PVC Pipe Chicken Feeder
By: Aliana G.
6B
As a member of Chicken Crew, I first hand have experienced the difficulties of feeding the chickens. The feeder we are currently using is broken and not equipped for the amounts of rain. Large amounts of feed were being wasted, and we were going through food very fast. For my Maker Faire project I decided to design and create my own feeder, that would make managing feeding time a little easier.
I chose PVC pipe as my main building material because it was sturdy, lightweight, easy to work with, and weather proof. I initially had planned to only have one feeder instead of three, but after changing my design and receiving my materials, I decided to go through with my ending design.
One challenge I had to overcome when making my project was finding a reliable cap, so that the food wouldn't fall out of the feeder as soon as it was put in. Because the type of PVC I chose was very wide I couldn't find any caps that would fit. I experimented with wood, bricks, and hard plastic to find the best solution. In the end although it did not look very attractive I found that yogurt containers worked the best. I learned that you really had to plan ahead, and when planning make sure that you’ve already figured out all the details about your design.
A piece of advice I would give people trying to recreate this project is do what’s best for you, and the purpose of your project. It doesn't matter is there are a lot of nice designs, what matters is that the design you are sticking with and choosing as you final design is functional, and practical for the intended purpose of your project.
I got most of my materials used from Urban Our and it roughly cost about $15 (not including the wood that was already at school) but if you wanted everything new it would cost around $40.
Sources I used for inspiration:
