If you’ve ever fed chickens by hand in the pouring rain, slipping in the mud while your hens cluck like you’re late for dinner—you’ll know why we were desperate for a better system. Like most things on the homestead, we found a solution the old-fashioned way: by trial, error, and a bit of creative rigging. That’s when we built our first poultry gravity feeder, and friends, we haven’t looked back.
We didn’t just save feed—we saved hours every single week. Here’s the full story of how this simple setup changed our daily routine and helped us get more done (and stay a little cleaner doing it).
Back when we started with our first small flock, feeding the chickens was a part of the morning rhythm—coffee in one hand, scoop of feed in the other. Cute at first. But by the time we grew to 20 birds and added morning chores like milking goats and tending the garden, “quick” became anything but.
We were refilling feeders every morning and cleaning up spilled feed daily. The hens would scratch, toss grain, and sometimes flip the tray. We’d easily lose 20 minutes a day just feeding and tidying up.
That’s over 2 hours a week just dealing with feed mess.
If you haven’t seen one before, a poultry feeder is about as straightforward as it sounds. You pour the feed into a container (we use a 5-gallon bucket), and gravity does the work—dispensing feed into a small access port as the chickens eat. No scooping, no wasted feed, and no more spilled pans.
We added a few PVC elbows and placed it about 6 inches off the ground to keep it clean and pest-free. No batteries, no moving parts—just smart design.
I’ll be honest—building the first one took us about an hour. We had to cut the holes just right, smooth the edges, and test the flow. But once it was up and running, the difference was night and day.
Before:
After:
That’s a 70% time savings, and with how busy things get on the homestead, that time is gold.
Let’s break it down. According to sources, poultry feed waste can account for up to 15% of total feed used when using open trays or pans.
We tested this ourselves over two weeks. Here’s what we found:
| Feeder Type | Feed Refill Frequency | Feed Wasted/Week | Time Spent/Week |
| Tray Feeder (Old | Daily | ~3 lbs | ~2.5 hours |
| Gravity Feeder (New) | Every 6–7 days | <0.5 lbs | ~45 minutes |
Less mess, less labor, and fewer trips to the feed store. That’s a win in our book.
(Source: Purdue Extension Poultry Management Bulletin, 2020)
If you’re feeding more than a handful of chickens, absolutely. Ours paid for itself in under a month—both in saved feed and freed-up time. Plus, it keeps the coop cleaner, which cuts down on mold, pests, and even illness in the flock.
Some folks prefer to buy pre-made feeders, and that’s fine too. We’ve tested a few on the market while reviewing products for the site, and we can honestly say that the best feeders for chickens are the ones that do two things well: reduce waste and keep your hands clean.
If it’s a gravity-fed model, even better.
If you’re thinking of switching to a gravity feeder, here’s what we’ve learned:
We’ve shared plans and photos over at Riverbend Resources, along with ready-to-use feeder kits if DIY isn’t your thing. Either way, we’re here to help.
We never expected something so simple to change our daily rhythm this much. But that’s the beauty of homesteading, right? Finding smart, practical ways to make the work more manageable—so you can spend more time living and less time chasing feed pans through the mud.
Give our poultry gravity feeder a try. Visit our store Riverbend Resources!
At Riverbend Resources, we’re dedicated to simplifying poultry care. With durable, cost-effective feeders and waterers, our mission is to support backyard chicken enthusiasts and small-scale farmers. Join our growing community committed to quality and sustainability.
Copyright © 2025 All Rights Reserved
Sign up for our newsletter to receive eggciting MEMBER ONLY discounts!
