Calf hutches

delaval

Thinking of investing in a few for this spring.

Any recommendations, tips or type

jaymla627

If you have the money go to this website http://www.calfigloo.com/ really look like the gold standard for rearing calves.

bob charles

delaval wrote: »

Thinking of investing in a few for this spring.

Any recommendations, tips or type

or a topless hutch and just tie the calf to a pole, like a knackers piebald

jersey101

delaval wrote: »

Thinking of investing in a few for this spring.

Any recommendations, tips or type

have ye thought about a poly tunnel?

maxxuumman

delaval wrote: »

Thinking of investing in a few for this spring.

Any recommendations, tips or type

Tried these, the JFC big ones, could get no joy out of them. Used them every way. Tried them in yard with the pens in front, put them out in a paddock so the calves had access to them when they wanted. Had lots of losses those years. They broke my f**king heart. And to top it off they are labour intensive to use.
The best thing I ever did was sell them and buy a milkbar tank for the quad. Calves are out at 4 weeks into a sheltered paddock, yogurt milk and I have yet to looses a calf with this system.
Why the hutches Del, they are not cheap housing. If you wanted something mobile I would make up a 15ftx10 shelter. You could do it very cheap with just 2" box iron and some sheeting. Put a 15 ft gate across the front of it.Plonk it in your yard near the parlour.

maxxuumman

bob charles wrote: »

or a topless hutch and just tie the calf to a pole, like a knackers piebald

Oh f**k it, I'm still laughin'

delaval

bob charles wrote: »

or a topless hutch and just tie the calf to a pole, like a knackers piebald

How would a topless calf feeder work, not the same around here since Mrs D gave up calf feeding

bob charles

delaval wrote: »

How would a topless calf feeder work, not the same around here since Mrs D gave up calf feeding

how many sucks was she able to rear?

dzer2

delaval wrote: »

Thinking of investing in a few for this spring.

Any recommendations, tips or type

In the dog house after last weekend??:D:D

delaval

dzer2 wrote: »

In the dog house after last weekend??:D:D

Are you?

dzer2

delaval wrote: »

Are you?

Oh No No I was very good last weekend baby sitting

caseman

A neighbour uses pallets with fertliser bag nailed to them ,tasty looking job and free.

Milked out

Holm & laue seem to have a good enough system on youtube anyways, prob fairly costly but if you had a corner of your owp free you could put in their igloo type setup with a temp roof over the open area for feeding and to keep em dry.

awaywithyou

Would this system suit ya?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SH2RN39BoKQ

delaval

awaywithyou wrote: »

Would this system suit ya?

http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=SH2RN39BoKQ

Some job, some day!!!!!????

delaval

maxxuumman wrote: »

Tried these, the JFC big ones, could get no joy out of them. Used them every way. Tried them in yard with the pens in front, put them out in a paddock so the calves had access to them when they wanted. Had lots of losses those years. They broke my f**king heart. And to top it off they are labour intensive to use.
The best thing I ever did was sell them and buy a milkbar tank for the quad. Calves are out at 4 weeks into a sheltered paddock, yogurt milk and I have yet to looses a calf with this system.
Why the hutches Del, they are not cheap housing. If you wanted something mobile I would make up a 15ftx10 shelter. You could do it very cheap with just 2" box iron and some sheeting. Put a 15 ft gate across the front of it.Plonk it in your yard near the parlour.

Max, you've really given me pause for thought. I used to do what you were doing and it worked well.

As calf numbers increased we were doing more inside for convenience and once Patricks day comes the wheels fall off.

I was thinking of 4 big hutches for the last few calves when the pressure is on. It was going to put on the pad which is really sheltered.

I might sit down and rethink this one.

Thanks for the heads up

td5man

jersey101 wrote: »

have ye thought about a poly tunnel?

+1 look on youtube theres a nz company making a nice one cant remember the name.
Or a few big square straw bales

loveta

Have two jumbo jfc hutches like your self we use them for when the place gets full and bugs are building up in late spring on wards. i find them very handy and a useful let out but no substitute to a good calf house, we made a slatted base for them out of old 6x3s and 2nds in decking which leaves use only bedding them once a week. I have them close to the dairy for ease of getting milk to them but it would be VERY exposed but no bother once they are facing the right way but they are on concrete tried them in paddocks, a mess is all they were place goes in shi#e very quick inside and around the hutch very quick