Handy Hint: September 10, 2012 Move six calves at once This device was built to move calves from the calf barn to the heifer barn safely and easily. The device is built from plywood, 2- by 2-inch tubing,...
It's easy to be pessimistic when times are as bad as they are this year. It's also easy to focus on dark clouds so hard that you don't notice when a glow finally appears on the horizon
Handy Hint: August 25, 2012 Jetter cups change bulbs On our farm, safety and time are always concerns. To save time and be safe changing lightbulbs over our straw packs, we took an old jetter cup and taped...
Dairy stockmanship:What is low-stress handling? Low-stress stockmanship can be taught. If done correctly, it will relax cattle and employees and improve your bottom line. by Heather Smith Thomas Thomas...
Handy Hint: August 10, 2012 Counter replaces silage scale We found this manual counter very useful to keep track of loads of silage when a scale is not always en route from field to pile. We weigh a couple...
Gravity-flow disinfecting hose Buckets with a small amount of disinfectant solution often don't last in narrow chutes. We elevated a 55-gallon drum above the palpation chute. Then, we attach a hose with...
Crude prices have dropped 24 percent this year, but dairy producers shouldn't hold their breath. by Dennis Halladay, Hoard's Dairyman Western Editor The financial highway for dairies always seems to be...
Hoard's Dairyman Webinar Archives June 11, 2012: "Feeding and handling of transition cows" presented by Jim Drackley, University of Illinois Brought to you by Elanco and its portfolio of dairy products...
Rotary feed pusher keeps feeding safe This feed pusher makes pushing feed cleaner, faster, safer, and quieter. The materials include some 2- by 2-inch tubing, 4- by 4-inch tubing, a skid-steer adapter...
Polish seals marker We found that magic marker often wore off our tools. To permanently mark our things, we use ear tag markers, then cover it with clear coat nail polish for a durable finish. Ethan
Alarm rings when water pressure is too low Using a water pressure switch and a used bell from an old crowd gate, we installed an alarm that alerts us if the fountains in the free stall barn have low water...
Steel pieces improve palpation rail My palpation rail holds about 10 cows at once, but I normally need to manage five cows or less. My new device holds them in place. I made a bar out of a scrap piece...
This disagreeable problem takes its toll on fresh cows. Identifying at-risk cows is your first challenge. The goal of your fresh cow program should be to get early peak milks while quickly returning cows...
Portable Electric Panel If you need a temporary place to plug in a lot of cords, this panel comes in handy. Your cords stay out of the snow or mud, it's portable, and it stores easy. Isaac Hackel
Silage roll-up We created a homemade roll-up with 1-inch cable and a piece of pipe bent into a crank, then welded the cable to the crank. The cable length depends on the size of the bag. We use a 12-foot...
Use curtain strapping in front of stalls We use 2-inch strips of curtain strapping to keep cows from going forward in the face-in free stalls at the Hoard's Dairyman Farm. This polypropylene strapping,...
Dry erase hutch map One of my jobs is to feed baby calves. I found this dry erase board handy to map calves in hutches. This system works very well when others need to feed calves if I am not available....
