Pig Feeder

This summer we wanted to take a few trips without having to have someone come over to the farm to feed the farm animals, so my husband decided to make some animal self-feeders. The animals in the most need of having the ability to feed themselves for an extended period of time were the pigs.

I was not able to witness the step by step process my husband did in making the pig feeders because I was knee deep in canning tomatoes, but I did manage to take some photos at various times. He ended up making four feeders. This is how my husband explained to me on how he made the pig feeders:

The wood on the outside of the pig feeder is treated wood. The wood on the inside of the pig feeder that is touching the feed is not treated which includes the inside walls and the base of the feed trough. The spacing at the bottom of the feeder is about ½ inch, so that the corn can fall through. The walls are 3/8 inch thick plywood, which is reinforced on the outside by treated 2 by 4.

The Back Side of the Feeder

The Front Side of the Feeder

 

Everything is screwed in with screws. Nails are not used because the pigs will be a little rough with their pig feeder and the screws can take the abuse better than nails.

The Side View of the Feeder before Side Walls are Added

 

The Inside View of the Feeder before the Side Walls are Added

 

My husband made two rectangular boxes. He used two by four lumber that was treated. He cut them 20 inches long for the width of the rectangle and 48 inches long for the length of the rectangle. These two boxes are set apart 13 inches on the inside measurement and 20 inches on the outside measurement. There are 3 braces of 2 by 4 of treated wood on each side to make it sturdy.

The Back of the Feeder, notice that it is raised off of the ground a bit

A Closer Look at the Side View of the Feeder

 

 

Side View of the Feeder after Side Walls are Added

Next, he added sides to hold the feed in. He used 3/8 inch plywood for this.  He added a board on the bottom to hold the food that the pig will eat. He also added a lip (a 2 by 4 piece of wood) to the bottom board to help hold the feed in the feed trough.

Front View of Completed Feeder

Closer Look at Front of Feeder

This is a another feeder he made using 2 by 4 scrap lumber instead of plywood. This is a view of the feed trough where the food falls to the surface for the pigs to eat.

 

Underneath the bottom board he added treated 2 by 4 which he split in half. He screwed this to all four sides on the edge under the bottom board so that the feed trough would sit off of the ground and will not rot as quickly.

View of Feeder Lid

Another View of Feeder Lid

 

On top of the feeder he added a lid, which is just a 3/4 inch treated plywood attached by 2 hinges. Under the hinges on the outside of the feeder he added a piece of wood to use as a support for the lid when it is open. This support keeps the lid from flopping down and potentially ripping out or loosening the door hinges.  The lid is bigger than the opening of the feed trough for two reasons. One reason is that it provides a place for your hand to grip the door so you are able to open it. The other reason is that it provides an overhang which provides weather protection for the feed that sits on the bottom board of the feed trough.

Back Side of Feeder placed up against Fence

 

Feeder is screwed into top and bottom of the fence for stability.

Now it is ready to be bolted down to the side of the pig pen. He attached a treated 2 by 4 piece of wood to the top of the corral board of the pig pen and screwed it in to the back of the pig feeder. He screwed in the top and about 8 inches from the bottom of the feeder to the pig fence so that it would be sturdy and would not move around. Pigs have a tendency to move things left in their pen. Pigs are strong. About 3 bags of feed or 150 pounds would fit inside of this pig feeder.

Inside View of Feeder where Corn is Added

Outside View of Feeder where Corn comes out for Pigs

 

The pig quickly found the feed in the feeder and went to eating.

A Happy Pig Enjoying Her New Pig Self-Feeder

 

He estimated that it cost about $35 dollars to construct the pig feeder. It could cost less if you are able to recycle wood or use wood leftover from another project. I would suggest to use what wood you do have first before purchasing more to keep your cost down.

The pig feeders were such a success that he made one for the dogs as well. These self-feeders are real handy when we are on a vacation or if we have a busy week and are unable to feed the pigs or dogs on a daily basis.