Wednesday, April 27, 2011

A Variety Of Chicken Feeders To Choose From

By Marge Moran


Chicken feeders are made for a specific purpose -to easily feed chickens. These are seen and sold in markets and are manufactured using various materials such as metals and plastics. The most commonly used feeders are the chick feeders, treadle feeders, plastic poultry feeders, troughs, and grit hoppers.

Chick Feeders Chick feeders are plastic troughs and are made to be small. It can accommodate and feed up to 10 small chicks that are about 6 weeks old. It is made with a long base in order to avoid spillage and the trough to hold the chick crumb.

Troughs The troughs are very similar to chick feeders. These are long and rectangular-shaped boxes with long openings. Troughs can vary in lengths and sizes, depending mostly on the number of chickens you are feeding. This type of feeder is very easy to clean and a lot cheaper too compared to the other feeders.

Treadle Feeders This feeder has this adjustable lid and handle. Commonly made of metal, the treadle bears the weight of the chicken which then causes the tray to open. As soon as the bird leaves, the tray also closes preventing infesting pests to get inside the feeder and consume the rest of the feeds.

Plastic Feeders This type of feeder is suitable for any bird size. It is cone-shaped with a wire hanging handle and is made of plastic. It is most commonly used in chicken farms and is very lightweight. The food is then loaded into the cone wherein it will fill the plastic tray attached at the bottom of the cone. The chickens feed on the plastic tray.

Grit Hoppers Grit hoppers are metal devices that hold the feeds and can either be placed inside or outside of the coop. It has this sloping lid that swings like a door that also prevents the entrance of pests that can consume the rest of the feeds. Adding to this, it is a lot smaller and more compact compared to the other feeders.

Home-made Feeders Feeders which are personally made at home make use of some materials such pipes. The most commonly used pipe is the pvc pipe which has drain holes drilled in it to prevent rain water build-up. Sewer and plastic pipes can also be used as materials. Fish feeders may also serve the same purpose as the chicken feeders.




About the Author:



No comments: