New idea for Hog Feeder, The Third Approach

We are on our third try at creating a decent feeding station for the hog's pellet food. Try # 2 was so short lived, I didn't have time to blog about it!  This third attempt has promise so far... but before I explain what we did, lets review what didn't work:

#1 - Feeders along the fence, secured with baling wire, floored with rubber mats.

This was created by simply laying 4 ft x 6ft rubber mats on the bare ground against the fence, setting the metal feeders against the fence, and strapping bailing wire around them to secure it to the fence and tposts. It worked OK in the summer but not in the winter. First problem was that the hogs would tear the feeders off (breaking the bailing wire) if a feeder ever ran out. This was their attempt at "getting to the feed" when one appeared empty.  The worse problem showed up in winter with the rain. The rubber mats were soon covered with an inch of muddy water and although they kept the hogs from sinking, the top surface was unacceptable.

#2 - Mounting feeders on a pallet and moving around the pasture.

I personally thought this was a grand idea. Silly me. I did mount the 4 feeders on a single pallet, 2 on each side, securing them with 2x6 on each end and a 2x4 down the middle. 3 inch deck screws secured the metal feeder to the wood on the sides. First problem showed up when the horses figured out how to open the TOP of the feeders the second day. I tied them shut and then they learned how to open the feed doors themselves. Sigh. That meant putting up a border of electric fence around the area where the feeders would be kept to prevent the horses from reaching them.  The bigger problem showed up after a 3 day rain. The ground was so soft that driving the tractor in to retrieve them and move them was impossible. In fact. on the second try the tractor sunk down to the frame where the hogs had stood to eat. it took an hour to work it out, even with 4 wheel drive.  Both the area under the feeder and the path to  it was trashed into swamp mud within 2 days.  The third problem was that the hogs would completely tear off  the feeders, seemingly for fun.

#3 - Build a floor from pallets, secure feeders to the floor, line with rubber mats.

So, now we have 6 pallets screwed together underneath with 4 inch deck screws and 2x4 braces. that made a floor strong enough to pick up on one end and support itself.  This was placed in the corner of the pig pen, right on top of the straw. Then we covered it with rubber mats, except for under the feeders. the feeders themselves were screwed down to the pallets on the inside as well as across the back with a 2x6 inside and out for strength. The 2x6 on the outside was then screwed to the end of the pallet. The finished product seems stronger, stationary yet movable if necessary, and sanitary since it is above the water and mud level. The wide surface area underneath seems to keep the weight of the hogs from pushing it into the mud. So far so good!

Here are some pics:

Here is a view from the back. You can see the 2x6 braces attaching the feeders to the pallets.  The pallets on the outside of the fence are to allow refilling without standing in the mud. You can also see the rubber mats hanging over the edge of the pallets just a tad.

Side view showing the size of the "floor" relative to the hogs. On the right you can see the two barrels we are sprouting grain in as a test.

Hopefully this will last the winter, or until we decide to go ahead with the big round feeder we are tempted to buy. It holds half a ton at a time, making filling less frequent. Perhaps a setup like this would make it movable yet usable.  Anyway, until then this setup might work nicely.