The arrangement of the feeder for pigs is the next stage after the construction of the corral and the preparation of the shed for the animals to live. When growing at home, the most appropriate is to make a container for food with your own hands. To do this, you can use improvised materials and ready-made ideas.
Pig feeding
General requirements
A feeder for piglets or adult pigs must meet the requirements of sanitary standards, be easy to use, easy to wash and clean. The health of the livestock directly depends on the cleanliness of the container into which the feed is poured, since pathogenic and opportunistic bacteria, which are the causative agents of infectious diseases, are planted in food residues.
Reference. There are feeder size standards for different ages of pigs. So, for adults, the width of the container should be 50 cm, length – 40 cm. For young animals, the average size of the feeding place should be 25-30 cm, and for small piglets – 15 cm.
Basic recommendations for the manufacture of the feeder:
- For dry and wet food, you need to provide different feeders. To supply dry formula, the feeding container must be wider and longer, as its contents tend to crumble.
- When choosing a material for a “liquid” feeder, it is necessary to select only hermetic materials.
- The design of the feeder should provide convenient and free access for the animal to food.
- When making or attaching the feeder, it is worthwhile to provide for a forward slope so that food debris accumulates in the animal’s access zone.
It is unacceptable that the waste products of pigs are present in the feeders, so they are made high enough and mounted on walls or special supports. Very convenient is the automatic feeder for pigs: in this case, the feeding is carried out without the presence of a person and optimizes the care of the herd.
Automatic feeder for pigs
Basic views
Feeders are divided by type and design. Depending on the number of pigs and the principles of feeding, permanent and mobile feeding containers, individual and group, are distinguished. According to the type of construction, they distinguish:
- simple ones, which in most cases are an ordinary basin or trough, installed on the floor or attached to a support;
- automatic, in which the supply of feed is carried out as it is eaten.
Automatic feeders are designed for compound feed: they can be used to create a supply for several days and minimize manual labor in caring for animals.
How to do it yourself?
Containers for feeding pigs and piglets can be made industrially: such designs can be purchased at farm shops or from feed suppliers. Also, a farmer can make a convenient functional container with his own hands, it will take quite a bit of time, suitable material and tools.
The first thing you need to make a feeder is the choice of a suitable container. For this, materials that provide stability and ease of access for animals are suitable.
From a plastic barrel
Making a feeder from a plastic barrel
A plastic barrel is an excellent material for making a feeder. The main thing is to make sure that no poisonous substances were stored in it, which can adversely affect the health of the animal. It’s great if it’s a food grade plastic barrel.
How to make a container for feeding:
- Mark with a ruler and marker. For adult pigs, dividing the container in half is suitable. For feeding piglets, the barrel can be divided into 3 sectors.
- A jigsaw works well for cutting plastic. You can also use a regular saw or grinder.
- To increase the stability of the structure, the cut off part of the barrel is installed on wooden slats, to which it is screwed with self-tapping screws.
- All cut edges of the barrel must be cleaned to protect the pigs.
From a gas bottle
Feeders made from old gas cylinders have a significant advantage over similar structures made of plastic or wood – a long service life. Durable metal mounted on a welded frame will last at least 20 years.
The procedure for making a feeder from a balloon:
- Make sure that there is no gas left in the cylinder, for which it is necessary to fully open the valve.
- Remove the cylinder valve with a grinder or a hacksaw.
- Fill the bottle with water to flush out the condensate. To do this, it is most convenient to connect a hose with water. Water from washing must be poured out of the access zone of animals and people (optimally – into the sewer), as it may have an unpleasant smell of gas.
- Cut the balloon in half with a grinder. If you are planning a feeder for piglets, then you can cut off a smaller part of the balloon.
- Weld metal rods across the resulting container so that the pig could only eat and could not completely climb into the feeder.
- To install the feeder, you can weld a metal frame or knock down a wooden frame.
Making a feeder from old gas cylinders
From PVC pipes
Large-diameter plastic pipes are the cheapest and most affordable material for making utensils for pigs.
It is enough to cut a piece of the pipe of the required length, cut it in half with a grinder and install the plugs along the edges, which are sold complete with PVC pipes. To fix the feeders, you can use boards or wooden slats, to which the bottom of the feeder is screwed with self-tapping screws.
Other types of feeders
In addition to the structures listed above, farming uses more convenient and modern models that allow you not to monitor the consumption of feed, but to supply it as you eat it.
Bunker feeders
Bunker feeders for pigs are professional equipment that is used on farms. As a rule, such structures have a steel surface that is resistant to corrosion and completely safe for animals. Also, feeders of this type are made of special durable plastic. The design feature of the bunker type is the presence of a container for creating a supply of feed. Its supply to the lower part of the feeder is carried out regularly with a given dosage.
Bunker feeder for pigs
Advantages of bunker feeders:
- preventing spillage of feed on the floor;
- convenient service;
- saving time on the maintenance of the pigsty;
- savings in feed consumption.
automatic feeders
Automatic feeder for pigs – optimized hopper-type designs in which the supply of food to the livestock is fed automatically at a predetermined dosage. They have a special upper drawer for filling the feed and are equipped with stops to prevent the spreading of feed. An auto-feeder for pigs is bought ready-made, since its independent production requires a lot of time and labor.
A suitable feeder design will provide easy access to food for animals, feed economy and help maintain cleanliness in the pig house. However, it must be borne in mind that even automatic feeders require periodic cleaning, disinfection and checking for proper operation.
