Setting up convenient cow feeders is important for every farmer. With their proper installation, it will be convenient for the animals to get the feed, and the maintenance staff to fill and clean the tanks.

Features of the feeder in the barn

So that during feeding and watering of cattle in the shed, food does not fall under the legs of cows, special designs for feed are used. Usually they are made hinged, with a grid attached on top, through which the cow can get feed . Depending on the number of animals, the feeders can be individual or group.

Did you know? Cows are very fond of cleanliness. Animals will not take food from a dirty feeder or drink stagnant water from a drinking bowl.

Types of feeders and requirements for them

Depending on the type of cows, you need to prepare various types of feeders for animals. Each species has its own characteristics and must meet certain requirements.

For the stall

Before manufacturing and installing feeders in the stalls, you need to analyze the number of cows on the farm, the type of their maintenance and maintenance (manually or using automatic equipment). A self-made mounted hanging feeder is best used in small stalls and with a small population. If there are a lot of animals, it is better to use a so-called table for their feeding and give preference to automatic feed stackers.

The table is a passage along the pens with animals. Sometimes the table is fenced with small walls (up to 50 cm high) and raised to a height of 30 cm from the floor. The walls prevent the loss of food on the floor and mixing it with manure, as well as facilitate the cleaning of the passage between the stalls. If the cows in the stalls are not tied, then different types of grids are used as the walls of the tables.

1. Direct. They are the most convenient for livestock, because they give animals the opportunity to move at will and get hay.
2. Inclined. Used to restrict the movement of animals on the stall.
3. Automatic. They are the most expensive option, with their help the cow can be fixed in one position for various procedures. But too restless animals can easily break such a design.

The basic requirements for stall feeders are as follows:

• spaciousness;
• the presence of a side wall that prevents the loss of feed;
• ease of maintenance;
• safety for cows (no sharp corners).

Find out how much hay a cow needs per day.

In the pasture

To feed livestock on a pasture, you need to equip separate areas and place feeders on them. At the same time, separate containers must be prepared to supply dry and wet food. Hay feeders are often set up on pastures when there is a shortage of fresh grass.

An ideal option would be a capacious container in the form of an inverted cone with sides made of metal rods. In this design, you can immediately place a large portion of hay. Animals will have constant access to food and will not crush it around.

The most common pasture feeders in the form of square cells. The side walls of such structures are made of rods. But they are unsafe, because if the animal’s head accidentally falls between the rods, the cow may get stuck and get injured.

To feed a large number of cattle with grain and various types of animal feed, automated feeders are used. They not only help prevent a large loss of feed, but also provide each animal with a sufficient amount of food.

The basic requirements for pasture feeders are:

• functionality and durability;
• safety for livestock;
• large capacity;
• protection against the loss of large quantities of feed;
• easy to install, transport and maintain.

Read also what to do if cows do not eat hay.

Model Types

Depending on the type of feed used, cattle feeders come in two forms - for hay and for mixed feed. The size of the feeders is determined taking into account the number of cows and the availability of free space. You can not use any capacity for feeding livestock. It is important to properly design the feed and install it in accordance with certain requirements.

For hay and dry feed

The feeder for a dry type of feed can be rectangular. The capacity is made hinged, and as a front side they put a grill. This is necessary so that cows can pick up hay through the bars and not sprinkle it.

The most common and easy to maintain is an inverted cone hay feeder. It is spacious enough and allows animals to freely eat food at any time. In addition, this design can serve for many years and does not pose a danger to cows.

For combined feed and grain

Even in the summer, when cows feed on fresh grass, they need to be fed compound feeds containing nutrients. Therefore, it is necessary to equip a cage for grain and combined feed for cows.

The most rational feeders for this type of feed are automatic. They prevent the loss of feed and can provide the cow with the amount of food she needs.

How to make a cattle feeder with your own hands

The cattle feed tank on the farm can be made independently using the tools available. The most popular materials for such structures are wood and metal. Below are two simple and inexpensive options for making roomy cow feeders.

Important! To make a strong and durable wooden feeding trough, it is recommended to use only hard wood species (pine, oak).

Wooden

Wood is an ecological, natural and durable material, so a wooden feeder will serve for many years. The main thing is to know the rules for working with this material and be able to properly care for wooden containers.

Necessary materials and tools:

• 9-10 boards 600x15x4 cm in size (8 pcs. On the bottom and walls + 2 pcs. On the side caps and bars for connecting all the elements of the feeder);
• 1 board size 600x10x4 cm;
• nails - 1 kg;
• hammer;
• joiner's corner;
• a circular saw;
• pencil.

The finished design will have dimensions:

• length - 600 cm;
• width - 45 cm;
• height of the outer rim - 40 cm;
• the height of the inner rim - 45 cm.

Did you know? The ancestors of modern domestic cows are tours that were destroyed by humans about 400 years ago.

Step-by-step instructions for making a simple wooden cow feeder:

1. To make the bottom, knock down three boards 600x15x4 cm in size using nails. You should get an even, rectangular cloth 600x45x4 cm in size.
2. To make the inner side, similarly knock together 3 more boards 600x15x4 cm in size.
3. For the manufacture of the outer rim, nail down 2 boards 600 x 15 x 4 cm in size and 1 board 600 x 10 x 4 cm in size. At the same time, place a board of smaller width between boards with a larger width. It should turn out a canvas measuring 600x440 cm.
4. To make side caps, you need to mark and cut one 600x15x4 cm board into 6 identical boards 40 cm long. For each cap, fasten with nails three boards. You should get two identical planes in the shape of a rectangle measuring 40x45 cm.
5. With the help of nails and scraps of boards, fasten the bottom, outer and inner sides of the feeder so that the bottom is perpendicular to the sides.
6. Nail the side caps to the sides and bottom of the container.
7. Treat the protruding and rough edges of the structure with a circular saw at an angle of 45 °, so that their surface is smooth.

Metal group

Such designs are made for feeding a large livestock. They are convenient in that they allow you to quickly feed many animals and do not require much time to fill the containers with food. List of necessary materials and tools:

• metal pipes with a diameter of 13 mm (for the manufacture of a compartment with feed);
• metal pipes with a diameter of 19 mm (for the manufacture of the base of the feeder);
• paint;
• fittings (8 mm);
• welding machine;
• Bulgarian.

For the manufacture of a metal group feeder, use the drawing below.

Consider a step-by-step instruction for manufacturing such a design:

1. Cut metal pipes with a diameter of 19 mm into 13 separate pieces. Each of them will act as a separate part for the manufacture of the base of the feeder. The length of each piece is determined according to the drawing: 3 pcs. 201 cm long, 4 pcs. 35 cm long, 2 pcs. 90 cm long and 4 pcs. 68 cm long.
2. Cut metal pipes with a diameter of 13 mm into 4 parts for the manufacture of the frame. The size of each piece is also determined according to the drawing: 2 pcs. 205 cm long and 2 pcs. 55 cm long.
3. Cut 26 identical pieces of reinforcement. The length of each piece is 68 cm.
4. For the frame, weld in a rectangle 2 pipes of 201 cm and 2 pipes of 68 cm.
5. 4 pipes 35 cm long are vertically welded to the received element - they will be the legs of the structure.
6. Between the legs, weld two pieces of a length of 68 cm to ensure greater stability of the product.
7. Vertically install 2 pipes of 90 cm on opposite sides of the obtained base (according to the drawing).
8. Weld a pipe 201 cm long between installed vertical pipes of 90 cm each (see drawing). The base of the feeder is ready.
9. Weld in the form of a rectangle 2 pipes 55 cm long and 2 pipes 205 cm long. Weld the resulting part to the highest point of the vertical pipes of the base.
10. Weld the pieces of reinforcement between the upper rectangle (item 9) and the horizontal lower pipe (item 8). The step between the pieces of reinforcement is 7 cm.
11. Paint the feeder in the desired color.

Video: mounting a metal panel feeder

Important! To paint a metal feeder you need only natural, high-quality and non-toxic paints that do not harm animals.

Drinking bowls for cows

All cows need not only regular feeding, but also need to receive water regularly. It is important to ensure unhindered access of animals to water throughout the day so that they can quench their thirst at any time. For this purpose, various types of drinking bowls are set up on cattle farms.

The need for drinking bowls for cows

Animals can even be watered from a metal bucket or trough, but this option is associated with high labor costs. Such containers are not spacious enough and will have to be filled several times a day.

In addition, you need to ensure that the cow drank water, and not turned it over. Even if the farm contains a small number of livestock, the process of watering animals will be long and tiring for humans. Therefore, for cows, it is necessary to equip drinkers.

Recommended Reading

How to make do-it-yourself drinking bowls for cattle Their convenience is as follows:

• the cow cannot turn the water over before it can drink;
• a large volume of drinkers;
• ease of maintenance - it is enough to fill a capacious drinker once with water so that the animals have enough drink for a long time;
• constant access of cows to water.

Drinking bowls for cows can be both individual and group.

What material are made

The material for making the drinker can be chosen at your discretion. The main thing is that the tank should be capacious, because cows require a lot of water for normal health.

Did you know? In order to produce 1 liter of milk, a cow must drink at least 9 liters of water!

A cattle drinker can be made from:

1. Metal - a stainless steel or sheet metal is suitable. Such a drinker is made in the form of a rectangular gutter, at one end of which a crane is installed. To drain the remaining water, one wall of the drinking bowl can be made folding. The advantage of a metal drinker is the durability of the design, ease of washing and the ability to move the tank from one place to another. The disadvantages include some complexity in the manufacture and assembly of such a design.
   

2. Wood - the container itself is made of wooden boards, and it is sealed with resin, filling all the cracks. The advantage of a wooden drinking bowl is that it is easy to make with your own hands. The downside of this capacity is that it is inconvenient to wash. In addition, gaps may form between the joints of the bottom and walls of the tank through which water will flow.
3. Plastic - a plastic pipe with a diameter of at least 30 cm is used for manufacturing. It is cut lengthwise into two parts. The advantages of a plastic drinker are its light weight, ease of manufacture and the ability to easily wash the container. A significant drawback of the design is the fragility of the drinking bowl, since plastic is a rather fragile material.
   

4. Brick or concrete - from it lay the capacity of the desired shape. The inner surface of such a drinking bowl is covered with plaster. Materials should be selected moisture-resistant and not containing components harmful to cows. The advantage of this capacity is its durability. But concrete drinkers are very bulky and heavy - this is their main drawback. It is impossible to equip a drain for stagnant water in such a design, so it is very difficult to wash it.

If the farm contains a small number of cows, then ordinary troughs and buckets can be used as feeders and drinkers. But if we are talking about a large number of animals, then it is more reasonable to make special designs for them for feeding and drinking, which will help greatly simplify the care of cows.