If the feeder is inside the henhouse, the system most of us use, an open-top box is fine.

If it is outside, ensures it protects the food from getting wet and keeps away rats.

Why Chicken Feeders Containers ?

Feeding equipment for chickens need not be elaborate, but it must do these things:

Read more about The 5 Best Automatic Chicken Coop Door Openers: Review & Features.

The Different Types of Chicken Feeders

Most chicken feeders today are made of galvanized steel, aluminum, or plastic so they can be easily cleaned. Occasionally, homemade feeders are made of wood. If you prefer to make your own feeder, you could build a small wooden trough; use a small piece of metal gutter; or use a narrow pan, such as a loaf pan.

If you live in a cold-weather area, remember that plastic becomes brittle and cracks easily in freezing weather, so you may want to avoid plastic dishes.

Some feeders hold more than a day’s worth of feed. These are called self-feeders. They usually work by gravity ‘ when the dish is empty, feed flows out of a container attached to the dish to fill it.

If you choose a self-feeder, you still need to check every day to see whether the feeder needs filling and is properly dispensing the feed. If the dish is full of scratched-up bedding, the feed may not flow out.

Feed dishes need to remain clean. Feeders also shouldn’t be placed under perches or roosts where manure will fall into them. For the same reason,
avoid feeders that have tops the birds can perch on.

Sizing The Chicken Feeders

Each adult chicken should have about 6 inches of feeding space at the feeder. To maximize the space, most feeders either allow access to both sides of the dish or are round. It’s best to have enough feeder space so that all chickens can eat at the same time.

Chickens eat according to their pecking order. If feeding space is limited, the highest-ranked chickens eat first, and the lowest-ranked chickens may not get the feed they need.

Of course, dishes must be sized to the size of the chicken. Baby chicks require smaller, shallower dishes than adults. Each chick in a brooder should have about 4 inches of feeding space at the feeder.

Provide more than one feeder if sufficient space isn’t available at one feeder. This is especially important when the feeders aren’t self-filling or when an assortment of feeds is offered that the birds can choose from.

The top-ranked birds will get all the choice feeds or pick up the bigger particles of feed if feeding space isn’t sufficient for all birds to eat at the same time.

Keeping feed in and chickens out

Feed dishes should be designed to keep chickens from getting in them and scratching out the feed, so they’re generally long and narrow. Most feeders for chickens are in the form of either a long, rectangular, narrow trough or a circle.

The narrow trough should be deep enough to keep chickens from easily throwing feed out.

Covered Chicken Feeders

The dish can be covered, with holes to let the birds access the feed, or it can just be too narrow for them to climb inside.

Some feeders have a bar over the center of a long dish, and the bar rotates if a chicken tries to perch on it.

Other feeders are placed on the outside of cages or pens, and the birds stick their heads through the wire of the pen to reach the feed. Narrow edges discourage chickens from trying to perch on the dishes.

The feeder should be heavy enough or attached to something so that it can’t be tipped over easily.

Suspended Chicken Feeder

If chickens persist in tipping dishes or scratching feed out, the feeders can be suspended by a chain or wire so that they’re about level with the birds’
backs.

If the feeders are hung on a wall, they should have steep slanted tops or covers to discourage perching.

Chickens not only scratch in open dishes if they can get inside, flinging feed out, but they also may sit in mash or crumbs and take a dust bath, showering feed everywhere.

Chickens also take their beaks and flying pieces around, especially if the diet contains whole grains and they’re trying to find what they like. Some of this feed may be picked out of the bedding, but a lot is wasted.

To minimize the feed being lost, you can sit the feeders in large plastic or metal trays or use feeders with narrow openings chickens can’t fit into.

Advantage and Benefits of Chicken Feeders

Comes fully assembled – Simply fill with feed and it’s ready for your hens. Holds 20 pounds of feed! Refill once every 30 days for 2 hens, 14 days for 4 hens, and once every week for 8 hens

Place feeder anywhere in your yard/run and the feed stays try. No need to put it undercover

No more squirrels, wild birds, mice, or rats getting into your coop looking for feed on the ground as 99% of feed stays in the feeder – Even with your most wasteful hen!

The Top 5 Chicken Feeders

If you are looking for Automatic Chicken Feeders, check our review for The Best Automatic Chicken Feeders.

1- Harris Farms Hanging Poultry Feeder

The Free Range heavy-duty galvanized feeders feature rolled edges for safety and a convenient hanger/carry handle. Design makes for easy 3-position height adjustment and is suitable for game birds, chickens, and young chicks. 15 lb. capacity feeds 15-30 birds.

15 Pound hanging feeder. Heavy-duty galvanized feeder that features rolled edges for safety and a convenient hanger/carry handle.

The design makes for easy 3 position height adjustment and is suitable for game birds, chickens, and young chicks. 15 lb. capacity feeds 15-30 birds.

Features of Harris Farms Hanging Poultry Feeder

• Heavy duty galvanized feeder
• features rolled edges for safey and a convenient hanger/carry-handle
• Design makes for easy 3 position height adjustment and is suitable for game birds, chickens and young chicks
  feeds 15-30 birds

2- Chicken Feeder-Holds 20 Pounds-Pellets-Crumbles-Grain in Bucket

Chicken Feeder-Holds 20 Pounds-Pellets-Crumbles-Grain in Bucket – For 21st Century Chicken Owners – Inside or Outside of Coop – Use With Nipple Waterer (2 Feed Ports -Corner Placement (4-6 Hens))

Comes fully assembled – Simply fill with feed and it’s ready for your hens. Holds 20 pounds of feed! Refill once every 30 days for 2 hens, 14 days for 4 hens, and once every week for 8 hens

Place feeder anywhere in your yard/run and the feed stays try. No need to put it undercover

No more squirrels, wild birds, mice, or rats getting into your coop looking for feed on the ground as 99% of feed stays in the feeder – Even with your most wasteful hen! 100% Food Grade and BPA Free Plastic

Features of Chicken Feeder-Holds 20 Pounds-Pellets-Crumbles-Grain in Bucket

3- COMBO LARGE RITE FARM PRODUCTS FEEDER CHICKEN POULTRY

Heavy Duty Rite Farm Products large 2.65-gallon capacity waterer & a large 13.25-pound capacity feeder (perfect size for 12 chickens or so).

Versatile easy to use design for watering & feeding the backyard flock. They may be hung or sit on the ground and are easy to clean.

Washable all-weather strong plastic construction Versatile, can hang with an included hanger or sit on the ground Feeder features a lid and feeder divider guard Water features a strong metal handle Visible water

Feed level 2 piece waterer and 3 piece feeder design is easy to clean Waterer 14 inches wide by 13 inches tall Feeder 13 inches wide by 10 inches tall

Features of COMBO LARGE RITE FARM PRODUCTS FEEDER CHICKEN POULTRY

4- Happy Chicks 1 Qt. Hanging Harness

Proudly made in the U.S.A from strong durable nylon webbing and riveted together for many years of service. Stop trying to keep your poultry from scratching coop waste into their food or water.

This is an ideal product to keep your 1-quart plastic bottles fitted with waterer or feeder bases up and off of the floor of your brooder box or coop.

To refill your waterer or feeder, simply slide the “S”-hook off of the chain, turn the feeder or drinker upside down, twist off the base, fill it up, replace the feeder or drinker, turn right-side-up again and place it back in place at your desired height above the floor of your brooder box or coop! Great for chicks or grown chickens!

Features of Happy Chicks 1 Qt. Hanging Harness

5- Premier Poultry Grit & Oyster Shell Feeder – 6 Lb.

Grit station provides easy access to grit and oyster shells for a wide range of poultry, game birds, and waterfowl. Grit aids digestion and oyster shell enable stronger eggshells.

For all poultry. A removable lid allows easy filling and helps protect feed from outdoor elements.

Made of heavy-duty plastic. Measurements are 11″H x 11″W x 2.5″D. Ships from Iowa, USA.

Features of Premier Poultry Grit & Oyster Shell Feeder – 6 Lb.

Read also Chicken Raising FAQ for Beginner, Intermediate & Advanced.