From Homesteader to Inventor
A few years ago, Erik Diedrichsen and his family moved from city life in Boston to a rural town in eastern Massachusetts, where they found themselves embracing the homesteading lifestyle almost by accident. It all started with a couple of baby chicks gifted from a relative’s school project – before long, the Diedrichsen household was tending a backyard flock of chickens, harvesting maple syrup, and even keeping beehives. As their small farm grew, Erik relished producing fresh eggs, honey, and syrup on his own land, but he also encountered the typical challenges of raising chickens. One persistent issue was the mess and waste caused by traditional chicken feeders, which often spilled food and attracted rodents or required constant refilling during New England’s harsh weather.
Rather than accept these shortcomings, Erik decided to solve the problem himself. In his spare time, he sketched ideas and built a makeshift feeder prototype for his own coop. The result was a weatherproof feeder attachment that let chickens eat from inside a container, virtually eliminating spillage and spoilage. The Diedrichsen family’s hens took to this new feeder immediately, and Erik was thrilled to see less feed ending up on the ground (and fewer unwelcome critters helping themselves). Initially, he had no grand plans to sell the device – it was simply a DIY solution for their homestead. Little did he know this tinkering would soon form the cornerstone of a new business.
Pivoting a Passion into a Business
Erik’s professional background uniquely prepared him to develop a product from scratch. He had been running a business designing and building trade show exhibits, giving him experience in product design and manufacturing logistics. When the COVID-19 pandemic hit in 2020, however, his exhibits business came to a sudden halt, wiping out his main source of income. Faced with this setback, Diedrichsen decided to pivot and pour his energy into his homestead invention. He applied his know-how and industry contacts to refine the feeder concept, eventually patenting the design and founding Riverbend Resources to bring it to market. Within about a year, what started as a doodle and backyard prototype evolved into a finished product ready for fellow chicken owners. Erik leveraged his connections with designers and manufacturers to quickly scale up production, proving that a good idea hatched in a barn could thrive as a real business.
The flagship product, the Poultry Pro Feeder, made its official debut and immediately resonated with hobby farmers and poultry enthusiasts. Diedrichsen’s timing turned out to be excellent – with so many people during the pandemic turning to backyard farming and raising chickens, there was high demand for smarter, labor-saving solutions. Riverbend Resources offered just that. Erik’s role quickly shifted from hobbyist-inventor to entrepreneur as he took on everything from product development and patenting to branding and distribution for his fledgling company. Backed by his family (even his young daughters pitched in as enthusiastic “marketing” helpers at trade shows, dressed in chicken costumes), Erik established Riverbend’s reputation as a homesteader-driven, problem-solving brand.
Poultry Pro Feeder & Waterer
The Poultry Pro Feeder: Riverbend’s breakout product is a DIY feeder kit that transforms any ordinary bucket or bin into a gravity-fed chicken feeder. Each Poultry Pro Feeder kit comes with three durable feeder ports and a special hole-saw bit, allowing users to easily install the ports on a container of their choice. Fill up a lidded 5-gallon bucket or storage bin with feed, attach the Poultry Pro ports, and you’ve got a ready-to-use dispenser that lets chickens eat comfortably from the openings. Because the birds reach in to peck at the feed, there’s no more feed scattered all over the ground – which means virtually zero waste and far less chance of attracting rodents or wild pests. The feeder’s design also shields the feed from wind and rain, keeping it dry and fresh. In short, the Poultry Pro Feeder provides a waste-free, weatherproof feeding solution that cuts down on mess and labor for chicken keepers. It’s a simple idea with big impact: users report being able to go much longer between refills compared to traditional trough or tray feeders, since the feed stays clean and contained (and the chickens can’t bill it out onto the ground). This innovative feeder has been so well received that Riverbend offers a 100% satisfaction guarantee – a testament to the confidence they have in the product’s effectiveness.
The Poultry Pro Feeder features:
- Universal Fit: Works with any plastic container (bucket, barrel, bin) you have available – just drill the provided holes and insert the ports.
- No Spill, No Waste: Chickens eat from inside the port, so feed doesn’t spill out. This prevents wasted feed and deters rodents or wild birds that are drawn to scraps.
- Weatherproof Design: Keeps feed dry in rain or snow, unlike open feeders.
- Easy Installation: Kit comes with a hole saw; setting up the feeder takes only a minute or two.
- Durable Construction: Made of sturdy, food-grade materials built to withstand outdoor conditions for years.
Following the success of the feeder, Riverbend Resources expanded its lineup with the Poultry Pro Waterer to solve the next challenge chicken owners face: keeping flocks watered with less hassle. The Poultry Pro Waterer is a cleverly designed system that instantly turns a standard 5-gallon bucket into a high-capacity, self-filling water dispenser. To use it, you simply fill a bucket and snap on the waterer’s special lid and base, then flip the bucket over. It functions as a gravity-fed waterer, automatically filling the drinking trough as needed. Uniquely, this waterer can also attach to a garden hose for hands-free refilling and self-cleaning – an internal venting tube allows it to flush and refill the water pan on a timer, so fresh water cycles through and cleans out debris without the owner manually dumping and scrubbing. The Poultry Pro Waterer’s design is meant to be “set it and forget it,” greatly reducing daily chore time for tending the flock. Like the feeder, the waterer is built to be durable, safe, and easy to use (it even incorporates an anti-microbial material to help keep algae at bay). Together, these two products cover the essential needs of backyard chickens – feeding and watering – with an emphasis on simplicity, efficiency, and sustainability.
Milestones and Growth
- Pandemic Pivot (2020): After COVID-19 shut down Erik Diedrichsen’s exhibit design business, he officially founded Riverbend Resources to focus on his chicken feeder invention. This marked the turning point where a homestead hobby evolved into a startup venture.
- Product Launch & Early Accolades (2021): The Poultry Pro Feeder made its public debut and quickly earned industry recognition. It won First Place in Innovation at the SuperZoo trade show and took Second Place at the Global Pet Expo in its category, beating out hundreds of other new pet products. These awards – including a 1st Place in the Farm & Feed category at SuperZoo – validated the product’s uniqueness and gave Riverbend invaluable exposure in the pet and livestock industry.
- Retail Expansion: Following the feeder’s success, major farm supply retailers began placing orders to carry Riverbend’s products . Before long, the Poultry Pro Feeder (and later the Waterer) could be found on the shelves of big-name farm and ranch stores across the United States. Today, backyard farmers can buy Riverbend Resources kits through popular outlets like Tractor Supply Co., Lowe’s, Bomgaars, Atwoods, and many other regional farm stores. This wide distribution has helped the company reach tens of thousands of “flocks served” nationwide.
- Introduction of the Waterer (2022–2023): Spurred by customer feedback asking for a better way to keep chickens watered, Riverbend developed the Poultry Pro Waterer as its second flagship product. The waterer launched to positive reviews, complementing the feeder and expanding the company’s offerings for poultry care.
- Continued Industry Recognition: Riverbend’s new waterer quickly garnered its own accolades. At Global Pet Expo 2024, the Poultry Pro Waterer earned 2nd Place in the Farm & Feed category of the New Products Showcase awards. This honor, coming on the heels of the feeder’s earlier wins, reinforced that Riverbend Resources is innovating successfully in the backyard poultry space. By now, both of the company’s core products are award-winning and well-regarded by experts and customers alike.
Throughout this growth, founder Erik Diedrichsen has remained the driving force behind the company. As owner and chief innovator, he continues to oversee product improvements and engage with the homesteading community. Erik’s personal story as a U.S. military veteran-turned-entrepreneur and hands-on family farmer resonates in the brand’s identity. It’s not uncommon to see the Diedrichsen family involved in Riverbend’s endeavors – whether it’s product testing on their own chickens or creative marketing at events. This genuine, grassroots ethos has helped Riverbend build trust with customers who know the products are created by “one of their own.”
In just a few short years, Riverbend Resources has evolved from an improvised fix in a suburban chicken coop to a nationally recognized provider of poultry care solutions. The company’s origins – rooted in practicality, family, and homesteading values – continue to shape its mission. Riverbend remains dedicated to simplifying poultry care for small farmers and backyard chicken keepers, delivering durable, cost-effective feeders and waterers that make the hobby easier and more sustainable. Under Erik Diedrichsen’s leadership, what began as a backyard experiment has become a growing business with a positive impact on countless chicken coops.
