Feed troughs

muckymanor

muckymanor

Well-Known Member
Some of you lads would be familiar with precast feed troughs, so might be able to give me some guidance. I'm trying to make life easier for myself and reduce the number of hours and miles that I do on the road. I mentioned here before about the farm in Galway, and how I have an elderly man who keeps an eye on things for me. I put in the bales, but I'm finding that I have to make an extra trip over there in the week, not to put in bales, but to push up the silage. It's most necessary for a pen of autumn calvers. They eat a lot of silage, and I don't like them being without silage for half a day - unlike the dry cows.

I have been thinking of many ways that would make life easier for me. The simple problem is that as cattle eat, they push the silage away from themselves. They can reach 3ft out from the barrier. Bales tend to be 4ft 6" in length, so between eating and pushing it out, there's always 2ft of silage that they can't reach which has to be pushed back in. In an old thread, someone suggested barriers that cattle could push out as they ate the silage so that they could always reach it. To be honest, the price for them is mad! I don't have it and can't justify it. But this last while has gotten me thinking about either a precast concrete wedge that the bale was left on top of - so that as they are away at the base of the bale, it was always tilted inwards and would fall inwards. I can't find a precast wedge.

But the second option might be a low L trough like this which would stop the silage being pushed outwards. Anyone care to put a ballpark on how much these lads would cost?

Or had anyone got any other innovative solution.

Low-L-Feeder-01.jpg
 
muckymanor said:
Some of you lads would be familiar with precast feed troughs, so might be able to give me some guidance. I'm trying to make life easier for myself and reduce the number of hours and miles that I do on the road. I mentioned here before about the farm in Galway, and how I have an elderly man who keeps an eye on things for me. I put in the bales, but I'm finding that I have to make an extra trip over there in the week, not to put in bales, but to push up the silage. It's most necessary for a pen of autumn calvers. They eat a lot of silage, and I don't like them being without silage for half a day - unlike the dry cows.

I have been thinking of many ways that would make life easier for me. The simple problem is that as cattle eat, they push the silage away from themselves. They can reach 3ft out from the barrier. Bales tend to be 4ft 6" in length, so between eating and pushing it out, there's always 2ft of silage that they can't reach which has to be pushed back in. In an old thread, someone suggested barriers that cattle could push out as they ate the silage so that they could always reach it. To be honest, the price for them is mad! I don't have it and can't justify it. But this last while has gotten me thinking about either a precast concrete wedge that the bale was left on top of - so that as they are away at the base of the bale, it was always tilted inwards and would fall inwards. I can't find a precast wedge.

But the second option might be a low L trough like this which would stop the silage being pushed outwards. Anyone care to put a ballpark on how much these lads would cost?

Or had anyone got any other innovative solution.

Low-L-Feeder-01.jpg
Click to expand...
I suppose lining the barrier with bales would keep them fed for a while. Its a tough one though.
Maybe a feeder on contract. To go there 2 or 3 times a week and keep silage in. Maybe a young lad from the local area.
 
Those L troughs are really only suited to diet feeders . How would you get a 4ft bale inside 30” trough . What you need is a Lely silage pusher . Now I can see cost making that a non runner too .
 
Charolais0153 said:
I suppose lining the barrier with bales would keep them fed for a while. Its a tough one though.
Maybe a feeder on contract. To go there 2 or 3 times a week and keep silage in. Maybe a young lad from the local area.
Click to expand...

Line it up too close to the barrier and they pull it in. I'm there twice during the week myself because work means that I'm close by. And I usually spend a full day there every friday. The lad that looks at them, does so, in exchange for something which costs me nothing. Bringing another lad in to push up a bale once a week will cost me. What I'm missing is one day's feeding. I'd prefer to automate it if I could. Doing some research, it wouldn't be impossible for a fellow to make a wedge out of a few old railway sleepers
 
massey 6480 said:
What you need is a Lely silage pusher . Now I can see cost making that a non runner too .
Click to expand...
Even if cost wasn't an issue, I believe that they are not suitable for pushing up round bale silage (More suited to feed that comes from a diet feeder or a bale chopper).
When I go to zero grazing and finishing everything inside, down the line, the lely juno will be ideal! :whistle:
 
It’s cheaper to get a lad to build a trough cast in situ than buy the precast one, only advantage is flexibility.
 
Would it be better to have a 18inch high ((or however high the feeding tractor will drive over)triangle in the middle so the bale will fall to the cattle
 
That's the idea, have something which causes the bale to fall towards the barrier which will not let them push too much out.
The shed is an open front with lots of space in front. Tractor will never need to drive over it, just lift the bale across it.
A good concrete railway sleeper might even do the job!
 
Is there no way to let the cattle eat from both sides?
A few girders and gates... even it they are stood outside for it?
 
Spring loaded headrail?

Or a frame for the bale that's spring loaded,as the bale got lighter it would lift and tip towards the barrier.
 
Could you make up a steel frame, 2ft6 by 15ft, put a hinge point on one of the long edges, then bolt the hinge point to the ground about 2ft6 to 3ft out from the barrier. then get a cheap electric winch mounted on the pillar and attach it to the opposite side. You place the bales on it and then on the second day when your man is in and they have it half eaten all he has to do is turn on the winch and pull up the barrier which will make the rest fall in in-front of them and will stop them from pushing it back out. I know it might mean that it’s not always kept to the barrier 100% of the time but it would be a lot easier than trying to get bales up over anything that will get them to slide down into it.

The only other thing I can think of is is there anyway you could raise the whole passage from about 3ft out from the barrier so the tractor is about 2ft above where there eating from and the bale has no where to go other than down? It’d be an expensive option tho, re concreteing the full passage basically
 
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