Feed Scoops From Coffee

I made long-handled scoops to collect feed (Dog/Chicken) from 55 Gallon and tall rat-proof barrels to make it easier to get to the last kibble/kernel.

It seems that, as I age well, I've less tolerance for the odd bit of extra work/effort I once thought little of expending.

Now, while the 'proof of concept' image shows me pouring feed on the ground, I generally put a small, empty feeder right in the barrel of cracked cork and fill it there. If I miss and spill a bit meant for the feeder, it winds up right back in the barrel - like magic.

It takes about two and a half of the larger Scoops to fill each feeder and we need to fill them every third day (or so) so these scoops get a workout and keep on ticking.

I've been feeding chickens for ten years or so now and find these well worth 33 days of drinking coffee (to empty the big containers) and the least bit of 'carpentry/mechanical skills.'

I've definitively got the least bit of carpentry/mechanical skills down pat.

Empty Coffee Container

Scrap wood

Wood Screws

Wood Glue

Hot Melt Glue

Sander

Find a piece of wood in your scrap pile long enough to allow one end of it to touch the bottom of you feed barrel while the other end is held in your hand.

Set an old coffee container on it and drill a hole through the can and into the stick a bit.

Put a screw in the hole. Screw it tight and then drill a second such pilot hole a few inches from the first and put another screw in it.

If your stick is a bit thin, glue two pieces together to make a thicker stick (you want it to be thicker than your screws are long. See my 'Ooops pic' where the sharp pointy ends of the screws protruded clean through my stick and hand to be sanded/ground down.

Having the stick at right angles to the bottom of the old coffee container does not work well. So after I made one that way, I added a scrap of plywood to acuter the angle and that helped - wife uses that one for the dog's feed.

On one I made, I coated the exposed screw heads with Hot Melt Glue. Not at all necessary - the chickens'll never know.

Have I failed to explain a step? Neglected to include each and every aspect of the prior planning and concept development? My only excuse is that I've had too many cups of coffee today. If you would like a detailed set of drawings in a .pdf or printed manual . . . well, if I win the contest, call me.