increase font size
New five-calf open feeder from Stallion Plastics.
A new five-calf open feeder from Stallion Plastics is said to be light, strong, easy to clean, big enough for calves to grow into and up to a third cheaper than traditional feeders.
Made by Axiam Plastics, Whanganui, the feeder is injection, rather than rotationally moulded, and is mounted on strong steel brackets.
Widely spaced teats (Skellerup Peach) allow calves room to grow; these are screw mounted for fast removal, cleaning and replacement.
Because of the way the feeder has been shaped and angled, calves are able to suckle virtually all the milk out of it at each feed.
Farmers who trialled a prototype last season particularly liked the hygiene aspect, Stallion says.
“All we have to do is screw the teats out, blast the feeder with the hose and screw the teats back in,” says Louise Pickering, from Culverden.
Rearing up to 600 calves a year, including replacement heifers, beef crossbreds and Friesian bulls, she was among several farmers who wanted to keep the prototype feeder after testing it last spring.
“I wanted to buy more. I like having some smaller feeders; they’re good when you have a pen of slow calves, and we could easily get five onto this one because of the way the teats are angled.”
Grant Allen, chief executive of Stallion Plastics, says the five-calf feeder has been designed to conform to industry-accepted best practice as recommended by Dr Bas Schouten.
“Calves bond in small groups; feeding them in groups of five to 10 appears to stimulate a good physiological response among pen mates and often a more active suckling reflex in some slower feeding calves.
“The new feeder helps nurture their bonding, and because it is an open trough the first calf to finish feeding doesn’t push the others off their teats.”
Known throughout New Zealand for its innovative and robust calf-feeding solutions, Stallion Plastics has never shied away from experimenting with the latest technologies, with the aim experimenting with the latest technologies, with the aim to make life easier and improve a user's bottom line.
A recently introduced premium range of goat feeding equipment from Stallion Plastics should hit the shelves in time for this year’s kid rearing season.
The annual toil of calf rearing just got easier with the launch of a ‘premium’ mobile calf feeder range designed to save time, money and effort, says the developer, Stallion Plastics.
Recent rain has offered respite for some from the ongoing drought.
New Zealand's TBfree programme has made great progress in reducing the impact of the disease on livestock herds, but there’s still a long way to go, according to Beef+Lamb NZ.
With much of the North Island experiencing drought this summer and climate change projected to bring drier and hotter conditions, securing New Zealand’s freshwater resilience is vital, according to state-owned GNS Science.
OPINION: Otago farmer and NZ First MP Mark Patterson is humble about the role that he’s played in mandating government agencies to use wool wherever possible in new and refurbished buildings.
For Wonky Box co-founder Angus Simms, the decision to open the service to those in rural areas is a personal one.
The golden age of orcharding in West Auckland was recently celebrated at the launch of a book which tells the story of its rise, then retreat in the face of industry change and urban expansion.
OPINION: Should Greenpeace be stripped of their charitable status? Farmers say yes.
OPINION: After years of financial turmoil, Canterbury milk processor Synlait is now back in business.
