Several of these I have built over the years have been in use for over 15 years in the woods and are still very solid and functional. Material list for trough feeders - I like to use treated lumber for everything to ensure it will last. Placing a couple of dog proof or cage style traps in the vicinity of your feeder is almost a guaranteed catch and a quick place to keep your small predators in check. I have also utilized these feeders as a great place to target varmints that need to be trapped such as raccoons, opossums, skunks, etc.
The end goal is to supply clean, dry feed to wildlife and have it available whenever they choose to feed day or night.
#Deer feeder trough how to
There are no rules written in stone on how to go about building these feeders or the materials you choose to use. In my years of managing properties, I see that many times this increases feed consumption, cuts down on wasted feed, and creates less problems with deer, turkeys, and pests all showing up at a timed feeder at the same time waiting for it to go off. It allows your deer and turkeys to access feed at any time during the day or night. In hot and humid climates, feeds can go bad very quickly when they lay on damp dirt or leaves even for a very short time.Ī free-choice designed feeder means just that. Protein pellets and other feed are not cheap and spin-cast style feeders can have a lot of waste to non-target animals and other pests if not consumed by the deer fairly soon after the feeder goes off. The measurements included in this build will also allow fawns to access feed without it lying on the ground. After all, our main goal for supplying a protein pellet or enhanced feed is so all your deer use them and consume feed to increase their nutritional intake. Some older deer, particularly bucks, can get a little shy around noisy automatic feeders. Automatic feeders definitely have their place, but some managers find the simplicity of an open, trough-type feeder the best option.Īnother benefit from these open station trough feeders is the utilization by all age classes of deer. A major advantage of a “free-choice,” covered, trough-style feeder is the low maintenance and lack of any parts, batteries or motors to worry about failing. One of the most effective feeders I have found is pretty simple to build and will last for many years when built with quality materials. I built 8 of these 9 years ago and they are just as solid as the day they were built.When it comes to feeders, there are dozens of different styles to choose from to meet your needs. The feeder pictured is built out of scrap metal roofing and treated lumber. These dimensions are only suggestions and can be modified to suit your build. I also suggest using two lag bolts to attach a piece of chain to the same end of the feeder as the angle cut 4圆’s, this way you can back right up to the feeder on your ATV or truck and throw the chain around your hitch to move it around. Another important tip is to build the feet of the trough from 4圆 lumber and cut one end at an angle, to create a “skid.” This way the feeder can be moved to different locations. This will easily hold an average of 200 pounds of feed. The dimensions of the trough pictured are about 2 feet wide and 5 feet long.
The sides of the trough should be around 24 inches off the ground to allow fawns to access the feeder. The sides of the roof should be 72 inches or more off the ground to keep any bucks in velvet from hitting their antlers. I suggest finding scrap or second-hand metal roofing to top the feeder.
#Deer feeder trough free
The overall cost of the materials for this feeder will be between $100 and $200 depending upon where you buy your material, the size you choose and if you do the work yourself.Ī couple of important things to remember when building a free choice feeder like this are the height of the roof and height of the trough. The size of the feeder can be increased or decreased to fit your specific needs.
This is a simple, but very effective free-choice feeder you can build on your own that will provide many years of service. Supplemental feeding has a long list of benefits for your deer herd, but putting the extra time and money into feeding protein pellets, corn or other grains can quickly go to waste if you can’t keep it dry.
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