Upcycled DIY Chicken Treat Canister Set

DIY Chicken Treat Canisters made from upcycled plastic coffee canisters help keep things organized.

Anyone who has been following our Facebook page or blog for awhile is familiar with the Breakfast of Champions layer feed mix that I concocted for our chickens to eat.

It's basically a base of a good quality layer feed with some natural supplements and other goodies mixed in.

I mix it up 50 lbs. at a time and that involves scooping out portions of lots of different products, unscrewing tubs and opening bags, as well as storing the supplements so that rodents or insects won't get in.

It was a bit haphazard to say the least - it was clear I needed a more organized method.

I also always have random bags and containers of chicken treats like sunflower seeds, dried grubs, oats.

Knowing my love of crafting and repurposing, my husband had been bringing home large plastic Folgers coffee canisters from the break room at his office when they were empty.

Unable to throw them out, but having no use for them, I realized they were starting to pile up in our garage.

So....perfect! I knew what I would do with them!

Upcycled DIY Chicken Treat Canister Set

What you Need

Large plastic canisters with lids (these from Folgers work great, although it's not my choice for coffee!)

Spray Paint (I used something like this)

Vinyl Decals (or black acrylic paint and paintbrush)

Assortment of chicken feed supplements like sea kelp, probiotics, flax and brewers yeast

Assortment of chicken treats like oats, sunflower seeds, dried grubs

What you Do

First I washed the canisters out carefully and then set them to dry in the sun on one of those car windshield sun screens that was destined for the landfill (see, I told you I can't throw anything away!)

While the canisters were drying, I took an inventory of our pastel spray paint inventory in the garage.

Excellent! A nice selection of colors at my disposal.

Next each canister got two coats of spray paint.

Then I left them to dry completely.

Fortunately, I found these great custom vinyl decals from Oliver Photo Graphics which saved me from having to hand letter or paint the names on each canister. It looks like they are no longer offering their labels, but there are tons of other sellers who will make you customized labels.

Since I felt like the paint would have peeled right off with the decal tape, I did leave the clear tape on each label, but I think if you sprayed the canisters with a few coats of clear polyurethane on top of the spray paint and let it dry completely, you could peel the clear top tape off with no problem.

I am just happy that I now have my flock's feed supplements and treats all organized, it's a snap to pop the top off each canister, scoop off what I need and replace the lid.

These canisters are rodent- and insect-proof and they also keep out moisture. And since they just pop off, there's no screwing and unscrewing... It's SO easy to mix up feed now! And they are so cheerful for spring and line up neatly in the tack room on shelves.

I also made canisters for grit and crushed eggshells, which I feed free-choice to my flock. If you mix your own whole grain feed, you can also store the different grains you use in these canisters.