Ideas on home made lamb milk feeder

Connemara Farmer

Before anyone suggests it, I'm not interested in buying one as there is no regular mains electrikery in the tunnel.

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I may end up with two pet lambs, kindly donated to me :rolleyes: , I'm doubtful they'll make successful adoptees as their get up and go seems to have got up and left.

Is it possible to make a milk feeder for lambs that would run on a 12v battery, say topped up with a solar panel?

I haven't been able to find a 12 fish tank heater tbh so that may not bode well.

Plenty of plug in home made versions appear online but no 12v one that I've managed to spot yet anyway.

Cran

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Before anyone suggests it, I'm not interested in buying one as there is no regular mains electrikery in the tunnel.

---

I may end up with two pet lambs, kindly donated to me :rolleyes: , I'm doubtful they'll make successful adoptees as their get up and go seems to have got up and left.

Is it possible to make a milk feeder for lambs that would run on a 12v battery, say topped up with a solar panel?

I haven't been able to find a 12 fish tank heater tbh so that may not bode well.

Plenty of plug in home made versions appear online but no 12v one that I've managed to spot yet anyway.

Go cold its easier, I raised two pets at Christmas with cold milk in the machine because the thermostat was broken. Only difference I saw was took a little longer to get going on it.

_Brian

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Before anyone suggests it, I'm not interested in buying one as there is no regular mains electrikery in the tunnel.

---

I may end up with two pet lambs, kindly donated to me :rolleyes: , I'm doubtful they'll make successful adoptees as their get up and go seems to have got up and left.

Is it possible to make a milk feeder for lambs that would run on a 12v battery, say topped up with a solar panel?

I haven't been able to find a 12 fish tank heater tbh so that may not bode well.

Plenty of plug in home made versions appear online but no 12v one that I've managed to spot yet anyway.

The current draw to heat enough water would require a serious deep cycle battery set and corrisponding solar set to recharge.

If cold milk is an option them I'd be putting effort into that.

Green farmer

I'm raising my lot out of a few bottles I got I the euro shop. I mix up the lam lac in a empty carton of milk. Getting sick of feeding them every few hours though.:(

Lano Lynn

funny thinking of similar project lately,some ex esb trucks have a water heater included! 12v as far as i know, and for a real luxury model could use a windscreen washer pump to keep milk in constant suspension?

something to do some wet day:D

rangler1

Cran wrote: »

Go cold its easier, I raised two pets at Christmas with cold milk in the machine because the thermostat was broken. Only difference I saw was took a little longer to get going on it.

Always rear them on cold milk here too. a bucket with a teat on the bottom..... no fancy valves, heaters or pumps to give trouble

Connemara Farmer

It seems cold is the way to go, getting that from several sources. I was hoping to have two years in a row escaping pets but it seems not, at least it's not my own misfortune!

Lano Lynn

this is just the fantasy
http://www.tealwash.com/shop/compact-classic-motor-vehicles/
yikes.....
there's always donedeal

MayoAreMagic

You could always put a hot water bottle, or something of that description, into the bucket? Cold probably works fine, as long as they are inside. But they would do better with warm milk. Just make the milk with warm water and throw in the hwb. Should keep it warm long enough for them to drink it. Probably easier than going down the other route.

IH784man

I bought a cold milk feeder for 20 euro in my local farm shop to rear 5 pet lambs on ad lib feeding,worked a treat,mixed in a bucket.Its a big bucket with 6 lamb teats coming out the bottom,I put a bit of insulation over the top to keep in the heat for a while.

You'd want to wash it out every few days.

Connemara Farmer

One lamb is battling with a foster ewe, don't think it's going to work out. Got her twin on a bottle at the moment. Ordered a couple of bucket teats online, plan is to have two buckets, I can clean one while the other is in use and just rotate them around. Going to progressively lower the milk temp for the bottle lamb until cold.

Cran

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

One lamb is battling with a foster ewe, don't think it's going to work out. Got her twin on a bottle at the moment. Ordered a couple of bucket teats online, plan is to have two buckets, I can clean one while the other is in use and just rotate them around. Going to progressively lower the milk temp for the bottle lamb until cold.

Throw in some natural yogurt into bucket every few days, does them world of good

Green farmer

IH784man wrote: »

I bought a cold milk feeder for 20 euro in my local farm shop to rear 5 pet lambs on ad lib feeding,worked a treat,mixed in a bucket.Its a big bucket with 6 lamb teats coming out the bottom,I put a bit of insulation over the top to keep in the heat for a while.

You'd want to wash it out every few days.

Simple and effective.

IH784man

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

One lamb is battling with a foster ewe, don't think it's going to work out. Got her twin on a bottle at the moment. Ordered a couple of bucket teats online, plan is to have two buckets, I can clean one while the other is in use and just rotate them around. Going to progressively lower the milk temp for the bottle lamb until cold.

Did you get sorted?

Connemara Farmer

IH784man wrote: »

Did you get sorted?

Just need to get a hole saw for the drill, have buckets and teats ready to go. Both lambs drinking well now and eating ration too.

ganmo

Connemara Farmer wrote: »

Just need to get a hole saw for the drill, have buckets and teats ready to go. Both lambs drinking well now and eating ration too.

Does it have to be a perfect circle?
A sharp Stanley could do the job.

Connemara Farmer

ganmo wrote: »

Does it have to be a perfect circle?
A sharp Stanley could do the job.

Stanley probably do grand, just trace out the outline first. Used a hole saw before so I was just being a lazy article.

Connemara Farmer

Opinel done the job, took them all of two seconds to get used to it. Must get natural yogurt next.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X7doyBjvJIs