JFC 10 teat feeders

5live

Does anybody out there know how to get 10 calves to feed from these feeders? I normally only get 9 calves to feed but this year my calves are being right pains in the ass and i can only get 8 feeding without standing over them all the time. Any ideas welcome. Thanks

whelan1

i gave up :rolleyes: 8 would be the max i could get , after getting my toes trodden on for a million times

djmc

I read somewhere that you should leave a teat spare so they all get a chance
so keep smaller number of calves per feeder or get another feeder beside it
I have 5 calves on a 6 teat feeder and 7 or 8 calves on a 10 teat feeder

5live

whelan1 wrote: »

i gave up :rolleyes: 8 would be the max i could get , after getting my toes trodden on for a million times

+1:D. I know that feeling. I have arthritis in both feet and it gets a bit frustrating when a calf tries to use just that spot for leverage. What do you use now? 8 calves on 10 teats or a different feeder?

whelan1

i put them in a single pen for a day or 2 until they drink out of bucket , then in to groups and the drink out of trough hung on the gate , happy days

djmc

whelan1 wrote: »

i put them in a single pen for a day or 2 until they drink out of bucket , then in to groups and the drink out of trough hung on the gate , happy days

It would be easier to train them to a single nipple feeder than a bucket
I give first feed with a bottle speady feeder second feed with single teat feeder and after that they feed themselves
I would never again train a calf to a bucket pure hardship I did do it for years though.

whelan1

think the calves that are around now are alot better at drinking out of buckets than the ones years ago.... i might get one out of 50 that wont drink out of a bucket. I remember years ago , they where brutal

Tipp Man

Don't calves thrive much better being teat fed as opposed to bucket or trough fed? I think i read somewhere the difference can be 10kg at weaning and this difference increases during the first summer

could be wrong but teat feeding is much better for their stomach devolpment

anyway we generally put 9 in a pen for the 10 teat feeder - although we have managed to get 10 going a few times when space was restricted

djmc

I just found the time training to a jfc single teat feeder is far less to training to a bucket and easier on the back
I was thought to train calf to a bucket until someone sugested the jfc nipple feeder so give it a try if you dont like it you can always change back;)
The milk bar feeders from NZ are also good

5live

djmc wrote: »

I just found the time training to a jfc single teat feeder is far less to training to a bucket and easier on the back
I was thought to train calf to a bucket until someone sugested the jfc nipple feeder so give it a try if you dont like it you can always change back;)
The milk bar feeders from NZ are also good

I got a packet of 10 milkbar teats from the local merchant and put them on the JFC feeder on saturday. They refused to drink:mad:. I think the teats too short/hard/closed so i got JFC nipples monday again. I want to keep a feeder per pen to stop disease spread and general hauling around. Has no one used 10 calves on 10 teats. I thought i was doing something wrong. Again:)

whelan1

we had a problem with crows robbing the teats off the feeder. i kid you not , every morning there would be 1 missing and i would find them in different places, was unreal for a week or so

denis086

Ive 60 calves (hopefully that and more again to come) trained in the last 2 weeks to feed off 10 teat jfc 6 lots of 10 once we have a lot of 10 they are taken away of the cow put straight into a lot of 10 and take them away at the evening milking when cows are in the parlour. Then in the evening milking the next day try to get them all to drink some bit with the single teat feeder catching them individually. Then next morning all onto the 10 teat feeder usually should follow your finger after the evening before get the good fellas to on in the middle teats and weaker fellas by the gate and just reach over the gate and correct anyone whos strayed they soon get the hang of it and if they do come off the teat in usually is localised to 3 lads in a row so your not all over the shop at least. Id try the odd one who shows an interest the morning after taking them away but they usually not hungry enough yet but ive never had a problem getting them to stay on the teats after the first 3 days tops unless its an awful fool of an animal and decides to try the other side after getting a spot but hed stay on his teat the next feeding that for sure

5live

denis086 wrote: »

Ive 60 calves (hopefully that and more again to come) trained in the last 2 weeks to feed off 10 teat jfc 6 lots of 10 once we have a lot of 10 they are taken away of the cow put straight into a lot of 10 and take them away at the evening milking when cows are in the parlour. Then in the evening milking the next day try to get them all to drink some bit with the single teat feeder catching them individually. Then next morning all onto the 10 teat feeder usually should follow your finger after the evening before get the good fellas to on in the middle teats and weaker fellas by the gate and just reach over the gate and correct anyone whos strayed they soon get the hang of it and if they do come off the teat in usually is localised to 3 lads in a row so your not all over the shop at least. Id try the odd one who shows an interest the morning after taking them away but they usually not hungry enough yet but ive never had a problem getting them to stay on the teats after the first 3 days tops unless its an awful fool of an animal and decides to try the other side after getting a spot but hed stay on his teat the next feeding that for sure

Thanks for the info. I have 1 or 2 AA calves in each group that seem to 'need' 2 or 3 teats and the smaller ones get pushed off. And i wont even say a word about 2 jerseyX bull calves:mad:

funny man

I use the 10 teat milk-bar tubs for eight but occasionally i might have 10 in a pen so i cut the top bars of the gate down to the bar the feeder hangs on and i throw in the milk in and reach across the feeder to pull calves to the right teats. Only problem you cant leave them so i try to keep to no more than 8 also anyone that uses milkbar the yellow teats are excellent for baby calfs starting off.

keep going

5live wrote: »

I got a packet of 10 milkbar teats from the local merchant and put them on the JFC feeder on saturday. They refused to drink:mad:. I think the teats too short/hard/closed so i got JFC nipples monday again.

i changed new for old ones on and found that it takes the calves a lot longer to drink but in long term i think its better for the calves

5live

keep going wrote: »

5live wrote: »

I got a packet of 10 milkbar teats from the local merchant and put them on the JFC feeder on saturday. They refused to drink:mad:. I think the teats too short/hard/closed so i got JFC nipples monday again.

i changed new for old ones on and found that it takes the calves a lot longer to drink but in long term i think its better for the calves

Thanks for that. I agree with you but the smaller calves seemed to get sick of sucking and lay down and the stronger ones drank more. I will change to the milkbar ones once the calves are 3 or more weeks old i think

dar31

been using these http://www.wydaleproducts.co.uk/products/prod/34/5TeatCalfFeeder feeders for the last two years,
find them good and calves trived well.
there is very little pushing and shoving, calves get a set amount each big calves can be given a drop more and small ones a drop less

PMU

5live wrote: »

keep going wrote: »

Thanks for that. I agree with you but the smaller calves seemed to get sick of sucking and lay down and the stronger ones drank more. I will change to the milkbar ones once the calves are 3 or more weeks old i think

what brand of milkbar have you? who supplies them. I am looking for one at the moment.pat

sh1tstirrer

Tipp Man wrote: »

Don't calves thrive much better being teat fed as opposed to bucket or trough fed? I think i read somewhere the difference can be 10kg at weaning and this difference increases during the first summer

could be wrong but teat feeding is much better for their stomach devolpment

anyway we generally put 9 in a pen for the 10 teat feeder - although we have managed to get 10 going a few times when space was restricted

Every thing you said is true. When I was going to ag college we were told heads up deaths down.

keep going

PMU wrote: »

5live wrote: »

what brand of milkbar have you? who supplies them. I am looking for one at the moment.pat

both jfc and milkbar can use the same teat which i think is better but then i am conducting an experiment of sorts having changed from using those white ones for the past few years. it seems to be compartment feeders for first 3 to 4weeks and then you can use the feeders without divisions if you want have jfc and milkbar feeders and dont see a major difference

5live

PMU wrote: »

5live wrote: »

what brand of milkbar have you? who supplies them. I am looking for one at the moment.pat

Hi PMU. I have JFC feeders but got a packet of 10 milkbar teats to see if it would make feeding easier. The sucks just didnt like them. They werent getting enough out to keep them sucking and half the milk was left in the feeder when the calves finished. I will probably put them on later when the calves are stronger and better able to suck

keep going

hasw anyone found that the jfc nipple lasts longer and is a better nipple than the milkbar

PMU

well,I bought a 26-place stallion mobile calf feeder.the calves have a habit of pushing to the right drinking from each teat in turn, i cannot stop them! they are drinking yogurt milk. anyone have a solution? Pat

stagg88

I can only get 8/10 at mine not sure what make they are. Bought a new one at the local coop 125 euro last week. I no they're always dear but come on theres not much too them. what kind of dollar has any one else paid