Turkey feeder: types and how to do it yourself, drawings and sizes

Turkey meat is confidently gaining ground from the most common chicken meat today. Before reaching the consumer's table, the turkey must be well-fed. Experienced farmers know that the rapid weight gain of a bird depends not only on a balanced forage base, but also on how well the feeder is chosen for adult turkeys and growing stock.

General requirements for turkey feeders

The choice of turkey feeder depends on a number of factors:

• number of birds in the house;
• age of livestock;
• size of house or aviary;
• feed components of the bird diet.

If a large house or farm involves the installation of bunker or pipe feeders to provide food for a large number of birds, then in a small household you can get by with simple trays.

A separate design for feeding requires young birds. This is due to the fact that turkey poults require less feed than adult birds. In addition, the growing stock needs additional feeding and additives in the form of grass and lime.

Existing varieties

Equally important is what materials the place for feeding is made of. To date, you can find devices from a wide variety of materials, but most often used:

• tree;
• plastic;
• metal.

Wooden

It cannot be said that any material has an obvious advantage. For example, wooden trays are only suitable for dry food, as this material is difficult to disinfect due to its porous fibrous structure.

Wooden trays are the simplest and cheapest solution for feeding adult turkeys. The easiest way to purchase a finished product is in a specialized store selling farm equipment.

Important! Wooden trays require careful hygienic control. Violation of sanitary standards can lead to grain spoilage and, as a result, chronic diseases or loss of poultry.

Plastic

The plastic feeder is a safe, easy to clean turkey feeder. Of the minuses, one can single out the relative lightness of the design.

Therefore, preference should be given to feeders that are made of heavy plastic or are structurally weighted to prevent the heavy weight of turkeys from tipping over under pressure.

The plastic pipe feeder is most commonly used in poultry farms on an industrial scale. Benefits include:

• the ability to quickly feed the maximum number of individuals;
• design does not require much space;
• relatively low cost and simplicity (even beginners can equip a pipe feeding system).

Important! So that the turkeys do not fight for food, there should be a lot of holes. In this case, the frequency of their location should be equal to the bird's step.

Metallic

Metal structures for feeding turkeys can be of various shapes and sizes. In terms of hygiene, they are more practical than wooden ones and can last quite a long time. However, before putting food in them, you need to make sure that there are no sharp corners and cutting edges that the bird can get hurt on.

From mesh or metal rods

A mesh feeder is a rectangular piece of chain-link mesh, rolled into a cylinder, with a wooden bottom or pallet. Such a device is filled with fresh grass, which is necessary for turkeys as a source of vitamins and fiber. If this device is made independently, you need to make sure that the sharp ends of the wire are bent and do not injure the bird.

Sectional

This type of feeder is more often used for growing poultry. This is due to the fact that, in addition to the main diet, chicks need to be offered additional complementary foods, respectively, a separate section is required for different foods and supplements.

Bunker (automatic)

It is advisable to install such turkey feeders on small farms or where there is a large number of poultry. The design is a large vertically standing container where grain or grain mixture is poured. Under the pressure of its own weight, the feed enters the open compartments or cells. In farm supply stores, you can find hopper feeders of any size. However, this kind of design, if desired, can be made independently.

Required DIY tools

The set of tools that will be required to make a turkey feeder directly depends on what material will be used in the work. As a rule, the standard list includes:

• hacksaw and/or knife;
• file for smoothing sharp corners;
• pliers;
• duct tape or tape;
• fasteners;
• screwdriver or screwdriver.

How to make a DIY turkey feeder

You can try to make a device for feeding the bird yourself, especially since this does not require any special skills.

From a plastic pipe or bottle

Experienced turkey breeders often prefer plastic structures for feeding livestock. This is because this material is practical, and everything you need to make your own device can be purchased at any hardware store.

Manufacture of the pipe system

To make the structure yourself, you will need the following set of tools and parts:

• polypropylene pipes;
• plumbing elbow adapter;
• hacksaw and hole cutter;
• plywood sheet;
• fasteners (self-tapping screws).

In one of the pipes, holes are made of such a size that a turkey's head can easily penetrate into it, and then attached to plywood. Using a plumbing elbow, a second pipe is vertically installed, which acts as a bunker. So that the home-made structure does not fall apart under the pressure of a bird, a vertically standing pipe must also be fixed to plywood. The feeder is ready.

Making a feeder from a plastic bottle

For self-production, you will need the following set of tools and fixtures:

• polypropylene pipe ⌀ 20 cm and 35 cm;
• 19 liter water bottle;
• standard set of plastic tools;
• fasteners.

A larger diameter pipe is attached to the plywood, and then a narrow one is installed in the center. Using a hacksaw, round holes with a diameter of 10 cm are cut in plastic. The plastic edge in a wide pipe must be saved. Otherwise, the birds will spread the grain mixture on the floor. The bottom of the container is cut off from under the water, after which the neck is attached to a narrow pipe and fixed with tape.

From wood

You can make a tray-feeder yourself. This will require a wooden beam and sheets of plywood. It is best to have drawings with product dimensions on hand so that you do not have to redo it.

A base frame is made from a bar, on which the plywood boards are fixed. In order to avoid spoilage of feed under the influence of precipitation, such trays are installed inside the poultry house or equipped with a special wooden canopy.Installing the tray a short distance from the ground or floor will prevent straw, feathers and droppings from mixing with the feed.

Bunker feeder

The bunker feeder is most often made from a plastic water bottle. But crafty farmers make this type of feeder from a wide variety of materials, for example, from a galvanized bucket. To do this, it is necessary to cut a hole in the bottom of the container and insert a pipe into it, through which grain will be fed into the tray under the pressure of its own weight. The bucket itself is attached to a wooden frame or wall.

To organize the feeding of poultry, it is necessary to assess the conditions of detention, its number and age. Based on the situation, you can decide: do the independent manufacture of the device or go to a specialized store. There are a wide variety of feeders available on the market today.As they say, for every taste and budget.

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