Abbey diet feeders

[hally]

Looking to buy a 10m tub for feeding sucklers and sheep, best deal seems to be an abbey from a local trusted firm, but are they any good?

 

[M-J-G]

Abbey is good enough stuff for not too much money.

Out of interest why use a diet feeder for sucklers.

 

[wellingtonfarmer]

Get more straw into them. Make sure they all get minerals at a guess

 

[hally]

Mainly for the sheep job tbh, the sucklers will just be fed as it would be here. Just getting sick of getting bashed about feeding ewes inside and getting too old for carrying half a ton of cake on my back every morning . Just thought it would take a bit of the physical side from housing ewes.

 

[M-J-G]

Get more straw into them. Make sure they all get minerals at a guess

I wouldn't spend that kind of money just for those reasons, particularly when there are other cheaper and quicker options to achieve equally satisfactory results.

I was curious in case there was a reason such as use of by-products.

I appreciate the point with regards to the OP feeding sheep, depending on how many sheep and for how long a period.
A friend with about 1400 ewes has a home made snacker that feeds is ewes when housed.

Forgive me @hally I'm not meaning to pour cold water on ideas, but I deleted a diet feeder from the equation on one farm and would say it's one of the best things I've ever done.

 

[hally]

I get your point but we have them in batches of 50 in about 15 pens over a 10 to 12 week period but nowhere near enough room to operate and turn a bike and snacker, tried just feeding them on the floor rather than walk through feeders but doesn’t get you away from bagging and humping cake about. A new feeder depreciated to zero over 15 years is less than a pound a lamb not even taking into account feeding sucklers and young stock or store lambs. Discussion with numerous guys on this system including our vets agree that the ewes are much happier and more content with this system as opposed to the rugby scrum that is feeding in troughs or with a snacker with obvious winners and losers ( old and young ewes). Obviously financial gains are always difficult to quantify but if you don’t try you don’t know. I can always sell the feeder again.
Interested to here your idea of easier systems of feeding in lamb ewes though, as they say all options on the table still.

 

[M-J-G]

I get your point but we have them in batches of 50 in about 15 pens over a 10 to 12 week period but nowhere near enough room to operate and turn a bike and snacker, tried just feeding them on the floor rather than walk through feeders but doesn’t get you away from bagging and humping cake about. A new feeder depreciated to zero over 15 years is less than a pound a lamb not even taking into account feeding sucklers and young stock or store lambs. Discussion with numerous guys on this system including our vets agree that the ewes are much happier and more content with this system as opposed to the rugby scrum that is feeding in troughs or with a snacker with obvious winners and losers ( old and young ewes). Obviously financial gains are always difficult to quantify but if you don’t try you don’t know. I can always sell the feeder again.
Interested to here your idea of easier systems of feeding in lamb ewes though, as they say all options on the table still.

It's not for me to say anyone is wrong.
I don't know your system.

I am generally of the mind set to cut out relaying on machines as much as possible for my daily routine.

I appreciate others think differently.

 

[hally]

It's not for me to say anyone is wrong.
I don't know your system.

I am generally of the mind set to cut out relaying on machines as much as possible for my daily routine.

I appreciate others think differently.

Yeah I’m definitely in the other camp, like shiny metal if it makes my life easier as we do other things so time is precious.

 

[M-J-G]

Yeah I’m definitely in the other camp, like shiny metal if it makes my life easier as we do other things so time is precious.

I don't mind machines if they make the job quicker.
I took on looking after a herd of cows for someone else on contract some time back.
They had a diet feeder at the start, but one morning the it broke down and it knocked over half an hour off the feeding/bedding which normally took 2 hours.

When the time came to change it I told them not to bother on my account, so they didn't and I'm happier to be back home quicker to get on with my own things.

Like I say, everyone to their own.