How to make a turkey feeder

Turkeys are bred for tasty, tender, dietary meat and healthy eggs. This type of poultry quickly gains weight. To do this, turkeys need good nutrition and the right conditions for eating. Properly selected and installed turkey feeders are the key to good bird growth and feed savings.

Types of feeders

Feeders for turkeys come in various types:

Made from various materials:

Of wood

These feeders have good strength, however, they are difficult to wash and disinfect. Suitable for dry food.

Of metal

Durable, reliable material, well washed and disinfected, but when making the feeder, you need to make sure that there are no sharp corners and edges. You can remove them by bending a sheet of metal inward. Suitable for wet food.

From plastic

In the manufacture, only very durable plastic should be used, otherwise heavy turkeys can damage it. Suitable for all types of feed.

Mesh or metal rods

Suitable for fresh greens – turkeys can reach the grass safely through the net or twigs.

Ordinary (trays with sides)

Sectional

Divided into several parts. Suitable for top dressing: gravel, lime, shells can be placed in different compartments.

Bunker (automatic)

Not requiring constant control over the amount of food in the tray – food is added automatically as it is eaten by turkeys. Suitable for dry food.

With automatic lid lifter

The lid lifts automatically when the turkey stands on a special platform in front of the feeder. A big plus of this mechanism: when the birds do not eat, the food is always closed.

Mounted and floor

Outdoor suitable for turkeys.

General requirements for feeder equipment

The height of the feeder should be an average of 15 cm. To do this, it can be attached to a pole or any wall.

To prevent scattering of food, it is more convenient to fill ordinary feeders by a third.

It is best for turkeys to install two feeders: solid – for daily feed, and divided into sections – for top dressing.

You can make one long turkey feeder, or you can install several in different places of the house, it depends on the size of the room.

Turkeys can overturn bunker structures, therefore, for greater stability, it is better to strengthen them additionally.

After installing the feeders, you should observe the livestock for several days: are the designs convenient for them, something may need to be changed.

Feeders that are easy to make yourself

Due to the fact that making a turkey feeder with your own hands is not difficult, you can avoid unnecessary financial costs when arranging a poultry house.

Feeder made of sanitary plastic pipes

One of the easiest to make. Its advantages are that the feed is not scattered on the floor, as well as ease of cleaning. Designed for 10 birds.

Materials:

• plastic plumbing pipe at least 100 mm in diameter, at least a meter long;
• plugs suitable for pipe sizes – 2 pcs.;
• tool suitable for cutting plastic;
• tee suitable for the size of the pipe.

Manufacturing principle:

1. The plastic pipe must be cut into 3 parts: one should be 10 centimeters long, the second should be 20 cm long, and the third should be 70 cm.
2. Leave the longest section unchanged, and cut round holes on the other two: through them, the turkeys will get the food in the pipe.
3. Install a plug on one end of the 20 cm pipe, and a tee on the other.
4. The shortest piece must be attached to the tee so that it seems to be a continuation of the 20-centimeter one.
5. Attach the remaining piece of pipe to the last entrance of the tee, at the end of which put the second plug. It should be a T-shaped design.
6. The structure is attached to any vertical surface with the longest part so that the pipes with holes are 15 cm from the floor. You need to make sure that the holes look at the ceiling.

How it looks, look at the photo

Instead of several round holes, you can cut one long one.

Bunker bottle feeder

Suitable for turkeys or as a separate feeder for each bird.

Materials:

• a plastic water bottle with a volume of 5 liters or more;
• board or plywood for the base of the feeder;
• a hacksaw or other tool that allows you to cut plastic;
• hammer or screwdriver;
• rope;
• electrical tape (fixing or plumbing);
• mounting corners;
• fastening materials (self-tapping screws, nails, etc.);
• plastic pipes (one with a diameter of 30 cm, the second of such a diameter that the neck of the bottle enters it).

Manufacturing principle:

1. Cut off a piece from a plastic pipe of the largest diameter – turkeys will peck food from it. The piece should be of such a height that it is convenient for turkeys to eat (lower for babies, higher for adults).
2. Cut off a piece from the second pipe, twice as long as the first. This piece must be sawn along, starting from one edge and not reaching the middle of about 10 cm. One sawn part is cut off completely. It turns out like a scoop for loose cereals.
3. Attach a plastic plumbing pipe with a diameter of 30 cm to the base board with the help of corners and self-tapping screws so that it looks up. The mounting brackets must be inside the pipe. You need to attach it so that the nails or screws do not stick out, otherwise the turkeys can get hurt on them.
4. Remove the bottom from the plastic bottle. Insert the neck of the bottle into a pipe of smaller diameter (on the side from which it was not cut). The place of contact of the neck with the pipe should be wrapped with electrical tape.
5. Attach the opposite (cut) part of the pipe from the inside to the wide pipe so that the end rests on the base board.

   How to make a feeder, look at the video:

   Homemade bunker feeder for birds (chickens, geese, peacocks, pheasants, etc.)

6. The structure is ready. Now it needs to be installed in the poultry house. To give the structure greater stability, you should attach it to a vertical surface with a rope tied to the top of the bottle.

It remains to check the design by pouring food into the bottle and inviting the turkeys “to the table”.

Bunker feeder made of wood

This design is more stable than a feeder, for example, made of plastic. The easiest way: to put together the container itself from boards or plywood, from where the turkeys will eat, and the “bunker” into which the food will be poured. The “bunker” should be wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, like a funnel. Then the “bunker” is attached to the walls of the feeder. The structure itself is either made on legs or attached to the vertical surface of the house.

See the photo for an example:

Conclusion

Buy feeders from suppliers or make them yourself – each farmer decides for himself. The main thing to remember is that it should first of all be convenient for turkeys and meet safety requirements. Also an important condition is the ease of cleaning and disinfection of feeders.