materials are things you would have around or be able to get easily.
I love saving money. You should all know that by now! Are you ready to hear how much I saved on my chicken feeder and waterer?! Be excited.
If you are interested in The Chicken Coop Project Plan, click here. If you are interested in checking out the finished Chicken Coop Project, click here!
First up: The Chicken Feeder
*Update August 30, 2017: I now use PCV Chicken Feeders – DIY tutorial here!*
I started the DIY chicken feeder with a bucket and lid. Then I went to the dollar store and bought this veggie tray. I thought it would be good because it was harder plastic. I was wrong! In retrospect, I would use one that was more flexible plastic with edges that come up higher to help minimize the amount of feed the chickens can knock out.
So when mine cracks to the point of no use, I’ll go get another one. 🙂
We drilled 1 inch holes in the bottom of the bucket to match up with the compartments in the veggie tray for the DIY chicken feeder.
Then he bolted the tray onto the bucket. Very carefully so it didn’t crack.
Each little compartment in theDIY chicken feeder holds the perfect amount of feed and it doesn’t come out too fast.
I load mine up almost full and have it sitting on cinder blocks and it has held up just fine. I did crack it. But that was because I was moving it in the dark and half tripped over it while I was holding it.
Ahem.
Anyways. It still works, even with the crack! So total for this feeder:
- Lid: $2.00
- Bucket: $4.00
- Tray: $1.00
Total: $7.00. That ROCKS!!! Especially compared to $20.00.
Now: The Chicken Waterer
This DIY chicken waterer was a little more tricky to figure out. We tried a few methods and ended up with this one. It was the most simple and it works like a charm.
I again started with a bucket and lid. Additionally, I used a 2 gallon feed pan from there as well.
Next, we drilled a 1/4 inch hole in the bucket. We determined where to drill the hole by putting the bucket in the feed pan (lid down) and marking where we wanted the water to stop. The water will go as high as the hole and stop on the DIY chicken waterer.
Disclaimer: The above sentence is only true if you have a good seal. These buckets and lids aren’t anything special so this WILL NOT work if you try and leave the bucket upright. They work great if you turn it upside down and let it naturally create the seal that way.
The water in the DIY chicken waterer is the perfect height for the chickens to get a drink and it flows out when it gets below the hole we drilled. So far it has stayed really clean.
The only thing I would change about how we did this is maybe use a 3 or 4 gallon feed pan. This one is a little bit of a tight fit.
Total for this waterer:
- Lid: $2.00
- Bucket: $4.00
- Feed pan: $6.00
Total: $12.00. That also ROCKS!!! Especially compared to $37.00.
Total savings: $38.00. I’ll take it!
Pin this farm tip on your Chicken Keeping board to SAVE it for later! Follow Longbourn Farm on Pinterest for more great tips, ideas, and tutorials!
If you’ve wanted to try your hand at keeping chickens but don’t know where to start, check out my free email course!
Missy says
May 19, 2016 at 12:46 PMWhy does the bucket have to be upside down? Couldn’t you do the same thing with the bucket right side up and drill holes at the bottom?
Alli says
May 19, 2016 at 5:03 PMHey Missy! I did try it a couple different ways with the bucket right side up, I thought that would make it way easier for filling. The buckets I used didn’t create a good enough seal being right side up so the water just overflowed and emptied out. When the bucket is upside down, it suctions the down tight and creates a seal, making the air stay in the top of the bucket without pushing the water out past the level of the holes you drill. Does that make sense? I think the only way it would work right side up would be if your bucket had an airtight seal. Let me know if I need to explain it better 🙂