Chick Feeder

This model is for a chicken feeder for standard-mouth (some refer as small-mouth or regular-mouth) canning jars (pint, quart, 1/2 gallon).  I recommend quart sized jars. These work best when raising chicks during their first 3 months or so of life.  I printed in PLA however most filament types will work well. 3 or more wall loops will ensure the jar threads don't break away when tightening the jar. Do not over tighten the jars loose fit is fine.

 

The design is a 2-piece design which minimizes and simplifies supports.  A small amount of supports are required for the top half of the model. To assemble simply align the 2 tabs of the top half to the bottom half and twist to lock. I apologize in advance, due to the steep angles of the design, the prints sometimes aren't the prettiest but still function fine.  Switching to a 0.16mm layer height might improve print quality if that's important to you.

 

If you don't have canning jars, Goodwill usually has individual quart sized jars for cheap. Also, Classico spaghetti jars (jar used in my photo) work well. 

 

6/16/2025: Several have had problems with bed adhesion and print quality. The original design provided a small contact area with the print bed resulting in difficulty with bed adhesion.  Also, the feed holes created 7 cantilevers that flexed during printing effecting bed adhesion and reduced print quality.  I updated the design to provide more contact area with the print bed, added an inside brim to help with bed adhesion and added supports on the cantilever portions to eliminate flexing.  Hope this helps improve the print quality and reliability.

 

6/16/2025: Added Wide Mouth Jar Design and Profile

 

I have a similar design for larger containers such as 1-gallon jars with a 110mm opening.

    Chicken Feeder for Large Containers - Free 3D Print Model - MakerWorld

 

If you need a waterer for your chicks, check out my chick waterer model:

     Chick Waterer by JC58 - MakerWorld

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