What blades to clip cattle backs

[crashbox]

Now that’s a good question. Do you have any recommendations? I have collected enough needing sharpening to make it worthwhile.

Have used Clippersharp in the past and been pleased

 

[Whitepeak]

Clean the blades off with a stiff brush and oil the blades between each animal. Have 5 or 6 sets (mix of standard, fine and coarse) so can quickly swap them out when they inevitably go blunt. Clean hair and sh*t out of the mechanism every so often, so they run cooler and prolong blade life. Have all the blades sharpened once a year.

 

[David1968]

Can't believe anyone still tries to clip dirty or sweaty cattle with cattle blades. Get a sheep head on your clipper and use sheep combs and cutters.

This.

Will last far longer, and any tame sheep shearer will sharpen them for you.

It's soil on their backs that kill cattle blades. Heifers or mixed bunches are the worst if they've been bulling while running outside, especially in wet weather.

 

[tr250]

We use a 20 tooth cattle comb. I sharpen a comb and 4 cutters and that will last the day we give them a squirt of wd40 every beast as this has a de greasing agent in oil turns into a grinding paste with cattle hair.

 

[valtraman]

Doe's everyone clip their cattles back "because they have always done it that way" or has anyone carried out a trial to see if there is any difference. when I bought several pens of stores at this time of the year some came clipped and some didn't, at that time I didn't notice any difference in proformace and never clip any of my own. I am sure farmers who clip will say it's much better for the cattle but is there any proof?

Haven’t clipped a calve for years now mainly due to time restraints. Really don’t see a big benefit yes they look tidier clipped up but performance wise there’s nothing in it . We don’t vax for pneumonia & we generally don’t get any pneumonia.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

I just use standard sheep blades

 

[thorpe]

Haven’t clipped a calve for years now mainly due to time restraints. Really don’t see a big benefit yes they look tidier clipped up but performance wise there’s nothing in it . We don’t vax for pneumonia & we generally don’t get any pneumonia.

lucky you!

 

[thorpe]

wish we could clip'em as they come off the wagon , might get saturday's done tomorrow

 

[thorpe]

clipping's cheaper than vac and work's twice as well!

 

[tr250]

Haven’t clipped a calve for years now mainly due to time restraints. Really don’t see a big benefit yes they look tidier clipped up but performance wise there’s nothing in it . We don’t vax for pneumonia & we generally don’t get any pneumonia.

Yes lucky you we clip for pneumonia and we use a straw bedder which if they have lots of hair can make them itchy

 

[thorpe]

3 of the best invention's for beef farmer's 1 cattle clipper's, cattle brush's, bedding machine's, no paticular order but all 3 work together well!

 

[tr250]

3 of the best invention's for beef farmer's 1 cattle clipper's, cattle brush's, bedding machine's, no paticular order but all 3 work together well!

I hate the mess from the bedder but it’s better than the alternative which I’ve done plenty of in the past

 

[thorpe]

I hate the mess from the bedder but it’s better than the alternative which I’ve done plenty of in the past

my lad's wanted a bedder for year's but i hated the bloody thing's, ended up buying a not so old abused teagle for 1500 quid and it was a game changer, soon installed 15 litre water bowls , clean water all the time clipped backs cattle look cleaner bed twice a day if need to and still use half the straw win win all little thing's to help dlwg , oh and they luv that cattle brush!

 

[valtraman]

Yes lucky you we clip for pneumonia and we use a straw bedder which if they have lots of hair can make them itchy

Sometimes think some breeds are more prone to pneumonia. We used to have lim x sucklers & they were prone to it . Now all Angus & just seem hardier in that dept

 

[tr250]

my lad's wanted a bedder for year's but i hated the bloody thing's, ended up buying a not so old abused teagle for 1500 quid and it was a game changer, soon installed 15 litre water bowls , clean water all the time clipped backs cattle look cleaner bed twice a day if need to and still use half the straw win win all little thing's to help dlwg , oh and they luv that cattle brush!

Yes we’re about the same with small troughs etc. yes we think we use a lot less straw and the muck is all muck seems to rot down better and is easier to get out with the loader

 

[crashbox]

Off topic but what water troughs have you got?

 

[Derrick Hughes]

As the majority have already said old sheep cutters but kept a bucket of oil handy to dip head it ,and after having my ribs kicked in I taped the head to a broom handle for belly clipping

 

[tinsheet]

Sheep cutters comb, only do the fatterners on clover silage as they sweat otherwise, nothing else gets done
Natives., Luckily not seen pneumonia in years touch wood, Air flow in our sheds is not a problem on top of a hill!.

 

[sheepwise]

As the majority have already said old sheep cutters but kept a bucket of oil handy to dip head it ,and after having my ribs kicked in I taped the head to a broom handle for belly clipping

No wonder you got kicked!

 

[Northeastfarmer]

As the majority have already said old sheep cutters but kept a bucket of oil handy to dip head it ,and after having my ribs kicked in I taped the head to a broom handle for belly clipping

I wouldn’t belly clip if I didn’t have a squeeze crush