8 April 2008
Blatant Product Promotion
Posted by Richard under: Sheep; Smallholding .
When it came to bottle feeding the three cade (orphan) lambs, we decided that we want to take the slightly lazy route and use a bucket feeder, rather than individual bottles. We originally sourced one made by Nettex. It looked the business and was reasonably priced, so we ordered it and started using it. The lambs made very short work of the teats, we got through 16 in three weeks, and the ones they didn’t destroy were pulled out of their housing as soon as they started to feed (despite the screw-fastening being tightened to the extreme). In short - it wasn’t up to the job - Southdowns aren’t exactly the largest sheep on the planet, so if they can destroy a product I doubt it would stand up to Texel or Charolais crosses.
We looked around further and got some advice - and found a local company ‘Dairy Spares’ who are the approved UK supplier of the MilkBar ™ feeder from New Zealand (trust NZ to produce a decent product for lambs). We got it delivered - and started to use it. It cost a bit more - but it is made for the job and comes in shocking pink to boot. The lambs have managed to tear two teats so far in two weeks but they can be replaced fairly easily and for a couple of quid, and as long as you ‘feed & remove’ it seems to be much more sturdy. We bought the three teat size (which seems to be old stock), but they do a 1 teat, 7 teat and 10 teat version - it did cost a bit more than some of the budget versions, but it should last for years.
I know after only a year of shepherding perhaps we shouldn’t be offering advice - but based on trial and error, we reckon the MilkBar™ feeder is probably a decent investment. If you’re looking for a bucket feeder for lambs or kids, we found this one durable, robust and easy to clean.
One Comment so far...
colour it green Says:
8 April 2008 at 9:00 pm.
but it’s pink……:) glad its worked out for you. and don’t hesitate to share finds..