The latest chicken coop project, the Minivan Chicken Coop, is planned to be a little different than the other car coops in that it will be made to be a larger scale bulk feeder with the intent of being able to feed the chickens on a longer term basis, such as during a vacation. Along with the larger scale drinker cup plumbing apparatus, these bulk feeders would be filled with a whole 50 lb sack of feed, possibly more between the two, allowing for a long term feeding, even during regular times. This first feeder that I'm trying to make is to be made from a single 5 gallon bucket and a gallon capacity feeder with an open top.
First move is to prepare the bucket. This bucket was already holed from its previous use as a planter. The pieces to be used in this device are a 5 gallon bucket, the feeder and an RV chimney shield. I have to cut a large hole to allow for the chimney shield to be placed over as part of the hopper construction. I did this by laying the shield on the bucket bottom and tracing a marker outline, then removing it and tracing a smaller circle inside the first outline. It's this smaller circle that was cut out. With the hole done, I placed the RV shield back on the bucket bottom, covering the hole. The next move is to drill five small holes around the lip of the shield and into the outer edge of the hole, still inside the ring drawn on the bottom. Five small nuts/bolts/washers were used to secure the shield to the hole. Next move is drilling another set of holes going through the top rim of the feeder and through the top edge of the shield. The holes are another set of five holes, drilled at an angle, through the top edge of the feeder and into the lip of the feeder. As before, bolts were used, except they were longer bolts to go through the extra material, secured with nuts and washers. With the feeder secured to the shield, the last thing is to seal the gaps and openings around the shield so feed won't spill from the gaps or provide intrusion points for moisture or dirt or anything else. This is where the hot glue came into play. Using it to fill the gaps around the bucket bottom and the RV shield, I sealed the gaps enough to ensure full closure. The thing with this bulk feeder though is the idea that it will not be a standalone unit. Along with the other unit I still have to make, both of these units will be supported on a framework I still have to make that will help cradle the hoppers that will hold the bulk food. By themselves the bulk feeders would probably fall apart under their own weight. With the framework I'll make, the heaviest parts will be supported, and will look a lot neater in the van body along with the other apparatus I plan to install within.
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