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About Livestock Feeders

Livestock feeders come in a variety of designs for indoor or outdoor feeding of farm animals. Their chief purpose, as opposed to letting the animals eat off the ground, is to minimize waste from spillage or livestock stepping on the feed.

Many manufacturers design their feeders specifically for the size and behavior of cattle, calves, horses, hogs, sheep, goats (with or without horns), and other livestock. They do this because a feeder that works well for one type of animal might be easy to knock over, damage, or step into by another animal.

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Patriot CF-316 Creep Feeder

TractorHouse.com lists new and used feeders optimized for round or square hay bales, silage, grain, total mixed rations (TMR), molasses, or other feed, as well as supplements or salt. Dual-feed models can effectively offer animals both hay and grain, for example.

General Types & Materials

There are stationary feeders and portable models on skids for permanent or semi-permanent installation, as well as towable, pull-type feeders on wheels. The latter may also act as a transport system for bales or other feed. Feeders may be made of galvanized, painted, or powder-coated steel sheeting, pipe, square tubing, poly, or even concrete. In a time-honored tradition, some feeders are based on a durable rubber tractor tire cut in half like a bagel.

Towable designs include feeder wagons, feed trailers, hay racks, and hay wagons, along with mobile troughs and bunk feeders. Stationary feeders include hay baskets and bale feeders, fence line feed bunks, troughs, mangers, and hog feeders.

Specialty Models

Many feeders come with vertical or slant bars that the animals can poke their heads through to give each of them equal access to the feed without crowding. Creep feeders are a special type that takes this idea a step further. Using gates, bars, racks, or panels, creep feeders can be adjusted to give young, nursing animals access to feed while keeping mature adults out. This helps calves, ewes, and kids gain weight and develop their ability to graze.

Timed feeders are available to dispense feed several times a day according to a timer. Also, some manufacturers and DIYers make mineral feeders that can provide animals with additional nutrients or salt.

Refilling Equipment

The Feeders category also lists some feed dispensers that are designed to refill bunks or troughs using an auger and/or chute. Many can be mounted on a truck bed or utility vehicle (UTV) bed to replenish feed on the go. These include cake feeders, cube feeders, gravity feeders, and gravity tenders.

Find The Right Livestock Feeders

There are many, many manufacturers of livestock feeders around the world, but some of the most numerous new and used feeders available on TractorHouse.com are from Farmco, Meyer, Notch, Patriot, and Stoltzfus.