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Turkeys are bred for their tasty, tender, dietary meat and healthy eggs. This type of poultry gains weight quite quickly. To do this, turkeys need good nutrition and the right conditions for eating. Properly selected and installed feeders for turkeys are the key to good growth of birds and saving feed.
Types of feeders
Turkey feeders come in different types:
Made from various materials:
Made of wood
These feeders have good durability, however, they are difficult to wash and disinfect. Suitable for dry food.
Made of metal
Durable, reliable material, easy to clean and disinfect, but when making the feeder you need to make sure there are no sharp corners or edges. You can remove them by bending a sheet of metal inward. Suitable for wet food.
Made of plastic
During production, only very durable plastic should be used, otherwise heavy turkeys may damage it. Suitable for all types of feed.
Made from mesh or metal rods
Suitable for fresh greens - mesh or wires allow turkeys to safely reach the grass.
Regular (trays with sides)
Sectional
Divided into several parts. Suitable for fertilizing: gravel, lime, and shells can be placed in different compartments.
Bunker (automatic)
They do not require constant control over the amount of food in the tray - food is added automatically as the turkeys eat it. Suitable for dry food.
With automatic lid lifter
The lid rises automatically when the turkey stands on a special platform in front of the feeder. The big advantage of this mechanism is that when the birds are not eating, the food is always closed.
Wall-mounted and floor-mounted
Floor-mounted ones are suitable for turkey poults.
General requirements for feeder equipment
The height of the feeder should be on average 15 cm. To do this, it can be attached to a pole or any wall.
To prevent food from scattering, it is more convenient to fill regular feeders one third full.
It is best to install two feeders for turkeys: a solid one for daily feeding, and one divided into sections for feeding.
You can make one long feeder for turkeys, or you can install several in different places in the poultry house, it depends on the size of the room.
Turkeys can overturn bunker structures, so for greater stability it is better to further strengthen them.
After installing the feeders, you should monitor the livestock for several days to see if the designs are comfortable for them, and if anything needs 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 from plumbing plastic pipes
One of the easiest to make. Its advantages are that the food does not scatter on the floor, as well as ease of cleaning. Designed for 10 birds.
Materials:
- plastic plumbing pipe with a diameter of at least 100 mm and a length of at least a meter;
- plugs suitable for the pipe size – 2 pcs.;
- a tool suitable for cutting plastic;
- tee suitable for the pipe size.
Manufacturing principle:
- 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 long.
- Leave the longest segment unchanged, and cut round holes on the other two: through them the turkeys will get the food in the pipe.
- Install a plug on one end of a 20-centimeter pipe, and a tee on the other.
- The shortest section must be attached to the tee so that it appears to be a continuation of the 20-centimeter length.
- Attach the remaining section of pipe to the last entrance of the tee, and place a second plug on the end of it. It should be a T-shaped design.
- 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 face the ceiling.
How it looks, look at the photo
Instead of several round holes, you can cut one long one.
Hopper bottle feeder
Suitable for turkey poults or as a feeder for each bird.
Materials:
- 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 (fastening or plumbing);
- mounting angles;
- materials for fastening (screws, nails, etc.);
- plastic pipes (one with a diameter of 30 cm, the second of such a diameter that the neck of the bottle fits into it).
Manufacturing principle:
- Cut a piece from the largest diameter plastic pipe - 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).
- Cut a piece from the second pipe, twice as long as the first. This piece needs to be sawn lengthwise, starting from one edge and not reaching the middle by about 10 cm. One sawn part is cut off completely. It looks like a scoop for bulk cereals.
- Attach a plastic plumbing pipe with a diameter of 30 cm to the base board using corners and self-tapping screws so that it faces upward. The mounting angles must be inside the pipe. You need to attach it so that the nails or screws do not stick out, otherwise the turkeys may get hurt by them.
- Remove the bottom of a 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 where the neck comes into contact with the pipe should be wrapped with electrical tape.
- Attach the opposite (cut) part of the pipe from the inside to the wide pipe so that the end rests against the base board.
How to make a feeder, watch the video:
- 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.
All that remains is to test the design by pouring food into the bottle and inviting the turkeys “to the table.”
Wooden bunker feeder
This design is more stable than a feeder, for example, made of plastic. The easiest way is to put together a container from boards or plywood, from which the turkeys will eat, and a “hopper” into which the food will be poured. The “bunker” should be wider at the top and narrower at the bottom, like a funnel. The “hopper” is then attached to the walls of the feeder. The structure itself is either made on legs or attached to the vertical surface of the poultry house.
See the photos for an example:
Conclusion
Whether to purchase feeders from suppliers or make them yourself - each farmer decides for himself. The main thing to remember is that, first of all, it should be comfortable for turkeys and meet safety requirements. Also important is the ease of cleaning and disinfection of feeders.
