6 Best Self Feeding Trough Feeders For Busy Farmers That Reduce Feed Waste
Busy farmers can save time and cut costs. We review the 6 best self-feeding trough feeders designed to minimize feed waste and boost farm efficiency.
The morning rush is a familiar chaos for any part-time farmer: get the animals fed before you head to your day job, rain or shine. Spilled grain, muddy feed, and the nagging feeling that half of it is going to waste is a constant frustration. Investing in the right self-feeding trough isn’t about luxury; it’s a strategic move to reclaim your time and cut down on feed bills. These feeders work around the clock, so you don’t have to.
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Why Self-Feeders Save Time and Reduce Spoilage
A self-feeder, or gravity feeder, is your best employee. It holds a bulk amount of feed and uses gravity to keep a small amount available for animals to eat on demand. This immediately frees you from the twice-a-day feeding schedule, turning a daily chore into a weekly or bi-weekly task of simply refilling the hopper.
The real magic, however, is in waste reduction. When you dump feed on the ground or in an open trough, animals will inevitably step in it, soil it, or simply push it around. A well-designed self-feeder protects the bulk of the feed from the elements and the animals themselves. It dispenses only what can be eaten, drastically cutting down on spoilage from rain, mud, and manure.
This "free choice" access can also lead to calmer, healthier livestock. Animals aren’t competing frantically at feeding time, which reduces stress and injuries. They eat when they are hungry, leading to more consistent weight gain and better overall condition. It’s a simple system that pays dividends in time, money, and animal welfare.
Tarter Creep Feeder for Calves and Small Stock
Creep feeding is a game-changer for raising healthy young animals. The concept is simple: you provide high-quality feed exclusively for the young, using a feeder they can access but their larger mothers cannot. The Tarter Creep Feeder is specifically designed for this, with adjustable bars that create calf-sized openings.
This feeder is built to live in the pasture. Its heavy-duty steel construction and weather-resistant cover keep the feed clean and dry, which is critical for preventing mold and protecting expensive starter feeds. By giving calves, lambs, or kids this nutritional head start, you promote faster growth and reduce the strain on their mothers.
The main consideration here is its specialized nature. This isn’t a general-purpose feeder for your whole herd. It’s a targeted tool for a specific phase of livestock production. But if you’re looking to wean stronger, heavier calves, a dedicated creep feeder is one of the best investments you can make.
Behlen Country Galvanized Trough for Durability
When you need a feeder that can take a beating, galvanized steel is the answer. The Behlen Country Galvanized Trough is a workhorse designed to withstand the abuse of cattle, horses, and hogs without cracking, breaking, or getting chewed to pieces. The zinc coating protects it from rust, ensuring it lasts for years out in the harsh elements.
This feeder’s V-bottom design is a key feature, as it funnels feed toward the center, ensuring animals can clean it up easily and minimizing leftover waste. The feed-saving lip along the edge also helps prevent animals from pushing feed out onto the ground. It’s a simple, robust design that just works.
The tradeoff for this durability is weight. A steel feeder isn’t something you’ll want to move frequently by hand. It’s best for permanent or semi-permanent feeding locations where its toughness is more valuable than its portability.
Little Giant Fence Feeder for Goats and Sheep
Goats and sheep are notoriously picky and wasteful eaters. A fence-mounted feeder like the Little Giant is the perfect solution for managing them effectively. By hanging it on a fence or gate, you keep the feed off the ground and away from contaminants, which is crucial for preventing parasite transmission.
These feeders are typically made from a tough, molded polyethylene that is easy to clean and won’t rust or corrode. Their compact design is ideal for smaller pens, stalls, or rotational grazing setups where space is at a premium. The brackets make installation and removal a breeze, allowing you to move your feeding station as you move your animals.
Because they hang at head height, they also promote a more natural eating posture. More importantly, the design makes it difficult for animals to stand in their feed, which is the number one cause of waste with small ruminants. For a small flock of sheep or herd of goats, this is often the most practical and cost-effective choice.
Brower Hog Feeder: Top Choice for Finishing Swine
Pigs are intelligent, strong, and incredibly hard on equipment. A feeder for finishing swine needs to be more than just a container; it needs to be an indestructible fortress. The Brower Hog Feeder is engineered specifically for this challenge, with heavy-gauge steel and a design that outsmarts the animals.
One of its most critical features is the feed-flow adjustment plate, which lets you control how much grain is dispensed into the trough. This, combined with an agitator that prevents feed from "bridging" or clogging in the hopper, ensures a constant supply without overwhelming the trough. The deep trough and feed-saver lip are essential for minimizing the significant waste that pigs can create.
While it’s a significant upfront investment, a high-quality hog feeder pays for itself surprisingly quickly. When you consider that feed can account for over 70% of the cost of raising a pig, reducing waste by even 10-15% adds up to serious savings over time. This is a tool for serious swine producers.
Sioux Steel Bulk Feeder for Large Capacity Needs
For the hobby farmer who is scaling up, refilling feeders can become a major time sink. The Sioux Steel Bulk Feeder addresses this head-on with its massive capacity, often holding a ton of feed or more. This means you can fill it directly from a truck or wagon and forget about it for weeks, not days.
These feeders are built for the pasture, featuring a heavy-duty skid base for stability and weather-tight lids to protect a large volume of feed. They are an excellent choice for managing a small herd of beef cattle or a large flock of sheep on pasture, providing a consistent free-choice feed source with minimal labor.
The primary consideration is logistics. You need a way to fill it, which usually means a tractor with a front-end loader or an auger system. This isn’t a feeder for a couple of backyard animals; it’s a piece of infrastructure for a farm managing larger numbers and buying feed in bulk.
Farm-Tuff Poly Trough for Easy Portability
Sometimes, the best feeder is the one you can move by yourself. The Farm-Tuff Poly Trough is all about lightweight versatility. Made from durable, UV-stabilized polyethylene, it won’t rust, rot, or crack in extreme temperatures, but it’s light enough for one person to carry and reposition.
This portability is invaluable for rotational grazing systems. You can easily move the feeder with your animals to a fresh paddock, which helps distribute manure and prevents overgrazing around a single feeding spot. It’s also simple to flip over and clean out.
While it’s tough, a poly trough isn’t as indestructible as a heavy steel feeder. It’s an excellent choice for sheep, goats, and calves, but might not stand up to the abuse of large, determined cattle or hogs. It’s the perfect balance of durability and convenience for a flexible grazing operation.
Choosing the Right Feeder for Your Livestock
There is no single "best" feeder; there’s only the best feeder for your specific situation. Don’t get sold on a feature you don’t need. Instead, think through the practical realities of your farm and your animals.
Start by asking yourself a few key questions. Answering them honestly will point you directly to the right piece of equipment.
- What animals am I feeding? A goat has very different needs and behaviors than a 1,200-pound steer. The feeder must be designed for the animal’s size, strength, and eating habits.
- How many animals are in the group? Capacity is crucial. You need a feeder large enough to avoid constant refilling but also one that allows all animals, even the most timid, to get their share.
- Where will it be located? A feeder living outside in a muddy pasture needs to be far more durable and weather-resistant than one used inside a dry barn.
- How important is portability? If you practice rotational grazing, a heavy, permanent feeder is a liability. If you have a set feedlot, portability is irrelevant.
- What is my feed budget? A more expensive feeder with excellent feed-saving features can have a much lower total cost of ownership over its lifetime than a cheap, wasteful trough.
Ultimately, the right feeder should match the scale and style of your operation. A well-chosen feeder becomes a silent partner, working efficiently in the background to save you labor and money every single day.
Choosing the right self-feeder is an investment in the efficiency and sustainability of your farm. It’s a tool that directly impacts your bottom line by protecting your most expensive input: the feed. By matching the equipment to your animals and management style, you can spend less time on chores and more time enjoying the rewarding aspects of farming.
