Goat feeder: how to do it yourself, step by step instructions and drawings

A well-designed goat feeder will make life easier for the owners, allowing them to properly organize their meals. Yes, and it will be easier to clean up after goats, subject to the conditions of feeding in the same place. There are several standard solutions, options for implementation at home. All of them will be considered, studied in detail with the application of video, drawings.

Destination

A feeder is a special device designed for controlled delivery, safe feed intake and, preferably, simple design. Experienced goat breeders know that an animal can be picky about food.

The feeder streamlines the feeding process itself. A goat is not a person. She does not understand why it is impossible to scatter grass over the paddock, and then also walk on it before eating. Having a special compartment will reduce the worries of goat owners, and the animals will be more organized.

Basic requirements for any type of feeders

Whatever the design of the feeder, it must meet certain requirements. Especially if we are talking about a home-made, and not factory-made, device. These include:

Safety. The design must exclude the possibility of injury to animals, including young animals.
Simplicity. Home craftsmen do not have sophisticated machines and equipment. Therefore, the manufacturing option must be tied to a minimum cost for the purchase of equipment, special tools, materials.
Food safety. This is one of the main tasks for which a feeder is created. It is important that it is easy to place fodder, silage, grass in it and just as easy to clean from the remnants of the "meal".

These are briefly the main conditions for the implementation of the project. It remains to choose the option you like, start manufacturing.

Safety

Domestic goats often begin to behave unpredictably: divide the territory, arranging fights, or jump, climb some structures, just like their wild compatriots. The essence of a safe feeder is to exclude the possibility of injury to animals, to prevent the oppression of young animals by elders.

Easy design

We know from practice that simple solutions are not always the worst. The livestock breeder does not have time for complex calculations, the manufacture of a feeder using modern materials and technologies. And there is usually no extra money for this either. We need a simple, easy-to-implement goat feeder design in most situations. Preferably assembled by one person and for a minimum period (day, weekend).

Feed safety

Food served in the usual way can be anywhere. And in this case, goats do not have a specific place for eating. Another thing is the feeder. So the goats will get used to eating in a strictly established corner of the corral and forage, much less liquid feeding will go away. If only because it will be more difficult to scatter it for a goat from the feeder.

Typical designs for feeding a goat herd

Depending on the type of feed, there are several types of designs. It is very important to understand this circumstance. Bulk feeders are not like liquid goat feeders. Therefore, they are different in terms of implementation. Accordingly, you need to know in advance which option will be preferable for you.So, typical types of feeders:

for bulk feed;
for liquid mixture;
for plant foods.

And then we will consider each design separately with its pluses and minuses.

Loose feed

Popular among goat owners: feed, bran, cereal mixtures. They belong to the loose category. This choice is justified, since it allows the animals to gain weight and gain fat. As for the design of the feeder, it must meet 2 criteria: the safety of the feed and the maximum consumption by the goats.

Liquid food

Liquid fraction mixes are popular due to the fact that various components can be added to them. Including silos, stillage, cereals diluted with water to the required consistency. In this case, the feeder should consist of a pipe system, a special trough.Dry mix design won't work here.

Edible material of vegetable origin

Feeders for hay and other vegetable feed for goats constitute a separate category. It is necessary to ensure that the goats do not take away the fodder, do not scatter it over the entire area of the corral. These conditions are best met by a sennik assembled from a wooden crate, gradually tapering downwards. Other options are possible.

Required tools

Before the implementation of the plan, it is necessary to take care of the required equipment. Despite the choice of the simplest, easily assembled structures, it is impossible to do without tools and fixtures. It is recommended to use common wood, bars, boards and slats as the main material. They are easy to buy at any sawmill, warehouse.

Tools for working with them include:

hacksaw or electric jigsaw, hand circular saw;
electric drill, screwdriver;
locksmith's hammer;
meter, ruler or tape measure.

Additional equipment includes: a marker (pencil), nozzles for a drill, fasteners (screws, nails, steel corners), drills. If necessary, the set is adjusted for specific needs.

Recommendations for making different feeders

The design is affected by the type of feed that is supposed to feed the animals. This will affect the drawings, the cost of making the feeder, the choice of material and tool. You should also consider the location of the feeding area. So that it is comfortable for both animals and owners.

It is undesirable to use plastic, any polymers, metal. Goats are somewhat capricious, they will easily refuse to eat from a feeder that smells somehow “wrong”. Affects the design and size of animals. For young animals, babies, a nursery is more suitable, from where they can easily get food.

One of the manufacturing options is shown in the video:

Toddler type

For little kids, a nursery feeder is easy to build in half a day, even without the skills of a professional carpenter. That is, with their own hands, without sophisticated equipment and mechanisms. Assembly is carried out in several stages. Consider it step by step:

Lower frame. Its size is determined by the number of animals kept in the corral at the same time. There should be enough food for everyone so that no one goes hungry. Legs are placed in the corners: they bind the structure, provide rigidity and serve as the basis for installation on the floor.
Dno. Assembled from tightly fitted boards. It is permissible to use a sheet of thick plywood, chipboard, OSB boards. No holes are provided in this element, otherwise the feed will spill out, scatter across the pen floor.
Upper frame. Consists of longitudinal bars. Crossbars, short sections of boards, planks are attached to it. The step should not be too frequent - the animals will not be able to stick their heads in, eat normally.

Details of the stages of assembly of the feeder are shown in the video:

Wooden

You can make a corner feeder out of 2 wooden boards or pallets. They are used in the delivery of goods, and then thrown away as unnecessary. So there shouldn't be any problems with the material. One more nursery is obtained, but in a different version.

Or you could do this:

From reinforcement

If you have access to rebar scraps, as well as an electric welding unit, the feeding unit can be created from metal. The complexity of this version of the feeder is higher than the wooden one. But it is much stronger, which means it will last longer. Goats will not be able to move such a manger, turn them over. But there are also disadvantages: there is a risk of injury to animals. Sharp, protruding parts should be kept to a minimum. Or hide them under the overlays, strip them, drown them in the base.

For ease of perception, a drawing of the feeder with dimensions is given.

There is also a compact metal feeder option:

And streetwear:

French feeders

France in terms of goat breeding has tremendous experience, which is not a sin to borrow. Local small ruminant feeding facilities are similar to but different from nurseries.

By design, this is a box with holes cut in the walls according to the size of the muzzle of the animal. In fact, it is a variant of a universal feeder: it is allowed to lay both loose feed and coarse fodder here. Feeding takes place inside the device. This minimizes losses. Also, the French feeder allows the goats to eat almost everything inside.

The installation has one drawback: due to the absence of the upper part, animals often jump inside. Therefore, it is necessary to provide a feeding box with a lid or increase the height of the walls.

From pipes

From the materials left after the replacement of the sewer, the drainage devices at the dacha, ready-made feed dispensers are obtained. Plastic pipes with a diameter of 10 centimeters or more will be required. It is undesirable to use used structures that have come into contact with waste products: this puts goats at risk of infection.

The height of the feeder structure is up to 1.5 meters. The pipe is cut into 3 sections - 700, 200 and 100 millimeters. You will also need a branch, a tee. Next, the segments are joined together, as shown in the figure. Sharp edges and roughness must be sanded and eliminated. A lid is placed on top, the finished dispenser is attached to the wall of the goat pen with plumbing clamps.

From a plastic barrel

Great goat feeders are made from unused plastic containers. You can use the container only after thorough cleaning, repeated washing with soap, drying.An indispensable condition: the barrel must not contain residues of toxic liquids, materials (petroleum, solvents, paints). All these substances will lead to illness, death of animals.

Damaged containers with cracks, chips, shells and holes will not work. Next, choose 1 of 2 possible options for organizing the feeder - horizontal or vertical.

Horizontal

To begin with, a clean, dry barrel is laid on its side. Then sequentially mark 5-15 centimeters from the edge at the ends, so as to remove the “lid” from above. Food will be laid in the resulting window. And in the side walls, holes should be made for feeding (of such a size that the goat can stick its head through).

It is advisable to drill several holes in the bottom with a thin drill: this will ensure the drainage of liquid, simplify cleaning of the feeder. It remains to clean the sharp edges, make the structure heavier or install it in a wooden holder box. The cut off part can be turned into a lid by attaching it to a barrel with hinges or a rope.

Vertical

The design is more complicated than the previous one in the sense that you will need to carefully mark the barrel. Conventionally, the feeder blank looks like the letter "G". There should be 2 such figures. The height of the cut to the edge of the container should be 20 centimeters. A vertical seam divides the barrel exactly in half. Then you can close the resulting window with a fine mesh, leaving the goats an opening at the bottom. The structure is attached to a strong base or weighted.