Post by Christine on Nov 1, 2007 5:29:26 GMT -5
I finally built a cow feeder last week. My cows seemed to be getting dreadfully thin despite eating three bales of hay per day. The vet checked everyone out, and after giving everyone a clean bill of health, suggested that I was feeding too much hay, but most of it was getting wasted, ending up on the floor of the barn. I'd estimate that 3/4 of the hay was getting trod on, pooped on, or peed on.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I built a simple 2 foot by 2 foot by 10 foot box - open on the top, but enclosed on the rest of the sides. I made it out of 2 x 6 lumber and exterior particle board, and installed it on one side of the barn interior.
Amazing. Despite the fact that it doesn't have strangely shaped holes, slats, or other high tech accoutrements, it keeps the hay off the floor of the barn. Best of all, the cows finish 90% of the hay that I put out for them, leaving only the heavy junk leftover. They're putting on weight, and are not wasting much of anything.
The only problem is that I have to get the feeder out of the barn. Four cows eating along a 10 foot wide manger has turned that end of the barn into a soup bowl with all of the pooping and peeing. I plan on building a roof, and will be moving the feeder out of the barn in an attempt to keep things clean.
I'll post pictures sometime soon.
Kip
P.S. Two chickens are laying now, and are doing all of their activity in the nesting boxes. As the Family Cow crew would say, Woooo Whoooo! The eggs are divine. Unfortunately though, my 84 y/o aunt is expressing reservations about eating them because she sees the chickens scratching through the cow manure. She's bought the "supermarket food is so clean" lie, hook line and sinker.
Anyway, to make a long story short, I built a simple 2 foot by 2 foot by 10 foot box - open on the top, but enclosed on the rest of the sides. I made it out of 2 x 6 lumber and exterior particle board, and installed it on one side of the barn interior.
Amazing. Despite the fact that it doesn't have strangely shaped holes, slats, or other high tech accoutrements, it keeps the hay off the floor of the barn. Best of all, the cows finish 90% of the hay that I put out for them, leaving only the heavy junk leftover. They're putting on weight, and are not wasting much of anything.
The only problem is that I have to get the feeder out of the barn. Four cows eating along a 10 foot wide manger has turned that end of the barn into a soup bowl with all of the pooping and peeing. I plan on building a roof, and will be moving the feeder out of the barn in an attempt to keep things clean.
I'll post pictures sometime soon.
Kip
P.S. Two chickens are laying now, and are doing all of their activity in the nesting boxes. As the Family Cow crew would say, Woooo Whoooo! The eggs are divine. Unfortunately though, my 84 y/o aunt is expressing reservations about eating them because she sees the chickens scratching through the cow manure. She's bought the "supermarket food is so clean" lie, hook line and sinker.