Trough for pigs and piglets

Feeders for pigs in a simple design are a capacious container divided into compartments for each head. Models of the bunker type are considered improved, allowing automatic feed supply. It is easy for pigs to build any feeder on their own, which household owners successfully do.

General requirements for feeders for pigs and piglets

Before manufacturing and installing a feeder in a pigsty, you need to familiarize yourself with a number of sanitary requirements:

• The installation site in the pigsty is chosen as accessible, so that it is convenient to feed the pigs, clean them of residues, and wash them.
• The trough provides a secure fit. Pigs should not turn it over, deform it with blows.
• The feeder is equipped so that pig excrement does not get inside. Organic waste contains parasite larvae that cause dangerous diseases.
• For dry, liquid feed and water, separate containers are installed for pigs.
• Leaky troughs are unacceptable to use. Liquid feed flows through the cracks, humidity rises inside the pigsty, and unsanitary conditions arise.
• For each age of pigs, troughs with the appropriate height of the sides are selected. Observe the angle of inclination so that the feed flows down to the front wall.

Little piglets are born weighing about 1 kg. Subject to the diet, individuals of good breeds at the age of six months are able to gain weight up to 100 kg. The mass of a breeding boar or sow reaches 300 kg. Along with gaining weight, the dimensions of the pigs, in particular the head, increase. To make it more convenient for the animal to get food, a certain length of the trough is assigned for each age:

• milk baby – 15 cm;
• young animals under the age of 3 months – 20 cm;
• individuals aged 6 months left for fattening – 25 cm;
• age category of pigs from 7 to 10 months – up to 35 cm;
• sow feeder length – up to 40 cm;
• breeding boar – from 40 to 50 cm.

The height of the sides of the trough for dairy babies is made up to 10 cm high. The parameter for adult pigs is in the range of 15-25 cm.

Types of feeders

Conventionally, all existing feeders are divided into two groups.

By way of use:

• stationary models for pigs are securely fixed, not amenable to movement;
• mobile models are in demand in large farms for uniform feeding of the herd;
• individual models are placed inside the box for one animal, for example, a sow;
• group models are designed for the simultaneous feeding of several pigs.

By device:

• ordinary feeders are made in the form of a simple trough, and sometimes pigs use any container at hand;
• hopper feeders for pigs are more complicated, but they allow automatic feed supply.

Feeders vary in size. They are narrow, wide, shallow and deep, with and without dividers. When making a feeder for piglets with your own hands, photos of tables with dimensions will help you build the optimal design.

Width parameter table:

Length parameter table:

Drinker parameters table:

The video will help you make a feeder for pigs with your own hands according to all the rules: 

How to make do-it-yourself pig feeders

The process of making a trough is simple. But the automatic feeder for pigs is more complicated. Here you will need drawings with exact dimensions.

What materials are suitable for making

The most popular material is metal and wood. Each of them has its pros and cons. Ferrous metal quickly rusts and rots in dampness. It is optimal to use stainless steel, but the design will cost more. Wooden troughs are knocked down from a board 40 mm thick. Natural material is environmentally friendly, but pigs gnaw it. Remains of food eat into the tree, bacteria multiply.

Making your own bunker feeder for pigs and piglets

Compared to a trough, making a silo pig feeder is much more difficult, but it has a great advantage. The design consists of a capacious bunker for backfilling feed. Its lower part with a slot is directed to the tray. A certain part of the feed is poured out of the bunker. When the pigs eat it, a new portion is automatically fed into the tray.

Another advantage is the even distribution of feed. Pigs receive a certain portion of food. They completely eat it up, and nothing is left to scatter or pollute. The presence of a capacious bunker allows you to make large stocks of food.

Creating a do-it-yourself automatic feeder for pigs is beneficial if the farm contains at least 5 heads. However, sometimes the design is used when fattening 2-3 animals. It is optimal to choose metal as the material of manufacture, but if there is no welding experience, wood is used.

When assembling a bunker feeder for pigs with your own hands, it is advisable to have drawings at hand. In fact, we need a diagram of one side shelf. The second element is an exact copy. The shelves are interconnected by rectangular fragments. As a result, two containers are formed: a tray and a bunker. The photo shows the dimensions, but they can be changed depending on the age of the pigs for which the automatic feeder is intended.

To make a metal structure, pigs will need a stainless steel about 3 mm thick, a grinder and a welding machine. The manufacturing process consists of several steps:

1. Drawings are transferred to a sheet of metal. Bulgarian cut out fragments of blanks.
2. Details are welded into a single structure. A sheet is welded to the bottom of the bunker at an angle. The device forms a gap from where dry food will be fed into the tray.
3. A restrictive bar is installed near the slot of the bunker.
4. The bottom of the tray is welded with a rectangular plate to form a container for food.

The structure is ground, removing sharp burrs, scale. Be sure to weld the fasteners so that the pigs do not turn over the automatic feeder.

A wooden analogue of an automatic feeder for pigs is assembled according to a similar principle, only self-tapping screws are used for connection. The body elements are cut out with a jigsaw from multilayer moisture-resistant plywood. To strengthen the connection, bars are placed at the joints. Elements are tightened with self-tapping screws. If the automatic feeder for pigs is supposed to be placed on the street, the top of the bunker is equipped with a hinged lid. Fasten it with furniture hinges.

The plywood automatic feeder is suitable for small piglets. Large pigs will break it easily. For adults, it is optimal to take boards with a thickness of about 40 mm as the material of manufacture.

How to make a pig feeder from a plastic barrel

Used plastic barrels are great for pig feeders. The only requirement is that you cannot use containers where pesticides used to be. The advantage of plastic is corrosion resistance. The containers are well washed, but they are gnawed by pigs, which is the only negative.

For small pigs, a trough can be made by simply cutting windows in the side of the barrel. The remaining strips will play the role of separating jumpers. The barrel is securely fixed to the floor so that it does not roll.

It is optimal to build a piglet feeder with a wooden frame with your own hands. Adult pigs will not quickly gnaw it. A plastic barrel is cut lengthwise into two parts with a grinder. The framing is knocked together from boards 40 mm thick. Barrel halves are inserted inside the frame.

If it is supposed to breed young animals, then it is optimal to dissolve the barrel into two unequal parts. The larger half will go to the big pigs, and the smaller part will make a trough for the kids.

How to make a trough for pigs from a gas cylinder

A trough for pigs from a gas cylinder is made according to a similar principle, only the container must first be properly prepared. First of all, make sure that there is no gas by opening the valve. Condensation with a pungent odor may remain inside. The liquid is drained through the open valve, turning the container upside down. Disposal is carried out away from residential facilities.

The cylinder valve is unscrewed or cut off with a grinder. Water is poured inside, shaken thoroughly to remove residual condensate, poured into the designated place. The balloon is cut along the grinder into two halves. Blanks are burned with fire, washed from soot. To make the trough for pigs shown in the photo with your own hands, the two halves are welded together with rods. Legs are welded to the bottom from the outside. If the trough is too large for pigs from the two halves, use one part of the balloon.

Pipe feeders for pigs and pigs

If the farm has a piece of asbestos-cement or ceramic pipe with a diameter of at least 200 mm, it will make a good stationary trough for pigs. First, cut the workpiece of the desired length with a grinder. The next step is to spread the pipe lengthwise into a smaller and larger part. The first element is discarded. Most of the pipe will go to the trough of the pigs.

The base of the feeder is poured into a concrete pigsty. A pipe is placed in the solution, the sides are closed with plugs. It is optimal to fit a fitting on one side through which the liquid will drain while washing the trough. Separating jumpers for each pig are installed from reinforcement 15 mm thick.

How to make a do-it-yourself trough for pigs and piglets made of wood

The advantage of a wooden trough for pigs is the ease of assembly. In addition, wood tends to swell, which leads to the tightening of all cracks. In a wooden trough, even liquid food can be given to pigs. The photo shows a detailed drawing. Sizes are selected according to the age of the pigs. The parameters are shown in the table above. From the tool for work you will need a saw, a jigsaw, a screwdriver, a hammer.

Manufacturing begins with cutting out fragments from a board 40 mm thick. If the trough is permanently fixed near the wall of the pigsty, then the rear wall is made higher from the front to prevent feed from getting behind the feeder. When it is assumed that the pigs will approach from two sides, then the height of both sides is made the same.

The cut blanks are folded into a single structure, tightened with self-tapping screws. Sharp edges are treated with sandpaper, burrs are removed so that the pigs do not get hurt. The working part of the trough is divided by jumpers made of polished bars with a section of 40×40 mm.

Installing feeders in a pigsty

There are several options for the location of feeders:

• troughs are installed permanently for pigs;
• for a two-sided approach of pigs in a large herd, mobile structures are arranged;
• when keeping up to three pigs in a box, equip a separate location of the feeder;
• it is customary for a large number of pigs to allocate space for group feeders.

The installation site is chosen at the construction stage of the pigsty. The pig feeding block is desirable to be separated in order to be less exposed to contamination. The troughs are installed at an arbitrary slight slope. The feed will move under one edge.

Original ideas for pig feeders with a photo

In the household, troughs for pigs are made from anything that can be adapted. Metal containers are considered the best option because of the long service life. For small piglets, troughs are cut out of buckets, plastic bottles, car tires. The do-it-yourself pig feeders presented in the photo are original, and every person can make them in a couple of hours.

Conclusion

Feeders for pigs should be convenient for the animals themselves and the owner to perform maintenance. Subject to all requirements, piglets eat well, gain weight faster.