CoopWorx Feed & Water Silos: Complete Poultry Feeding System Guide

If you’ve kept chickens for more than five minutes, you already know the two biggest headaches of raising a flock: wasted feed and unwanted pests. Traditional open troughs and hanging feeders are notorious for letting chickens scatter their food everywhere, which practically invites mice and rats to dinner.

The CoopWorx feed and water silo system was designed specifically to fix these problems, making life easier whether you have a few backyard pets or a larger farm flock.

At Stumphouse Farms, we carry CoopWorx because we believe keeping chickens should be rewarding, not frustrating. You should spend less time cleaning up spilled grain and fighting off rodents, and more time enjoying your healthy birds.

This guide covers everything you need to know before you buy:

• System Overview: How the design works to stop waste.

• Silo Size Comparison: Finding the right fit for your flock size.

• Setup & Installation: Quick and easy ways to get started.

• Cost Analysis: How much money you'll actually save compared to traditional feeders.

What Is the CoopWorx System?

CoopWorx is a gravity-fed poultry feeding and watering system designed around a central insight: the less exposed your feed and water are to the elements, pests, and your chickens' scratching feet, the better your outcomes will be.

The system consists of two primary components, the CoopWorx Feed Silo and the CoopWorx Water Silo, each engineered for durability, weatherproofing, and rodent resistance. Both units are designed to be mounted outside the coop or attached to fencing, keeping the interior of your coop cleaner and drier while giving your birds continuous, controlled access to feed and fresh water.

The CoopWorx system is not a single-solution product. It's a complete feeding infrastructure built to scale with your flock, whether you're running 6 backyard hens or 200 birds across a small farm operation.

CoopWorx Feed Silo: 40lb vs 80lb Comparison

The feed silo is the centerpiece of the CoopWorx system. It operates on a gravity-fed design, releasing feed into a trough or port at the base as birds eat, while keeping the bulk of your feed sealed, dry, and inaccessible to rodents from above.

CoopWorx offers two feed silo sizes. Choosing the right one comes down to flock size, refill-frequency preferences, and the physical space available in your coop or run.

40lb Feed Silo

The 40lb silo is the entry-level option and the most popular choice for backyard flock owners managing small to medium-sized groups.

Capacity: Holds up to 40 pounds of dry feed 

Best for: Flocks of 6–20 birds 

Refill frequency: Every 5–10 days (varies by flock size and feed type) 

Footprint: Compact, designed to mount on a standard coop wall or fence panel without significant clearance requirements 

Weight when full: Manageable for a single adult to fill and mount

The 40lb silo is ideal for growers who want the convenience of reduced daily feeding chores without committing to a large infrastructure investment. For a family flock of 10–15 birds, this size comfortably spans a week or more between refills under normal feeding conditions.

80lb Feed Silo

The 80lb silo doubles capacity and is built for larger operations or growers who want to extend refill intervals as much as possible.

Capacity: Holds up to 80 pounds of dry feed 

Best for: Flocks of 20–75+ birds 

Refill frequency: Every 7–21 days (varies by flock size) 

Footprint: Requires more wall or post clearance, plan mounting location before purchasing 

Weight when full: Two-person fill recommended

For small farms, homesteads with larger flocks, or commercial operations looking to reduce daily labor, the 80lb silo offers meaningful time savings. Rather than managing feed every day or every other day, growers can set up a weekly or biweekly refill schedule and focus their time elsewhere.

Side-by-Side Comparison

CoopWorx Water Silo: Features and Benefits

Clean, consistent water access is non-negotiable for flock health, egg production, and growth rates. The CoopWorx Water Silo is designed to maintain fresh water availability without the constant refilling, algae buildup, and contamination problems that plague open waterers and traditional founts.

Key Features

Sealed reservoir design. The water silo keeps the bulk of your water supply sealed from debris, droppings, and direct sunlight, the primary contributors to algae growth and bacterial contamination in open waterers.

Gravity-fed delivery. Like the feed silo, the water silo operates on gravity, releasing water into a controlled-access trough or cup system at the base. Birds drink from the dispensing area only, not the reservoir, which dramatically reduces contamination.

Weatherproof construction. The silo is built to remain functional through sun, rain, and temperature fluctuations, making it suitable for year-round outdoor mounting in most climates.

Reduced refill frequency. Depending on flock size and weather conditions, the water silo reduces refill trips compared to traditional founts, particularly valuable during hot summer months when water consumption spikes.

Compatible mounting. The water silo is designed to work alongside the CoopWorx feed silo, allowing growers to create a unified feeding station on one wall or fence section.

Water Quality and Flock Health

Consistently clean water directly affects egg production, growth rates, and overall flock health. Chickens are sensitive to water quality; if water tastes stale, looks cloudy, or has visible contamination, they will reduce intake, which impacts everything from feed conversion to egg shell quality. The CoopWorx sealed reservoir system addresses this at the source by limiting exposure from the moment water is added to the system.

Rodent-Proof Design: Why It Matters

Rodent pressure is one of the most consistent challenges in backyard and small farm poultry operations. Rats and mice are not just a nuisance, they carry disease, contaminate feed, and can cause significant mortality in young birds. Traditional open feeders are effectively an open invitation.

The CoopWorx system addresses rodent access at multiple points in the feeding process.

Sealed top entry. The silo is filled from the top and sealed after each fill. There is no open access point for rodents to enter from above.

Controlled dispensing ports. Feed and water are only accessible through the dispense area at the base of the unit, which is designed for chicken beak access, not rodent entry. The opening dimensions are intentionally sized to limit the ability of rats and mice to extract meaningful quantities of feed.

Elevated or wall-mounted installation. The CoopWorx system is designed to be mounted off the ground, which removes the ease of access that ground-level open feeders provide. Mounting height can be adjusted based on flock breed and age.

No spillage accumulation. Traditional feeders constantly spill feed onto the ground. That ground-level accumulation is what draws rodents in the first place. The gravity-fed dispensing system in CoopWorx significantly reduces the amount of loose feed that ends up on the coop floor or run ground.

For growers in areas with significant rodent pressure, particularly those in rural settings adjacent to fields or wooded areas, the CoopWorx system offers measurable protection that traditional feeders simply cannot match.

Feed Waste Reduction: The Hidden Cost of Traditional Feeders

Feed is typically the largest ongoing expense in any poultry operation. What most growers don't account for is how much feed they're buying that never reaches a bird.

Studies and practical experience consistently show that open troughs and hanging feeders can lead to 20–30% feed waste due to spillage, spoilage, and contamination. For a flock of 20 birds going through 100 pounds of feed monthly, that can mean 20–30 pounds of wasted feed, a cost that compounds quickly over a year.

Where Traditional Feeders Lose Feed

Scratching and billing. Chickens naturally scratch and bill through feed, flinging it out of open feeders onto the ground, where it gets walked on, mixed with droppings, and becomes unpalatable or unsafe.

Weather exposure. Open feeders left outside, or hung in poorly ventilated coops, allow moisture to enter, clumping feed, and creating mold. Wet feed must be discarded.

Rodent and wild bird access. Without a sealed system, rodents and wild birds consume feed that was purchased for your flock.

Staling. Feed sitting in an open trough becomes stale and loses palatability, causing birds to reject it even before it's technically spoiled.

How CoopWorx Addresses Waste

The gravity-fed, sealed design of CoopWorx keeps feed dry and protected from the moment it's loaded until the moment it's consumed. Because feed is accessible only through the controlled dispensing port, billing and scratching waste are dramatically reduced. There is no open trough for chickens to scatter feed from, and the sealed reservoir prevents contamination from weather and pests.

Most CoopWorx users report a noticeable reduction in the amount of loose feed they find on their coop floors and run surfaces within the first week of installation, a direct, visible indicator of reduced waste.

Flock Size Recommendations

Choosing the right CoopWorx setup starts with an honest assessment of your current and expected flock size. Here is a practical guide:

6–12 birds: One 40lb feed silo + one water silo. This setup comfortably supports a standard backyard flock with weekly or biweekly refill intervals.

12–25 birds: One 40lb or 80lb feed silo, depending on desired refill frequency. A single water silo is typically sufficient unless your run is very large, in which case consider two water silo units at opposite ends.

25–50 birds: One 80lb feed silo. Consider two water silos positioned to ensure all birds have easy access to fresh water without competition.

50–100+ birds: Multiple 80lb feed silos staggered across the run or feeding area. Multiple water silos positioned to prevent crowding. At this scale, the labor savings from CoopWorx become especially significant compared to managing multiple traditional feeders daily.

Mixed-age or mixed-breed flocks: Mounting height should be calibrated for the smallest or youngest birds in the flock. Chicks will need a lower mounting position or a transitional setup before graduating to the full adult-height installation.

Installation Overview

One of the practical advantages of the CoopWorx system is that installation does not require professional help or specialized tools. Most growers complete the setup in under an hour.

What You'll Need

A drill, appropriate mounting hardware for your surface type (wood coop wall, metal fence post, or T-post), a level, and a second set of hands for the 80lb silo if filling on the wall.

Mounting Location Selection

Choose a location that is accessible for refilling; you'll be lifting feed bags to chest height or above, and positioned so that multiple birds can access the dispensing port simultaneously without crowding. South or east-facing placements help avoid prolonged direct sun exposure on the unit in summer.

Mounting Height

The dispensing port should be positioned at approximately mid-back height for your breed. Too low and birds will scratch debris into the trough; too high and smaller birds will strain to reach it. For Cornish Cross broilers, this will be lower and will need to be adjusted as birds grow rapidly through their 8-week grow-out cycle.

First Fill

Fill the silo before mounting if possible; it's significantly easier than filling in place. Seal the top securely after filling and check the dispensing port to confirm feed is flowing correctly before placing birds in the area.

Cost Analysis: CoopWorx vs Traditional Feeders

Five-Year Savings Estimate

When you are starting out or running a small homestead, it is completely normal to look at the price tag of a premium setup and hesitate. Traditional hanging or trough feeders are definitely cheaper on day one. But over time, the hidden costs of spilled feed, broken plastic, and uninvited pests add up surprisingly fast.

Here is a straightforward breakdown of how the math actually shakes out over a year for a typical 20-bird flock.

Traditional Feeders

Standard plastic or trough feeders seem like a bargain, but they come with a few ongoing headaches:

• Frequent Replacements: Cheap plastic cracks in the winter and degrades in the sun, meaning you are replacing them every year or two ($15–$40).

• The "Scratch" Tax: Chickens love to scratch and bill their food out onto the ground. On average, birds waste about 25% of their feed this way. For 20 birds, that is 360 pounds of food thrown in the dirt every year, costing you around $162 in wasted feed.

• Pest Problems: All that feed on the ground is an open invitation for mice and rats, costing you another $30–$80 a year in traps, bait, and clean-up.

Total Annual Cost: ~$207 to $282 per year

The CoopWorx System

The CoopWorx system costs more upfront, but it is built like a tank and engineered to keep food inside the feeder, not on the ground.

• Buy Once: Because it lasts, you can spread the initial cost over at least 5 years, which comes to about $30–$50 per year.

• Stopping the Waste: The design drops feed waste down to a tiny 5–8%. Instead of losing hundreds of pounds of feed, you only lose about 72–115 pounds a year. That cuts your wasted feed cost down to just $32–$52 a year.

• Natural Pest Control: Because the feed stays locked away and off the ground, rodents lose interest. Your pest control costs drop to practically zero.

Total Annual Cost: ~$62 to $102 per year

Over five years, switching from a traditional feeder to a CoopWorx system can put more than $800 back in your pocket on feed savings alone.

Beyond the cash, you also save a lot of time. You won't be refilling feeders every single day, cleaning up messy coops, or battling a rodent problem. If you have a larger flock, those savings grow even faster.

Order CoopWorx Through Stumphouse Farms

The CoopWorx system is available through our Poultry Supplies collection. We carry it because it solves real problems we hear from customers every season, feed bills climbing, rodent pressure increasing, and daily chores eating into limited time.

If you have questions about which silo size is right for your flock, call us at (864) 658-4209. Our team has hands-on experience with the system and can help you think through your specific setup before you order.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is CoopWorx compatible with all feed types? 

The CoopWorx feed silo works with standard pellet and crumble feeds. Very fine mash feeds may bridge or clump in humid conditions. Most layer, broiler, and grower feeds in pellet or crumble format work well.

Can I use CoopWorx in winter? 

Yes. The sealed design protects feed from moisture and freezing rain. In climates with hard freezes, the water silo will require attention to prevent freezing. Some growers use a water heater base compatible with the silo mounting, or transition to a heated fount during the coldest months.

How do I clean the CoopWorx silo? 

Allow the silo to empty fully before cleaning. The units are designed for periodic disassembly and cleaning. Most growers do a thorough cleaning monthly or with each feed-type change.

Will my chickens adapt to the new feeder? 

Most birds adapt within 24–48 hours. If transitioning from a traditional open feeder, consider running both systems simultaneously for a few days so birds discover the CoopWorx dispensing port at their own pace before the old feeder is removed.

Does CoopWorx work for ducks or other poultry?

The water silo is well-suited for mixed poultry. The feed silo works best for chickens. Ducks require wider water access and may not be well served by the dispensing port design for water specifically.

Related Products: CoopWorx Feed Silo | CoopWorx Water Silo | All Poultry Supplies | Cornish Cross Chicks | Red Ranger Chicks

This content is provided for informational purposes only. Product specifications, pricing, and availability are subject to change. Contact Stumphouse Farms directly for current product details and pricing.