Handmade Wooden Goat Feeder

While goats are known for eating almost any material, hay is one of the most nutrient-rich food you can provide them. Many feeders don̵7;t protect the hay from insect infestations, though. The ground is covered with an assortment of insects that can harm your goats when ingested. The insects can also wear down the longevity of your hay, which is wasteful and expensive. Building your own raised feeder allows you to tailor it to the appropriate size for your goat herd while protecting the food from ground infestations.

Things You'll Need

  • Wooden pallets
  • Bailing wire
  • Pliers
  • 2-by-4s
  • Post driver
  • Hammer
  • Hay
  • L brackets
  • Drill
  • Screws
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Instructions

    • 1

      Lay two wooden pallets side by side on the ground. Connect the two together using bailing wire by wrapping it around the connected board on the pallets and twisting the ends together using pliers. These pallets serve as the foundation of your feeder and prevents the hay from touching the ground.

    • 2

      Drive a 2-by-4 into the ground at each corner of the two horizontal pallets using a post driver, which is a manual device you place over the top of the post and slam down to pound a post into the soil. The 2-by-4s should be twice as long as your pallets. Drive them a pallet̵7;s length into the ground.

    • 3

      Insert the claw side of a hammer under every other board on the pallet. Crank the hammer forward to pry the boards off along with the nails, leaving every other board in place, as well as the boards in either end of the pallet. This creates gaps in the pallets, which allow the goats to stick their head through the feeder and collect hay.

    • 4

      Set a pallet on its side against all sides of the two horizontal pallets. Wrap a piece of bailing wire around the sides of the pallets and the 2-by-4s. Twist the ends of the wire to create a secure hold.

    • 5

      Connect the two pallets running the length of the feeder by wrapping bailing wire around the sides of the pallet that touch. Twist the wire ends with pliers to make the wire secure. This forms a box of pallets with an open top.

    • 6

      Fill the inside of the box with hay. Pull strands of hay through the openings in the pallets along the side, making it easier for goats to retrieve the hay.

    • 7

      Add 2-by-4 legs to the bottom of the feeder if you notice insects are still reaching the hay. Turn the feeder upside-down, and place wooden legs against the four corners of the bottom of the feeder. Place L brackets next to each leg, one on every side of the leg and equaling four per leg.

    • 8

      Screw the L brackets in place by inserting a screw through each hole in each bracket.