Calf creep feeders

[biggles]

Got 25 suckers with calves feb to may born, would like to try and just help them on a bit as some of the cows aren’t overly milky, I’ve never used a creep feeder, what should I be doing to achieve the best and avoid any pit falls ? calves are normally sold off the cow about November but I could be flexible on this. Cheers

 

[matthew]

Make sure they're badger proofed.

Open in the morning, close up at night.

 

[biggles]

Never even gave the badgers a thought, that could have been costly cheers @matthew

 

[JSmith]

Start them on it slowly, don’t just fill the feeder up, if one takes to it an fills him self up he could be bad/ dead!! Just put a taste in first, when it’s gone a bit more an so on until you can Chuck a bag in adlib! Week-10 days I find

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Put a Course ration in to set them off

 

[Hilly]

I start them on whole oats , learnt it’s off someone one here works for me .

 

[Ashtree]

Creep gate in the field, so calves can run through and graze ahead of the cows. Throw a few open field troughs in. Lob the feed in there. Calves have best of both worlds. Choice grass and concentrate. No calf gets to live in a creep feeder hogging the stuff like snuff at a wake. Creep feeders are the work of the devil in my opinion.

 

[JSmith]

I start them on whole oats , learnt it’s off someone one here works for me .

Do you leave them on just the oats or add something to it once there eating it?? Not fed oats before but might try it

 

[matthew]

Creep gate in the field, so calves can run through and graze ahead of the cows. Throw a few open field troughs in. Lob the feed in there. Calves have best of both worlds. Choice grass and concentrate. No calf gets to live in a creep feeder hogging the stuff like snuff at a wake. Creep feeders are the work of the devil in my opinion.

And open troughs at ground level, or up to 4’3” high even*, are ‘badger macDonalds’ - in my opinion.

* Badgers filmed by Prof Tim Roper, Sussex uni, lurching into cattle troughs up to 4’3” high.

 

[Ashtree]

And open troughs at ground level, or up to 4’3” high even*, are ‘badger macDonalds’ - in my opinion.

* Badgers filmed by Prof Tim Roper, Sussex uni, lurching into cattle troughs up to 4’3” high.

No. OP’s calves are several months old. Will eat over a kilo in one session. There will be nothing left for stripey and no waste.

 

[matthew]

No. OP’s calves are several months old. Will eat over a kilo in one session. There will be nothing left for stripey and no waste.

There have been many recorded TB breakdowns in younger cattle, linked to badgers 'dishwashing' troughs, even if there were only crumbs left. That's troughs on the ground and troughs @ 2' high.
They have poor eyesight, but a very intense sense of smell. Saliva left is the problem.

And sharing field level mineral tubs, especially molassed ones is a no no. (They need the tops firmly on at night too)

 

[Forever Fendt]

I have Watson ones here new with bird flaps and badger rollers available for them

 

[Hilly]

Do you leave them on just the oats or add something to it once there eating it?? Not fed oats before but might try it

Keep them on oats till weaned , but you don’t have to ,

 

[Forever Fendt]

Make sure they're badger proofed.

Open in the morning, close up at night.

 

[Forever Fendt]

Learned the hard way here

 

[biggles]

@Forever Fendt What’s the price on one of your ones? Cheers

 

[Forever Fendt]

@Forever Fendt What’s the price on one of your ones? Cheers

£1160

 

[biggles]

Thanks @Forever Fendt ill be in touch next week, cheers

 

[Ashtree]

There have been many recorded TB breakdowns in younger cattle, linked to badgers 'dishwashing' troughs, even if there were only crumbs left. That's troughs on the ground and troughs @ 2' high.
They have poor eyesight, but a very intense sense of smell. Saliva left is the problem.

And sharing field level mineral tubs, especially molassed ones is a no no. (They need the tops firmly on at night too)

Bloody hell. Never knew a badger could or would hop into a feeder standing 30 inches off the ground. Last thing in the world I would have expected. I’ve had two cows go down with TB in past ten years or so. Never a young animal.
Mind you I only feed what the batch will clean up in one session. They lick the trough bare and normally go straight to the water trough. Maybe stripey doesn’t get the smell or the attraction.

 

[matthew]

Bloody hell. Never knew a badger could or would hop into a feeder standing 30 inches off the ground. Last thing in the world I would have expected. I’ve had two cows go down with TB in past ten years or so. Never a young animal.
Mind you I only feed what the batch will clean up in one session. They lick the trough bare and normally go straight to the water trough. Maybe stripey doesn’t get the smell or the attraction.

Tim Roper measured the show jumping talents of badgers in this research.

Use of cattle troughs by badgers (Meles meles): a potential route for the transmission of bovine tuberculosis (Mycobacterium bovis) to cattle

No description supplied

sro.sussex.ac.uk

Briefly, he put food in a cattle trough and kept highering it. 4’ 3” seemed to be the limit. And they didn’t stand on e@ch other’s shoulders. It was the thin lightweights, with long claws who lunged up, hooked the edge of the trough, and swung their bums in. Job done.

So the usual height for calves and youngstock to feed, is no barrier. And so far, we haven’t bred giraffes.