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Automatic calf feeder

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Comments

  • #32
    ginger22
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,405 ✭✭✭ginger22


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123037737#Comment_123037737

    That's it, train them as soon as possible. Most of them cop on straight away.



  • #33
    Castlekeeper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 2,469 ✭✭✭Castlekeeper


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/122986478#Comment_122986478

    I'd have older similar machines. Cheap and they're great but you wouldn't want to be leaving calves on them more than a month. A good wash every 2nd day is essential, every day in warm weather. One nipple per pen as in the pictures is a bad job for timid calves, leads to urine sucking. Those large pipes too, too much cold milk in them and hard to suck. I'm not sure how he gets away without non return valves or why you'd bother trying.

    Unless they were cheap, I'd go for the computerised one.

    “We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality.” George Orwell.



  • #34
    ginger22
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,405 ✭✭✭ginger22


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038021#Comment_123038021

    Have both here, JFC for heifers and Power for bulls. In fairness the Power works well, washes itself, we only wash every 3rd day, put acidifier in the milk. Took a lot of the drudgery out of feeding the bull calves and makes a great job of them. Does 4 pens. Could have up to 20 calves on one teat.



  • #35
    visatorro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,103 ✭✭✭visatorro


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038148#Comment_123038148

    How much milk do you think they are drinking oer head?



  • #36
    tractorporn
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,657 ✭✭✭tractorporn


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123037114#Comment_123037114

    I'm just going to leave the pipe inside the door for tonight and the fall should bring it to the gully. Your idea would work well too but I hadn't time for that this evening. Hopefully the thaw comes tomorrow now



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  • #37
    ginger22
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,405 ✭✭✭ginger22


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123038919#Comment_123038919

    No idea but they are fit to go much sooner.



  • #38
    Castlekeeper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 2,469 ✭✭✭Castlekeeper


    I suppose washing frequency would vary with the temperature the milk goes in at too. Ours is just water cooler so c.18'. If refrigerated it would last longer, but then the heating unit is the same anyhow.

    Across ages from a few days to a few weeks, they'd drink on average 2 gallons a day, when estimating consumption.

    “We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality.” George Orwell.



  • #39
    ginger22
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,405 ✭✭✭ginger22


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123041944#Comment_123041944

    The lad from powers said to only use the heater if taking the milks from the bulk tank. Not to heat fresh milk.



  • #40
    Castlekeeper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 2,469 ✭✭✭Castlekeeper


    Of course, that's how to make yoghurt! You'd find out pretty quick yourself if you ever made that mistake.

    We're somewhere in the middle, after the plate cooler, though, a lot of the milk we use for calves wouldn't be going through the bulk tank.

    When you don't use the heater at all you'd get a longer time out if it again.

    “We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality.” George Orwell.



  • #41
    visatorro
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 4,103 ✭✭✭visatorro


    Did you ever try the powder with it? That was my plan



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  • #42
    Castlekeeper
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2, Paid Member Posts: 2,469 ✭✭✭Castlekeeper


    https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/123042377#Comment_123042377

    No, one couldn't afford to do that I'd say. Is it even possible to feed ad lib powder?Maybe at a different mixing rate? I'd be wary from a nutrition perspective too.

    “We are all capable of believing things which we know to be untrue, and then, when we are finally proved wrong, impudently twisting the facts so as to show that we were right. Intellectually, it is possible to carry on this process for an indefinite time: the only check on it is that sooner or later a false belief bumps up against solid reality.” George Orwell.



  • #43
    tripperman
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 2,058 ✭✭✭tripperman


    Time for an update, after a rough start to the year. That big storm damaged two roofs on the farm the hay shed and calving shed, so repairing them became the top priority, I was able to repair the calving shed myself new timbers and sheeting leaving extra clear sheets for light in the shed. Still waiting on the builder to put a new roof on the hay shed. So that may take more time as no date on when they will do it.

    Thank you everyone for the advice, i appreciated all the feedback, I'm purchasing a Jfc 2 station feeder without the grant. As I'm leaving the tams grant to get the full amount on a slurry storage in a new shed I stated working on planning for alongside a new calf shed



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