Precast alternative troughs

weekendfarmer

Hi Folks,

I am getting a diet feeder this year, and wondering is there any alternative to the concrete troughs ...

Reason being my barriers are also gates and I want to be able to slide the new troughs out of the way now and again with having to horse the concrete around

Any ideas?

Timmaay

Do many bother with troughs in the feeding passage? I don't have a diet feeder so forgive me if I'm wrong, but I assume there is far less gripping with the feed from one that say with normal grab fed silage? There are plenty of attachments for the front loader to push in the feed anyways, which would surely work out cheaper than the troughs along the full feeding passage.

On another note, are you after winning the lotto? Diet feeder, temp bolus, ear tag monitors etc etc, and you have sucklers? I can't justify spending on any of the above, and I'm in dairy!

49801

think this is what you want
http://www.mcgrathquarries.com/product_items/concrete-feeder-blocks/

weekendfarmer

Have to either automate/simplify everyday tasks or get out completely. Working full time and since the brother emmigrated really feeling the pressure.

Why do you think dairy is so "superior" to sucklers

weekendfarmer

49801 wrote: »

think this is what you want
http://www.mcgrathquarries.com/product_items/concrete-feeder-blocks/

Still slow if you want to get in quick though

49801

weekendfarmer wrote: »

Still slow if you want to get in quick though

nothing else out there that is going to do what you are asking.... with those all you have to do is lift a few planks out of a slot.

as someone else said get a silage pusher and forget the trough altogether!

nashmach

Plastic versions of the above may also suit - think JFC make them.

weekendfarmer

true actually.... i could split the gate and have a small one for access / taking cow out.

Could have the too small gates side by side and have one set of blocks opposite covering the two of them.

Easy enough to shutter them up in the next few weeks myself

Cheers Mr. 49801

Timmaay

weekendfarmer wrote: »

Why do you think dairy is so "superior" to sucklers

Hmmm in respect to being stuck twice a day, every day having to milk cows it certainly isn't superior, but from what I have heard through teagasc etc, the figures don't lie for most sucker farmers out there and the margin is simply not there for big investment in items as such that will struggle to provide a return in investment. A well enough setup dairyfarm with a good margin (which as I alluded to in the previous post, I'm not in that position) in general has a much better chance!

weekendfarmer

I would disagree . A very well laid out suckler system allows a higher return as in pay per hour.
I have 90+ suckler cows and still work full time. Admittedly I had the brother helping up until last year.

But I intend to spend a few pound to make life easier / more efficient. I would never ever give up the day job.

The diet feeder i am getting is second hand and am handy with the welder. Will do all the barrier alterations my self.

I will not talk about my other intentions as will be nailed by the mods as they seem very trigger happy on this forum

martin46585

You could also make a bracket, to hold the timbers at a given angle and distance from the vertical stanchions.

The bracket would be a copy of the concrete block and attached to the rsj, in the same way as a gate hanger.

Use a small h section to slot the timber into, and as you say you can weld them up yourself, with no great outlay of expenses, bar the timbers.......

blue5000

Nice big H iron, about 20 inch web, laid on it's side about 2 feet out, give or take a few inches depending on what sort of stock are behind the barrier:D

Cavanjack

weekendfarmer wrote: »

I would disagree . A very well laid out suckler system allows a higher return as in pay per hour.
I have 90+ suckler cows and still work full time. Admittedly I had the brother helping up until last year.

But I intend to spend a few pound to make life easier / more efficient. I would never ever give up the day job.

The diet feeder i am getting is second hand and am handy with the welder. Will do all the barrier alterations my self.

I will not talk about my other intentions as will be nailed by the mods as they seem very trigger happy on this forum

That's some work load you have. Fair play. On some of the CAP threads it's been said part timers arn't productive farmers and shouldnt get the same SFP as full time lads. I'd say you'd have plenty to say about that.

weekendfarmer

Cavanjack wrote: »

That's some work load you have. Fair play. On some of the CAP threads it's been said part timers arn't productive farmers and shouldnt get the same SFP as full time lads. I'd say you'd have plenty to say about that.

If one looks at what they do every day and keep asking themselves can i avoid this i think you become naturally efficient. Not there yet but soon

I want to be down to 2 hours per day max out side of calving duty.

weekendfarmer

blue5000 wrote: »

Nice big H iron, about 20 inch web, laid on it's side about 2 feet out, give or take a few inches depending on what sort of stock are behind the barrier:D

Yeah ... this came to mind also.

Would it be safe to use freshly treated timbers?

49801

weekendfarmer wrote: »

Yeah ... this came to mind also.

Would it be safe to use freshly treated timbers?

some sort of bracket that can be attached & removed from the uprights that you could slide timbers into might be a tasty option too... bit like the mcgrath concrete block idea.... be handier for cleaning out the trough's than those concrete troughs too.