Chicken Feeding Troughs

Chickens are notorious for wasting food, but you can help prevent waste by using a feeding trough. Troughs are adjustable as the chicks grow to discourage roosting on top of the feeder which is another cause of waste, and they are easily made or purchased from supply houses.

  1. Types

    • There are two types of feeding troughs: homemade and factory made. You can make a homemade trough using plans available from various websites and materials you probably have on hand. Homemade troughs are designed the way you want them to fit your situation. Factory-made troughs may be purchased locally or ordered and they are convenient and easy to use for both humans and chickens.

    Specifications

    • Provide enough troughs for all your chickens.

      If you feed your chickens free choice, meaning food is always available, then you should have enough feeders available so at least one-third of the chickens can eat at the same time. If you feed on a restricted schedule you'll need enough troughs to feed all the chickens at the same time. Allow 4 inches of trough space for each chicken to determine how many troughs you need.

    Design

    • A good feeding trough has a lip on the edges to prevent chickens from using their beaks to scoop food out on the ground, and the height is adjustable so it can be raised as the chickens grow to prevent waste.

    Cleaning

    • If chickens are not prevented from roosting on top of the trough, their droppings will contaminate the food. If this happens you should dump the wasted food and rinse the trough with a mild detergent or a 50/50 mixture of bleach and water. Using an antiroosting device which turns and dumps a chicken trying to roost on it keeps the trough clean.