early riser
Member
- Location
- Up North
Current winter regime is shear grab silage into outdoor bunkers topped up with parlour cake. Slurry production from acres of outdoor concrete is an issue so looking to feed the cows indoors along a barrier behind locking yokes for ease of management.
To avoid the cost and complication of running a mixer wagon, I am interested in buying a big rehandling bucket and bucket mixing a ration against the clamp wall and then dumping it into the feed passage with a telehandler.
Question is, for a covered central feed passage, which is the best way of distributing feed along the length of the barrier this way?
Would it be best to have a standard width feed passage (e.g. 16-18ft) and dump a bucket along one side and then nudge it into/spread it along the barrier with edge of bucket, then repeat for other side.
OR
Have a feed passage only slightly wider than loader (e.g. 8-9ft) and dump buckets of mixed feed along the centre of the passage whilst reversing and then push the feed up at night with a V-shaped pusher.
Just interested in the day-to-day practicalities of it and what width of passage people find works best.
There is a chap in Cheshire that won the Promar milk minder competition who feeds his cows in this way with a Kramer and big bucket, can't for the life of me think of his name??
Thanks
p.s. I am 100% not buying a mixer wagon and my pits are too small for self feed
To avoid the cost and complication of running a mixer wagon, I am interested in buying a big rehandling bucket and bucket mixing a ration against the clamp wall and then dumping it into the feed passage with a telehandler.
Question is, for a covered central feed passage, which is the best way of distributing feed along the length of the barrier this way?
Would it be best to have a standard width feed passage (e.g. 16-18ft) and dump a bucket along one side and then nudge it into/spread it along the barrier with edge of bucket, then repeat for other side.
OR
Have a feed passage only slightly wider than loader (e.g. 8-9ft) and dump buckets of mixed feed along the centre of the passage whilst reversing and then push the feed up at night with a V-shaped pusher.
Just interested in the day-to-day practicalities of it and what width of passage people find works best.
There is a chap in Cheshire that won the Promar milk minder competition who feeds his cows in this way with a Kramer and big bucket, can't for the life of me think of his name??
Thanks
p.s. I am 100% not buying a mixer wagon and my pits are too small for self feed