Easy-To-Make Cattle Feeder

Easy-To-Make Cattle Feeder LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 32-5-25 You can buy inexpensive cattle trough feeders at just about any farm supply store. But a year or two later, the "beer can" metal will look pretty beat up, says Darol Dickinson at the Dickinson Cattle Co., Barnesville, Ohio. "Having had this problem for years, we started experimenting with the idea of using 24-in. dia. plastic culvert to make inexpensive troughs. "We cut them in half lengthways with a saw and then cut used 55-gal. plastic drums into fourths to close in the ends of the troughs. We used a section of the troughs to serve as legs, bolting them on upside down with 2-in. fender washers (use stainless or galvanized bolts and washers). We also use bolts and large washers to attach the barrel ends. "You have to drill a hole into each reinforcement ridge so water will drain out the bottom and not freeze, as well as the inside bottom of each trough. "These troughs won't rust and are made from heavy-wall plastic that will last for the next 50 years or so. You can make them to any size you need. "For a smaller feeder use 18-in. dia. tubing, which can be attached to a wall or fence. A 20-ft. long culvert sells for about $10 per running foot, depending on where you purchase." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Dickinson Cattle Co., Inc., 35000 Muskrat Rd., Barnesville, Ohio 43713 (ph 740 758-5050).

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