automatic milk feeders

[borntohunt]

Looking at different milk feeders for batches of around 50 lambs and would be used for calves when no lambs available. Seen the heatwave ones anyone any experiences. Good and bad points , Prices ?
anyone selling used second hand

 

[sandywil90]

Heatwaves are a fantastic product. I know a lot of people who have bought them and are very pleased with them, even after a few years!
They are very simple and effective to use. However, you would need to clean the milk pipes out very day, would only take a few minutes to do this. Heatwave will accommodate up to 80 lambs and 30 calves.
I had a customer who reared his cade lambs on it 2 years ago and you couldn't tell they were the 'pet lamb' type!
Little and often is the key..be it calves or lambs

 

[MJT]

I'd suggest a Britmix , managed to get my hands on a second hand one in the autumn and can't fault it, just connect it all up ,calibrate it fill it with powder and watch the calves /lambs grow. Needs cleaning every week but that's no hardship.

First year our orphan lambs have looked like proper lambs.

Here's one of our orphan lambs on the machine he's weighing 17kg and due to be weaned in 8 days.

 

[Sethieboy]

Britmix, simple machine and no need to mix any milk, brilliant bit of kit!

 

[neilo]

+1 for the Britmix. Had one for years, after hiring from Volac previously. Back in those days, Volac had several makes of machine in their 'hire fleet', so tried most makes and always insisted on have a Britmix in the end.
I certainly woudn't like to contemplate doing 50+ lambs on a heatwave type machine, although I expect it's perfectly possible. Personally, when I'm busy lambing, the last thing I want to be doing is doing daily wash outs and mixing milk powder for it. It's the job that you tend to put off until later, 'when you've got time', which of course you never have when you're busy, so it gets to be a rush job late at night, after they've run out. Or have others got more surplus labour about at lambing?

 

[borntohunt]

Am I right thinking the designer of the britmilk machines is Alec . ?

 

[neilo]

Am I right thinking the designer of the britmilk machines is Alec . ?

Nixon, yes, with a workshop on a trading estate in Church Stretton. Sound fella.

 

[redcoo235]

+1 for Britmilk machine, think ours is a lactic one, does up to 140 lambs. Ours was £1400 a few years ago. Have a heat wave for twin calves, it good but still have to mix up milk by hand. Lambs on for 5 weeks then abrupt weaned. Would not be without it now.