by To raise cows at home, all the components for the barn can be purchased ready-made or designed independently. How to make a cow feeder with your own hands, you will learn from this article.
Design features
Taking into account the design features, feeders can be stall and pasture. Let’s consider the features of each option.
For the stall
Stall tables are usually installed in passages and fenced with walls (they do not need to be large). The table can be raised 15 cm above the floor.
Such indicators as the type of maintenance, the number of livestock are of great importance; also consider the format of farm maintenance – it can be manual or automated.
This article will help you find out how to make stalls for cows.
These feeders have the following advantages:
- the feed is easy to store;
- cleaning is not difficult;
- The design can easily be made by hand, which means you can save extra money.
In cases where cows move freely around the stall, the tables are equipped with vertical, automatic or inclined grates.
This prevents animals from scattering feed, trampling grain, combined mixtures into the bedding or ground. This is not necessary when keeping animals tethered.
For pasture
Large capacity pasture feeder with mesh limiter:
Open pastures also require the use of special equipment for feeding cows. Use practical and large enough containers to minimize maintenance work.
For dry and wet feed, separate structures should be used; grass and hay are stored in rectangular hanging boxes.
The feed may spill, so it would be advisable to provide a front wall-mesh in the feeders. The main thing is that the animal’s head can easily pass between the bars.
In order to save space, it is convenient to use wall-mounted and corner models. There is currently a wide range of feeders for pigs, goats, calves, cows and horses on sale.
The size of the container is also important – for cattle it is advisable to use feeders at least 100 cm long and 40 cm wide.
The outer side should be about 70 cm. Models with side folding walls and hay grates are considered the most hygienic.
Species by feed type
The main types of feeders depending on the type of food are for dry food, grain and hay.
Hay models
Even during pasture walks, the animal may not have enough green grass. To solve this problem, equip the space with hay feeders
. You should not pile the material on the ground – the cows will trample it, and feed consumption will increase.
The best option is to make a conical feeder that can hold a whole roll of dried grass. An additional advantage of this solution is that it is not necessary to regularly refill the container, as the cattle will get the hay gradually.
Dry food containers
Models that are easy to operate and maintain, and are highly durable and safe.
The basic model is a regular square cage, but keep in mind that animals can get injured in it by getting stuck between the bars. So, if possible, consider a safer “open” version.
Grain and compound feeds
For keeping animals at home, they need a balanced diet, rich in valuable substances.
For feeding grain raw materials with compound feeds, it is most convenient to use automated feeders, the most practical and easy to maintain. Be sure to install them in the premises where young animals are raised – they especially need vitamins and microelements.
If adult animals eat all the feed, and the calves remain hungry, use waterers and automatic feeders with limiters – the head of an adult animal simply will not fit through them. Pay special attention to the diet and additional feeding of dairy cows.
What do you need to know before making a feeder?
A feeder or food container is necessary in any branch of cattle breeding. A feeder is rightfully considered a very important component of the animal stall environment.
Hanging mangers made in a rectangular shape are ideal for grass and hay. A wall made with grates will help prevent cows from dragging away the feed, so it is important to consider the size of the partition so that the animal has free access to the inside of the feeder.
It is permissible to feed the cow with mash and grain from a bucket or from a special plastic container, which can be purchased at the market. The most convenient and hygienic is a feeder made with a folding side wall and a grate.
It is useful to think about removing the container. In the summer, when the cattle are grazing, the cow feeder can be washed and dried in any convenient way, and then returned to its place.
For large livestock, the most optimal feeder sizes are considered to be: length 100-120 cm, 60-80 cm for width, bottom width 40 cm. The outer edge of the feeder made by hand is 70-110 cm.
Stall arrangement
When it’s time to set up a stall, you should immediately provide for the presence of several types of feeders, and allocate space for their most rational placement. Let’s consider the features of feed containers.
For wet food, you should buy a special model made of plastic. They are sold in a completely ready-to-use form. There are economy options, the cost of which is in the range of 1-3 thousand rubles.
For a large farm, more functional, capacious models are chosen. Their price can reach 25 thousand. At the same time, they are durable, environmentally friendly, strong and convenient.
Please note: The container will need to be cleaned regularly from wet food to maintain cleanliness and comply with sanitary standards. Therefore, consider in advance how comfortable it will be for you to remove and then re-attach the model.
Dry food is most often placed in rectangular containers. It is preferable to choose hanging options.
The front grille will help keep things tidy because the hay and grass won’t be constantly scattered. Be sure to make sure that the cows can get their heads through without difficulty and don’t get stuck in the fence.
Necessary materials and tools
The manger is often made of wood. Extra wooden boards can probably be found on almost every garden plot, so this method is the cheapest and easiest to implement.
In addition, wood is a material that is easy to use and harmless to the health of your horned animal. The most durable design is considered to be one made of pine or oak.
How to make a hanging bird feeder out of wood is a question that requires certain skills.
First, let’s study what tools will be needed in the process:
- wooden boards;
- measuring tape;
- blueprints;
- steel rods;
- woodworking tools.
If you have a barn built for 2 cows, then two hay feeders are made at once so that both cows have free access to green fodder. If desired, you can also build a group container.
How to make a cow feeder?
If you need to decide how to arrange a cow feeder, you can use proven and inexpensive methods. There are many options for such designs. Some of them deserve close attention.
Feeder with hinged walls
Drawing, photo:
If you have woodworking skills, creating a wooden cow feeder is the best option. You can equip a structure that will be as comfortable as possible for cows and effective in terms of feed savings. For this purpose, it is better to use hardwood.
To build a feeder, you will need to prepare the following tools and materials:
- plane or grinder;
- construction tape measure;
- a circular saw;
- boards;
- drawing of a feeder;
- wooden slats – they can be replaced with reinforcement.
All work on creating a cow feeder with hinged walls is divided into the following stages:
- When creating a design First, you need to prepare a drawing of the product. It is necessary to indicate its exact dimensions. The width of the bottom of the structure should be 0,45 m, the width – 0,8 m. The inner side should be 1 m high, and the outer – 0,3 m.
- Preparation of materials. All wooden elements are checked for humidity level. If necessary, they are dried. Then they are cleaned and sanded.
- Then all the elements are fastened together. To do this, you need to use nails.
- On the inner side A recess should be made for the animal’s head and neck.
- On the completed feeder install slats or reinforcement to prevent food from being thrown onto the floor.
Knowing the stages of building a cow feeder, you can build a strong and convenient structure.
Group feeder
To make feeding the cows quick and convenient, large farms install group feeders. They are usually made of metal elements.
To construct such structures it is necessary to prepare:
- Metal pipes. Elements with diameters of 13 and 19 mm must be prepared.
- Welding machine.
- Bulgarian.
- Paint and varnish composition.
- Reinforcement. It is necessary to select rods with a diameter of 8 mm.
Such feeders are constructed starting with the preparation of each element for assembly. To do this, you need to work with a grinder. First, the pipes are cut into certain pieces in accordance with the dimensions indicated on the drawing.
The following preparatory measures must be carried out:
- 13 pipes that have a diameter of 19 mm. They will have different lengths, 4 of them should be 68 cm long, 2 – 90 cm, 4 – 35 cm and 3 – 201 cm.
- To equip a hay compartment, you should make a frame of the product from 13 mm pipes. For this work, cut two pipes of 205 mm and two of 55 mm. In addition, you will need 26 rods of 68 cm.
After all the preparatory work, the assembly of the feeder parts begins. First, the frame of the structure is built. For this purpose, 4 pipes are welded together – two 201 cm and two 68 cm. The result is a metal rectangle.
Then 4 pieces of 35 cm each are welded to it. As a result, 4 legs are formed. Between them, to ensure stability, 68 cm pipes are placed. At the final stage, 201 cm pipes are installed.
The pipes mounted vertically should be placed on the ends of the base. The pipe that remains should be fixed between them.
After preparing the foundation, you should begin installing the part of the structure that will hold the hay. For this purpose, you need to weld a rectangle of 55 and 205 cm sections to the highest point of the vertically installed pipes.
Then, reinforcement bars need to be welded between the lower pipe and the upper rectangle. Now you can start painting the metal structure.
Attention! To paint a cow feeder, you need to choose a composition of natural dyes. The mixture must be environmentally friendly.
For calves
Feeders for calves should be located separately from those from which adult animals eat. And it is even better when young animals are kept in a separate room. When kept in a disorderly manner, calves often do not have enough food.
The cows simply eat all the feed and do not allow the calves to approach the feeders. In order for the young animals to develop properly and grow quickly, they need their own diet and separate nutrition from the adult cows.
Feeders for calves are made according to the same principle as for adult cows.
The maximum length of the nursery should not exceed 1 m, width – 40 cm. It is also necessary to arrange sides approximately 1 m high. It is best to make a nursery from hard wood, it is easier to work according to a previously created drawing.
The boards must be polished and free of sharp splinters and knots. The feeder must first of all be convenient for the calves: at first they are already hesitant to eat such feeds as hay.
It is necessary to adapt drinking bowls for calves. They should not be as large as for cows. Securely fastened buckets will be quite sufficient.
Drinking bowl
Highly productive cows need a lot of water during lactation. They should drink 100 liters of water per day. With this in mind, make sure that the drinking bowls are always full.
This is necessary for their safe use by the cows. Cows especially need fresh water after milking.
The reservoir into which water is poured can be an ordinary bucket. However, the availability of such containers is their only advantage.
The drinking bowl should be stable so that the cow does not accidentally knock it over. In addition, it is important to provide the cow with the opportunity to drink as desired, and not according to a schedule. A large trough is best suited for a drinking bowl.
There is no point in installing a trough on large farms. In this case, the drinking bowl is made in groups.
For such purposes, a polypropylene pipe should be used, which is cut lengthwise. The edges of the pipe should be closed. The result is a fairly light tank with a large volume.
The cows will be able to freely drink from it as much as they want. Such drinkers can be installed in open spaces. The structure is easy to wash, which ensures ease of maintenance.
