spin cycle
Member
- Location
- north norfolk
brand new welsh made rotafeed on ebay...£825 +vat......not as expensive as new knees
Sheep Snacker
- Thread starter WD-40
- Start date
taff
Member
I used a logic one with a drop counter when shepherding but when we got our own place I bought one that just drops on the rotation of the wheels it's better than being knocked over but counting the drops is a pain and when feeding ewes and young lambs watching the drops when you should be avoiding lambs isn't great, it needs some kind of bell or something when it drops so you don't have to look over the back at it all the time. If I get a chance I'll change it for a logic one with a counter
- Location
- West Wales
brand new welsh made rotafeed on ebay...£825 +vat......not as expensive as new knees
I know someone that had planned on going out of sheep because of his knees, as he was only doing 1 season he bought a rotordrop one to save the money, he said he’d wished he had bought a logic with a counter.
- Location
- Yorkshire
Swaledale do a rotor drum one with a magnetic switch linked up to a counter
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
This is the best bit about a snacker. We used to get feed blown into a trailer, then put it out the grain spout into tattie boxes, bucket into bags then onto the bike. It would also mean at least two trips as it was too many bags to fit on the bike. They would invariably fall off at some stage too.
Now it’s lorry in, blow into bin, reverse snacker under the spout, fill up and go to sheep
To be fair, moving from a trailer/tatty boxes/bucketing into bags to using a bin is a big step towards making life easier, regardless of using a snacker. Far easier to bag from a bin than the above method.
chapmanmachinery
Member
- Location
- Holsworthy, Devon
As a company we manufacture a range of snackers which are electric drive so I'd obviously recommend that type!
Having said that I come from a farming background where, many years ago, we had 1500 ewes and ran a Port Agri drum type. With that number of ewes we constantly had issues with bearings and drum wear, and that was only running short distances around the farm, no off land.
The family farm is now purely Angus sucklers and we run one of our TF350's for summer feeding. The electric drive makes for high accuracy and feeding at grass dramatically shortens finishing times, improving profitability. This would be feeding out 500kg a day and running reasonable distances without bother - the electric drive allows you to do this as it only runs when you're feeding. It also means that we can produce a fully road legal version for customers with off land.
In summary the electric drive type such as we produce are more expensive, but are more accurate (especially with our auto stop countdown controller), easier to tow, and last longer.
I'm not looking to directly push our products here as that's not what this forum is about, however if anyone wants to discuss pros and cons then please feel free to message me (James Chapman), email [email protected] or call us on 01288 308149.
Having said that I come from a farming background where, many years ago, we had 1500 ewes and ran a Port Agri drum type. With that number of ewes we constantly had issues with bearings and drum wear, and that was only running short distances around the farm, no off land.
The family farm is now purely Angus sucklers and we run one of our TF350's for summer feeding. The electric drive makes for high accuracy and feeding at grass dramatically shortens finishing times, improving profitability. This would be feeding out 500kg a day and running reasonable distances without bother - the electric drive allows you to do this as it only runs when you're feeding. It also means that we can produce a fully road legal version for customers with off land.
In summary the electric drive type such as we produce are more expensive, but are more accurate (especially with our auto stop countdown controller), easier to tow, and last longer.
I'm not looking to directly push our products here as that's not what this forum is about, however if anyone wants to discuss pros and cons then please feel free to message me (James Chapman), email [email protected] or call us on 01288 308149.
- Location
- Hertfordshire
I've had a logic snacker for a few years now feeding cobs.
A couple of things to be aware of especially if feeding cobs. After each field I always check that the slide is fully closed. No fun running the rest of the hopper out when a 2 inch cob has got stuck length ways holding the slide open. Just mind your fingers!
I always re calibrate with each new batch, maybe the same ingredients but often flows differently. Hot days and cold days can have the same effect.
When finding drop size I weigh out the amount needed for a field and count out. Used to put 4 or 5 drops in a bucket and weigh, I find bigger amount, around the 50kg more accurate. Calibration slide stays in the same place all year.
Battery power can have a big difference if using different vehicles. Usually around 0.2kg difference in drop between the honda 300 and the polaris utv. Stronger battery cycles the slide quicker.
A couple of things to be aware of especially if feeding cobs. After each field I always check that the slide is fully closed. No fun running the rest of the hopper out when a 2 inch cob has got stuck length ways holding the slide open. Just mind your fingers!
I always re calibrate with each new batch, maybe the same ingredients but often flows differently. Hot days and cold days can have the same effect.
When finding drop size I weigh out the amount needed for a field and count out. Used to put 4 or 5 drops in a bucket and weigh, I find bigger amount, around the 50kg more accurate. Calibration slide stays in the same place all year.
Battery power can have a big difference if using different vehicles. Usually around 0.2kg difference in drop between the honda 300 and the polaris utv. Stronger battery cycles the slide quicker.
- Location
- Perthshire, Scotland
I agree with you but it’s not easy bagging from a standard Buildabin spout
- Location
- Lancashire
Spent to much time on my arse wi bags, they seen to delegate one to leg you up or run between ya legs (man down) and always when some crag rat is watching you feed. Bought a logic one, electric tip 600 second hand like new. Had a ally lid made instead of tbe canvas one so can carry some licks or bails or a few bags.
) and always when some crag rat is watching you feed. Bought a logic one, electric tip 600 second hand like new. Had a ally lid made instead of tbe canvas one so can carry some licks or bails or a few bags.
- Location
- West Wales
How often does 2.23 happen with you? Mine did it 1/50 times last year, I cleaned the crap out underneath by taking the belly plate out and removing the germinated barley and it hasn’t done it since. My logic came with the tin lid, could do with being higher to carry bags but used to carry a lot of small bales on it!Spent to much time on my arse wi bags, they seen to delegate one to leg you up or run between ya legs (man down
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
That’s how I do mine. Sit the bag on an upturned 80kg Chrystallix tub and a 25kg feed sack sits perfectly over the tube.
- Location
- Lancashire
Depends how much dust there is, like to do it once a week if i can
- Location
- Lancashire
- Location
- Montgomeryshire
I know, I used to have one and would certainly have one again if I fed anything much out to sheep or cattle.
I had a bunch of thin ewes to feed back in the summer, after haemonchus hit them hard, but didn’t play ‘bag chase’ with them for long. Couldn’t justify a Logic again for the few I ever plan on feeding, so bought a Rob Astley one for a lot less money (only a drum one).
If you are happy counting I know someone that fixed a length of pipe to a wheel but, once he pulled the lever he counted the rotations with the pipe u til he was happy he fed enough.
I just have a logic smacker, just got a new one but kept the old one so we have two control boxes as it wouldn't have got a lot as a trade in, a lot less than a second control box anyway!
- Location
- Dumfries & Galloway
Sounds like an accident waiting to happen
My snacker is pretty easy to count the drops. Haven't struggled yet anyway in the 3 years I've had it.... I start again at 0 when I get to 100. Biggest mob currently is 300 ewes.
Fair to say I think i miss less problems now than I did feeding with bags - even having to count the heaps - as you had to keep your stride up and weren't looking around/back.
We always turn at the end of the line to head back and count the ewes somalways check it’s has shut properly, if not just open it once seems to do the trick and clear itself.
michael N123
Member
But for 200 sheep just count how many bucket full go in and empty the thing when you feed them
- Location
- North West Wales
Has any one worn their hoppers out? Ours is rizla paper thin by now and has been patched numerous times in recent years. Eats wheel bearings aswell! Wouldn’t like to think how many tonnes gone through it but saying that we won’t exceed twenty tonnes per year and a lot of that will go in shed!!