Round Feeder For Dexters

[Saffy]

I think this has been talked about before but I can't find it. Is there a type of round feeder that is best for Dexters? I usually feed mine small bale hay but this year I didn't make any and have been feeding a bit of bought hay until now but want to start feeding some haylage I have made.

So any ideas on the best feeder to get, it will be indoors.

Stephanie

[Jac]

I have purchased circular Yearling Feeders *(5ft 3" diameter x 1145mm high with 460mm deep welded base 18 feed spaces) Quite a good selection on this site
http://www.country-stores.com/cattle_feeding.htm

[Saffy]

Thanks Jac - will a full sized round bale fit in? I imagine it does, with a little room to spare?

Stephanie

[Broomcroft]

We've always used just normal, standard cattle ring feeders and drop bales in. Calves can hop in and out, but not been a problem. When there's calves about, we keep it stocked up if we want to stop them.

[Jac]

Thanks Jac - will a full sized round bale fit in? I imagine it does, with a little room to spare?

Stephanie

Because we haven't got lifting equipment our bales are rolled off the trailer and put in sideways. We have had to take a couple of layers off before dropping the ring feeder over the bale (as it is light enough to lift) and then put what we have taken off back inside the feeder. I should imagine if you put the bale in the right way up it will fit.

[Rob R]

I think the best type of round feeder for Dexters is one you've cut up and straightened and after ten years of using them I'm looking forward not to. The cattle seem much more prone to bullying with round feeders so the dominant ones do well (as they can circle round the feeder in a way they can't with a linear barrier) while the less dominant don't get a look in. The bale can never be very far away from the feeder either so they pull out from being butted from behind along with a mouthful that gets dropped on the floor & trodden in, so we get an awful lot of wastage. It also cuts down on the pen size quite significantly, and a barrier makes up on side of the pen, so they cut down on gates/walls, as you have probably guessed, I'm not a fan.

That aside, we just use standard ring feeders and tip them up if we only have the three point linkage spike available.

[domsmith]

Good to see lots of baler twine in use Clive!! what would we do without it?

use round feeders, with no problems. we also have a feed trailer, and a feed bin, which is basically a rectangle feeder. it will fit 2 bales in and has places for maybe 16 or so animals.

to stop wastage, get you silage chopped as its baled, you get much more in a bale as well. stops them pulling it through the feed barrier.

dominic

[Broomcroft]

Good to see lots of baler twine in use Clive!!

Nothing but professional stuff here dom .

IMO, you need plenty of feed space if using ring feeders, so there's no dominant ones getting all the forage and it reduces them pulling out with a mouth full and dropping it on the floor. Still happens though, just less. We use a tele-handler for bales in awkward buildings so it's great for us but maybe not others. It's got to suit your situation. It also makes our buildings very flexible not having feed barriers, I can change between sheep and cattle in no time.

Off subject … but got some really wet, horrible, brown silage this year, and also lots of nice stuff. Put two ring feeders in with a group of cows the other day, one of the horrible ones, dripping brown fluid profusely as I put it in the feeder, the other I loaded with a really nice sweet smelling bale. Which did they go at first? You guessed it, the horrible stuff .

[Tim Watson]

We're also after a feeder but not a ring.
As we feed small bales of hay we would like something like one of those wall hung racks but double sided and on legs, preferably with a roof (although I can make one up with ply if needs be). I keep looking but haven't found one yet.
Last year we fed on the ground but have learnt our lesson!

[M Blake]

I would say that a standard ring feeder for standard bales is best as a smaller feeder will probably increase the waste. I find that if they can pull through the bale at least in a larger feeder it isn,t pulled on to the floor. My non shorts have no problem clearing a bale fed in a standard feeder, maybe with the short leg you may need to fork up the last of the bale but this is better than having feed on the floor.
Probably easier to aquire standard feeders aswell, good luck, Mark

[Boofarm]

Presently using a couple of horned sheep feeders from IAE , maybe a little on the light side but no problems so far. Next to no wastage but we are not putting full bales in - only 9 adult cows and 6 followers at the moment so plenty of room for everybody.

If I was getting another I would try the IAE yearling feeder

Cheers
mac

[Denise]

umm - from downunder - here is a link or two foryou to look at - dont know if you can get this type of feeder in the UK?
I also remember seeing a big oblong bale feeder that you "moved inwards" as they eat it!

http://www.arrowfarmquip.com.au/product ... ed-56.html

http://www.paton.net.au/stock/straw.htm

http://www.nortongates.com.au/hay_feeder.html

may be something different amongst them for your contempation - hope they help.

[Saffy]

Thank you all for the help, I shall have a good think. Denise there are some good products there and a free ice box with some of them ....... but I think I may find the delivery a bit steep!

Stephanie

[Rob R]

Good to see lots of baler twine in use Clive!!

Nothing but professional stuff here dom .

IMO, you need plenty of feed space if using ring feeders, so there's no dominant ones getting all the forage and it reduces them pulling out with a mouth full and dropping it on the floor. Still happens though, just less. We use a tele-handler for bales in awkward buildings so it's great for us but maybe not others. It's got to suit your situation. It also makes our buildings very flexible not having feed barriers, I can change between sheep and cattle in no time.

Yes, it depends on the system - if you feed outdoors then ring feeders can be extra flexible and portable. We don't often house the sheep either, so I never thought of that. When I first started with Dexters I was feeding small bale hay in old fashioned hay racks, then moved on to a short feed barrier when we started using big bales, then ring feeders when we bought the farm and the buildings were set up that way. Having more than one site the loader tractor isn't always here and sometimes only having one person available when feeding means not having to go into the pen with the tractor & no risk of escapes. This year we're really pleased to have the barriers though, as the cows are cleaning up and making better use of the forage when it's in short supply.

[Denise]

Thank you all for the help, I shall have a good think. Denise there are some good products there and a free ice box with some of them ....... but I think I may find the delivery a bit steep!

Stephanie

Hi Stephanie - agree - but if some of the ideas are useful why not "borrow them" if u can find someone to make em up for u.

For those who have lots (of dexters that is) we can get a square bale feeder that you can expand out so its like a long (as long as u want) feeder and this is used in feedlots quite a bit.
Put it down the middle of the barn and they can eat from each side - because its oblong it probably stops the bullies pushing away the bullied ones!!!!!