Feeding young calves (suckler system)

weekendfarmer

Hi Folks,

I have a few beef calves that need intervention.

Is there any device out there that mixes and heats milk powder?

Also is this a mad year for twins or is it just me?

Cheers

Tipp Man

You can get a milk trolly on wheels which will mix up to 130 litres I think it is

It won't heat it though

Have one without the mixer as feeding whole milk - great bit of kit

weekendfarmer

Where do i get this milk trolly?

Tipp Man

http://www.connachtagri.ie/index.php?page=shop.product_details&flypage=vmj_naru.tpl&product_id=224&category_id=9&option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=6

Above link should be what you need

I'm sure there are others making them

49801

How many you talking about?
Are they still on the Cow?
If still on the cow you could mix milk replacer once a day to supplement as well as giving them a calf ration should get you over the hump till the grass grows.

weekendfarmer

8 calves in total getting supplemented ... pain in the @rse

Yeah they are isolated until sucking time morn/evening ... have meal under them and topping up with powder for bedtime feed

Tipp Man

8, I thought you had a large amount that needed to be done by hand

Just use a 10 teat feeder

weekendfarmer

[QUOTE=me I have a few beef calves that need intervention. [/QUOTE]


Remote farm, want to back in and drop off quickly ...

weekendfarmer

me wrote:

I have a few beef calves that need intervention.

Remote farm, want to back in and drop off quickly ...

Tipp Man

Those trolleys cost about €500 each, or maybe more for the mixer ones, they aren't meant for 8 calves.

How long does it take to whisk milk for 8 calves

weekendfarmer

I want to heat it aswell

bogman_bass

cold milk to calves that age wont do them one bit of harm

bbam

8 Calves is only 16 litres of milk..

Get a decent 20l bucket with a lid..
Drill with skimcoat mixer.

Mix milk hot at home, throw it in the jeep and have the 10 teat feeder on the outfarm. throw in the milk, wash feeder when done, wash bucket at home....


Mixing cold milk is a torture, most if not all are designed to be mix hot.

Won't get a cheaper easier way for that many calves..

just do it

I'd question whether they need it at all in the first place given they're suckers. How old are they? Surely they are at least 30 days old. Starter calf ration will do them.

49801

Its only for a few weeks so no point in forking out.

get a couple of feeders that you can hang on the gate.
Mix it hot at home and put it in a 20L container with a funnel.
(two 10L will be easier to lift and pour)

FAIK its not a problem to mix replacer fairly hot unlike packet colostrum.
Should be still hot enough buy the time you get to the farm.

thing is for any of these type of feeders you really do need to remove them once the feed is over as the calves will break them and its not good for them to be sucking air either... and they will!
Also a good idea to rinse them off with hose water every day as stale milk is a breeding ground for bacteria and sickness.

Feed them replacer once in the evening and leave them with the cows till morning and separated them again for the day. once a day feeding will do them just fine. Or if you prefer feed them in the morning and leave them off with the cows for the day and separate them in the evening.
Just make sure that will work for you.
think many dairymen are going to OAD from 10days old now.
just keep the meal and straw into them as much as they want!

just do it

How old are they? Why are you separating them from cows?

49801

just do it wrote: »

How old are they? Why are you separating them from cows?

by the sounds of it twins and cows loosing condition for various reasons

weekendfarmer

49801 wrote: »

by the sounds of it twins and cows loosing condition for various reasons

nail on head

weekendfarmer

What i really am after is a big kettle like device / element

Something i could plug in out side ...

bbam

weekendfarmer wrote: »

What i really am after is a big kettle like device / element

Something i could plug in out side ...

Too much spend for a short-term problem..
KIS, Keep It Simple !!

just do it

Are you supplementing the cows? Separate the cows with twins and give them 2-3kg of dairy nuts. Also give calves meal in creep area. I don't see the point in the extra hardship feeding milk replacer entails, unless of course the calves are very young. But we don't know the age of the calves!

49801

bbam wrote: »

Too much spend for a short-term problem..
KIS, Keep It Simple !!

+1

weekendfarmer

I have 90+ sucklers so there always seems to be a couple of babies on to go (my calving pattern is a joke)

If i had a "big" element would be might for heating water say 10 gallons in 10 minutes
for several jobs would be mighty.

49801

weekendfarmer wrote: »

I have 90+ sucklers so there always seems to be a couple of babies on to go (my calving pattern is a joke)

If i had a "big" element would be might for heating water say 10 gallons in 10 minutes
for several jobs would be mighty.

your barking up the wrong tree IMO unless you have use for hot water for other reasons.

if your dead set on it look into a gas boiler. been on DD lately

rancher

49801 wrote: »

your barking up the wrong tree IMO unless you have use for hot water for other reasons.

if your dead set on it look into a gas boiler. been on DD lately

I

I use to rear calves, I put an ordinary kettle element in a steel drum, just drilled a hole in the side and stuck it in,
Filled it with water then and timed it to get to the temp that i wanted the water at.
Plugged it into a time switch and then set it so that I had hot water at the times I needed it

weekendfarmer

rancher wrote: »

I

I use to rear calves, I put an ordinary kettle element in a steel drum, just drilled a hole in the side and stuck it in,
Filled it with water then and timed it to get to the temp that i wanted the water at.
Plugged it into a time switch and then set it so that I had hot water at the times I needed it

very clever .... thats what i am after

Cheers man

bbam

weekendfarmer wrote: »

very clever .... thats what i am after

Cheers man

Well I doubt it is..
A kettle element won't heat 10 galons of water in 10 minutes..

even a burco boiler wont do that and its designed to heat that volume of water
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/kitchenappliances/3767003


We made a water heater from an old steel tank from a deep well pump and welded a socket to take an immersion element, lagged it heavily and it works on a regular timer.. It has a built in thermostat which cuts off at 80 degrees too..

But thats a far cry from just needing to supplement 8 calves..

Sounds like you could do with a proper water heater set-up. There are the tank type ones or the instant water heater type thing, not sure of the economics of one against the other..

If your thinking of hot water 24*7 then buy a purpose built product that is insulated extensively, it will save you in the long run.

rancher

bbam wrote: »

Well I doubt it is..
A kettle element won't heat 10 galons of water in 10 minutes...

Doesn't matter that it doesn't heat it in ten minutes if the time switch turns it on two hours before you want to feed the calves

Richk2012

Go get yourself an undersink water heater r an wire it into an apt timeclock .
Leave the emersion in the kettle where it belongs , so you can have a cup of tae when calves are fed and no fear of electrocute yourself in the process .

Incase you dont know , the apt timeclock has an ON , OFF , + TIMED switch.
Simple to use .
It has all the little teeth that you push back marked as a 24hr clock .

I put a 10ltr one and a belfast sink in a shed in our place about 5 years ago and its perfect .
Have it set high to heat water to about 85degree , so when mixed with cold i have 15 litres of hot water .

Dont know how i managed before without it .

Dampintheattic

Sell off one of each set of twins! Collect a nice bit of money. Take pressure off the cow. Have one well reared weanling next fall. Have a much better chance of getting the cow back in calf into the bargain.
Feeding milk replacer to sucker calves, is nothing more than piddling money down the drain and giving yourself work for no return.

bbam

rancher wrote: »

Doesn't matter that it doesn't heat it in ten minutes if the time switch turns it on two hours before you want to feed the calves

This is too inefficient a system..

You could spend two hours heating the water and then if your 20 minutes late it'll be too cold.. cost has to be a factor too, the less time an element runs for the better..

Also I'm not sure undersink heaters will heat that volume of water, fine to wash hands or a few cups... but I'd doubt enough hot water to feed calves.. We have one at work in a kitchen sink and it runs cold quick enough..

Richk2012

bbam wrote: »

This is too inefficient a system..

You could spend two hours heating the water and then if your 20 minutes late it'll be too cold.. cost has to be a factor too, the less time an element runs for the better..

Also I'm not sure undersink heaters will heat that volume of water, fine to wash hands or a few cups... but I'd doubt enough hot water to feed calves.. We have one at work in a kitchen sink and it runs cold quick enough..

Different size models bbam ....

Would imagine an USWH fitted in a kitchen/canteen would be a 5 litre maybe .
I have a 10 litre one at home and it does me for what i need .

If OP got a 15ltr one and heated it to a high temp , after diluting with cold he would have prob about 22itres of water the temp required to feed calves milk.

Its not ideal to feed a big number of calves by no means , however i dont think this man is in a calf rearing job .
He is just stuck with these because of problems with cows etc....

When the calves are reared he is left with a sink and hot and cold running water for little cost .
Id consider it an investment .

I paid 80eur for 10ltr heater .

rancher

bbam wrote: »

Well I doubt it is..
A kettle element won't heat 10 galons of water in 10 minutes..

even a burco boiler wont do that and its designed to heat that volume of water
http://www.donedeal.ie/for-sale/kitchenappliances/3767003


We made a water heater from an old steel tank from a deep well pump and welded a socket to take an immersion element, lagged it heavily and it works on a regular timer.. It has a built in thermostat which cuts off at 80 degrees too...

Isn't that basically the same as what I described..... only mine is simpler

bbam

rancher wrote: »

Isn't that basically the same as what I described..... only mine is simpler

No.
Closed tank.
Larger element
Built in thermostat
Built in over current protection
Lagged so water stays hot for about four hours.

I think a purpose built water heater of decent size is what OP would need for this job.

Although the advice from others to feed the cows so that they both gain condition and increase milk is probably money and time better spent. Personally I wouldn't like feeding whole milk and powdered milk to the same calves, god knows its hard enough to keep scour at bay without introducing more variables.

Feeding milk replacer to these calves is treating the symptom rather than curing the problem, whatever it is.

mf240

Sell eight calves get a rob for them and the cows will rear the others.

Or buy two friesan cows.