Handy Hints

Do you have an idea you’d like to share with other dairy producers? Send it our way! We pay $50 for Handy Hints printed in the magazine.

To be considered, all submitted hints must include a clear, print quality photo (at least 240 dpi and approximately 4" by 6” in size). Please send items to Hoard’s Dairyman, Handy Hints Department, P.O. Box 801, Fort Atkinson, WI 53538. You can also email your Handy Hints to editors@hoards.com. Please include your name, full mailing address and a short description of the handy hint with each submission.


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a collection of Handy Hints from our readers.



Here are a few Handy Hints from fellow readers.

Easy application keeps the floor dry
Dec. 10 2022
I took a used container that originally held ice melting salt and now use it in our shop to put down Floor-Dry. The slotted top works very well for spreading this product. Shaun Coyne, New York
Looking for leaks
Nov. 10 2022
To find small leaks in tires, make a mixture of water and liquid soap. Put the mixture in a squirt bottle and spray it all over the tire. The air leaking out will create bubbles with the soapy mixture
Drills have their place
Oct. 10 2022
I always had a mess with my drills lying around, so I made this metal holder out of a 1/8 inch plate. It is strong, and now everything is cleaned up. Ken Wipf, South Dakota
A simple scoop
Sept. 14 2022
This classic hint is super easy and inexpensive. Cut a gallon jug to make a scoop that can be used for grain, lime, or anything else.Melanie Sinan, Pennslyvania
A Draw Pin Crop Guard
Sept. 1 2022
When baling a heavy windrow, sometimes hay would get caught on the draw pin, which eventually created a slug that the baler didn’t appreciate. To keep hay from getting caught on the pin, we cut down
Protect the milk sample labels
Aug. 10 2022
The stickers our milk haulers use to label their sample bottles were getting wet just sitting in our milk house. I used a recycled sour cream container and slit a hole in the side so that the paper ca
A less expensive radio replacement
July 8 2022
I installed a job site 12 volt radio inside our skid steer. This is much cheaper than an original equipment manufacturer (OEM) radio and only took 20 minutes to hook up. I wired it into the fuse panel
Close the door behind you
June 8 2022
If you have any barn doors that don’t stay closed, here is one solution. I took two eye bolts and attached one to the door and one to the trim of the door
Match the cord to the light
May 10 2022
After birth, our calves are moved to individual pens with heat lamps. With four pens next to each other, it was a struggle to determine which cord went with the heat lamp for each pen
Syringes stored in one place
April 18 2022
I didn’t have an adequate place to keep my syringes, so I took some 1 3/4-inch pipes and fastened them to the wall by the sink. As soon as I’m done using a syringe, I clean it and hang it up
Color-coded cows
March 30 2022
We use colored clothespins to mark the cows that need attention when they are in the headlocks. This makes it quick and easy to spot the cows we need from the front and the back
Training calves to drink
March 1 2022
When training calves to drink at our automatic feeders, it is difficult to keep them inside the stall. We took an iron pipe and welded two rods on both sides so it doesn’t slip out
This bulk tank plug is never lost
Feb. 9 2022
I had a problem with losing the plug for my bulk tank manhole where I connect the pipeline to the tank. I attached a chain to the plug, so now it stays there and is always in reach
Drive-by air supply
Jan. 14 2022
To avoid opening the shop door when I needed air, wasting electricity and letting out heat, I simply hung a hose reel outside the shop and hooked it up to the air supply
The right parking spot
Jan. 1 2022
When parking my tractor and feed wagon in the shed, I have poor visibility and it’s hard to know when I have driven far enough ahead. So, I came up with this simple solution
A more comfortable shovel
Dec. 14 2021
I slipped a milker inflation into the broken off end of my metal shovel and secured it in place with duct tape. Now when I use the shovel, my hand pushes on a soft inflation instead of sharp metal
No more cord damage
Nov. 19 2021
In cold weather, we had different operators driving off with the skid steer still plugged in and damaging the cord. That problem stopped after we started putting the cord through the hand rails
Watch out for the alley scraper
Oct. 10 2021
To ensure no cows are locked in the headlocks when the manure scraper cleans the alley, we hung the times of the day when the scraper comes by on the post by the headlock lever. That way, we don’t...
A quick mix for milk replacer
Sept. 17 2021
To stir milk replacer, we got ourselves a paint mixer for a cordless drill. It’s a fast and very effective way to mix the milk replacer for our calves
Carting calves around the farm
Sept. 2 2021
Rather than hauling newborn calves on my cold truck bed, I built this calf cart. I made a metal cradle that a tote fit into. I added some wheels and a hitch and made a sliding door on the back
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