Chicken Feeder for 5 Gallon Bucket

This is a spill free design for feeding chickens with 5 gallon buckets.

I made this when I saw that kits like this were $35+ on Amazon or ebay, and they didn't contour to a buckets curvature. I also had some half full spools of PETG laying around without a use for them. Lastly, they didn't come with any diffuser for the bottom of the bucket.

Why a diffuser? This keeps all the chicken food always going to the feeder outlets. This is very important as without it, the food in the center of the bucket would never get consumed. Over time chicken food absorbs moisture from the air and will begin to rot. The diffuser elimiates this concern all together!

This is a whole package to get your chickens fed, and with the capacity of a 5 gallon bucket, there will be less trips out to the coop to feed them!

Any questions please ask!

See photos, tested and works great! Chickens required no training to find the food.

Print Settings:

Any material will do, I do suggest PETG or ABS filament though.

All parts EXCEPT the Diffuser, suggest 4-6 wall thickness with a 0.4mm nozzle. 25% Infill.

The diffuser is large; its a 257mm square. I have included both a whole part as well as a 4 part version for smaller printers.

This part can consume a lot of filament if settings are not modified. Suggested print settings are 2 wall thickness, and 10-15% infill. If you have a well tuned printer, a single wall thickness is suggested to save material.

Please also pay attention to orientation in the image above.

Supports: Only supports should be used with the Feeder Outlets.

Assembly Instructions:

Tools and Materials Required:
- 3D printed Parts
- 5 Gallon Bucket
- Cord/Cordless Drill
- 3" Hole Saw Drill Bit
- Tape Measure

Steps:
1. Drill one (1) 3" diameter hole 3-3.5" from the bottom of the outside of the bucket.
2. Drop in the Bucket Diffuser
3. Insert Feeder Outlet from the inside of the bucket until the curved flat is against the bucket.
4. Place the Curved Washer over the threads on the Feeder Outlet on the outside of the bucket
5. Tighten Nut around the Feeder Outlet.
6. Repeat Procedure until all 6 are drilled and installed.

NOTE: Once 2 Feeder Outlets are in stalled, the buffer can no longer be installed or removed. Install after the first hole, and use as a guide for alignment of the remaining holes.

Threads: If your printer's cooling is not very good the threads may be a bit difficult to start. I suggest using some lubricant on the threads to help get them started and let the heat between the two parts form the threads as your tighten/work it on. My parts printed great and I had no issues. I added an additional clearance to the threads to help combat this, but your mileage may vary.