Barrel feeder

[Slowcow]

I'm looking at making a barrel feeder for our calf's, half a plastic 45 gallon barrel thing.

What have folks found best to use, the pull through peach teat type or the ones for calf buckets with the 90* elbow on?

Cheers

 

[In the pit]

Pull through peach teats and pipes down to bottom of barrel

 

[Slowcow]

Thanks,
See you've got the pink teats on, is there much difference between pink and black?

 

[Wesley]

Pull through peach teats and pipes down to bottom of barrel

Anything on the pipes to weigh them down?

 

[Bangoverthebar]

Pull through peach teats and pipes down to bottom of barrel

Are they fed ad lib.

 

[In the pit]

I’m

Anything on the pipes to weigh them down?

normally squeeze 3/4/5 pipes into a big nut ,like the ones on gate hanging eyes

 

[In the pit]

Are they fed ad lib.

5 litres a calf fed over 2 feeds aday until there a month old and then 5 lts fed morning only and plenty of pellets for afternoon

 

[In the pit]

Normally put pipes in hot water when I first fit them and they tend to cool to the shape you want

 

[Bottom of the pile]

5 litres a calf fed over 2 feeds aday until there a month old and then 5 lts fed morning only and plenty of pellets for afternoon

What growth rates would you get on such a system ?

 

[In the pit]

What growth rates would you get on such a system ?

Shouldn’t be any different than any other system .all dependant on how much powder /whole milk young feeding
Normally try and double birth weight plus 10/15 kgs at 50 days

 

[Bottom of the pile]

Shouldn’t be any different than any other system .all dependant on how much powder /whole milk young feeding
Normally try and double birth weight plus 10/15 kgs at 5

What's your average birthweight then, do you not weigh individually?

 

[In the pit]

What's your average birthweight then, do you not weigh individually?

25/30 kgs born for most calves and then let the school kids weigh them regular and then normally weigh every tb test

 

[Bangoverthebar]

I'm hoping to make a barrell feeder here for when my cows calve in spring.

I'm going to feed calves adlib. Good friend of mine did it last year for the 1st time. How daily growth rates of over 1kg. He is a new herd so calved 100 heifers all to Angus. Calves averaged 28kg at birth. Sold at 28 days on average at 53-57kg.

Has anyone any advice on feeding adlib

 

[daveydiesel1]

25/30 kgs born for most calves and then let the school kids weigh them regular and then normally weigh every tb test

Do you wash it out each day?

 

[daveydiesel1]

I'm hoping to make a barrell feeder here for when my cows calve in spring.

I'm going to feed calves adlib. Good friend of mine did it last year for the 1st time. How daily growth rates of over 1kg. He is a new herd so calved 100 heifers all to Angus. Calves averaged 28kg at birth. Sold at 28 days on average at 53-57kg.

Has anyone any advice on feeding adlib

No problems with scour on adlib? Also what about bacteria if its always got milk in it?

 

[lazy farmer]

Do you wash it out each day?

We have done it for 20 yrs. no issues. We don t clean drums very often. . No residue with milk powder but with whole milk we clean out the drums on the beef calves every time we clear out a pen. We feed 9 to 10 litres a day
I will stress you need good amounts of bedding. Good drainage on the pens. We have good ventilation on the sheds including windsocks. . We don’t mix groups. We vaccinate with boviscour and we ensure every calve has good colostrum within 2 hours of birth. All that ensures a calf that has ideal conditions to grow.
Last season we used 2ml of betomox on 260 calves. No scours.

 

[lazy farmer]

Sorry I should add only the calf rearer goes in the pens no tractor wheels bringing in sh!t and disinfectant outside of pen doors for dipping feet . We feed with a milk pump so have the pipes hanging above the drums. The less human contact the better disease wise.

 

[frederick]

I'm hoping to make a barrell feeder here for when my cows calve in spring.

I'm going to feed calves adlib. Good friend of mine did it last year for the 1st time. How daily growth rates of over 1kg. He is a new herd so calved 100 heifers all to Angus. Calves averaged 28kg at birth. Sold at 28 days on average at 53-57kg.

Has anyone any advice on feeding adlib

True ad lib will give problems. What you want to aim for is the drum being empty in the morning and the calves getting up and wanting to drink. But at 5pm you want them to have only drunk about 2/3rds of the milk.
You will get 8 litres into them as young calves by about 7-10 days and it's probably 10 litres. By 3 weeks you will probably have them running out earlier as you can start to get to 12 litres and beyond.

 

[daveydiesel1]

Any problems getting them to learn to drink?

 

[frederick]

Any problems getting them to learn to drink?

Bag am first morning.
Unless they look hungry leave until following morning.
Have a 2.5 litre speedy feeder with peach teat on it. Stick teat in mouth once sucking walk over to barrel. That's 90% sorted. Couple need taking to the barrel that evening.