Feed Bunks - Which is best?

[BJ]

Because of the hay shortage here in Missouri...we are having to feed range cubes to supplement nutrition to our cattle. We need to purchase or make some feed bunks.

Just wondering if it is best to make wooden or purchase the all metal or the metal frame with plastic liner. We see a lot of the metal w/plastic type at farm sales that are in very poor condition. Doesn't look like they last long. All metal are harder to find and pricey. Wood might last if built with the right materials. We want something that will stand up to cattle abuse.

Which do you prefer and why?

[travlnusa]

Do not buy the plastic lined feeders. They are a great way for a cow to break a leg when they try to stand in it.

I would feed on the ground. If you are talking about just a few head, carry a bag out and pour it out in a single line. By doing the line as opposed to a pile, they will eat more and walk on less.

If you have more than a few, do the same thing but have one drive truck, tractor, while the other pours the bags as you drive ahead.

[Karin L]

We use the solid iron-pipe feed bunks, but they were made for us by a fella who made them and sold them as a private business, not bought commercially. They've been around for about 10 years now, and they're still strong and sturdy and able enough to take the abuse from a 1000+ pound animal.

But like travlnusa said, the bunks are for when you have a relatively large herd of cattle, say using about four or five of those bunks for 100 head. (These ones we have are about 20' in length). So if you have a small herd, maybe of about ten or twenty animals, using the feeding on the ground method would probably best, to your descretion.

Just my 2 cents.

[NWMO]

We needed something quick and fairly cheap, so purchased a plastic lined bunk......have had it almost three years.....it is holding up well so far......I have it butted up to the fence and wired to the t-posts to keep it stationary......there is some "buckling" to it on the corners when the cows kick it or lean into it.....but the weight of one foot will put it right back into shape......I am sure there are more "permanent" options, but this 15 foot bunk is working for us.

[JulieLou42]

There are simple wooden plans to build feeders of various sizes at the Canada Plans website..try this

http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/bc1000/beef.htm

[Oxankle]

I have one of the plastic lined bunks out in the corral that I have used for 7 or 8 years now. I swear that I saw a cow stick her leg thru the thing one day, but I cannot find a hole so I'm sure it was an optical illusion.

These things are light enough to tow around with my ATV, and I can flip one and empty it if they get mud in it. I have two; one with a liner molded into a pan that fits the steel, the other made with a single flat sheet of plastic bent to fit the curve of the bunk. The second of these is only about three years old.

Both work. I DID have to drill holes at each end of both to drain water when we get heavy rain. Even a little feed or mud in the bottom of one of them would prevent draining, but the new holes cured that.

I don't feed in the bunks in bad weather. If there is snow on the ground I feed in a tire track on level ground. If it is simply wet I find a clean piece of pasture and put down the cubes on short grass.
Ox

[JeffNY]

Waste, and bunks can waste a lot of feed. I built a 32' long wooden bunk, off of plans from my head. The first go at it was with screws, which of course didn't hold up. I rebuilt the one, and actually made two. I bolted the rebuilt feeders, vs screws. I went overboard, and made it super strong. Heck I push these things around with a 100hp tractor, out of manure/hay buildup, even the tractor spins. So they are strong, but once again, waste.


The ideal feeders are those with some sort of headlocking system, or slats they stick their head into. It doesn't allow them to pull feed out, push it out of the feeder. I bought a feeder (isn't for what you want to do), that sits up, it is square, holds a round bale. But I bought it because it holds the bale up, they stick their head in, and can't pull out the hay. Very little waste if any with this feeder. You could make your own, that doesn't allow them to push feed out. The plastic lined/metal feeders do work. However, if you have any goof ball heifers that decide to hop in one, then they wont work. We had one, but she is a goof ball, hop in one. She more or less couldn't get footing and just sat there going "get me out of this thing". She didn't hurt herself, but they can get in there if they decide to step in. She didn't do it again after this, but she did do it.


Either way building a wooden feeder, strong enough to handle animals pushing against it, can be done. Bolting it together, and I mean not one screw, all bolts, will be needed. Start with a base, 18" high inside space, 3' wide. Set it on 4x4 skids, 2x4 spacer (on end), to set it higher. Then build up the slats. Make them 3' high, bolt 4 4x4 posts on each corner. At the top bolt 2x6's around the outside of the posts, then bolt a cross brace in the center. If you bolt the entire thing together, the sides to the bottom, etc etc. It will hold up for a long time. It will take some time, but you could do it for a couple hundred bucks. The way to hold the sides down (the bottom 2x6), is to use a 4x4 cut about 2' long, and double bolt 6" in to the floor. You will need 2 per side, spaced 3' in. On the ends same thing. What your doing, by doing this, is giving the entire structure strength. That is what I did, and the feeders are solid. I didn't put any head slats in, mainly because I wanted a feeder I could put an entire bale in.

The way I mention will take a few hours to build, but it is all wood, it will last a while (wood will rot, so keep that in mind). As I mentioned, use bolts, bolts, bolts. 3/8" bolts are plenty big enough. Skids should be treated (otherwise they will rot quickly). The 2x4 spacers will also rot if they aren't treated. The animals aren't eating off the skids, so it wont hurt them. Use regular pine for the rest of it.


Jeff

[hudsonm5]

You might also try something like these ranch made troughs:

http://www.ulrich-hereford-ranch.com/feedtrough.htm

[unioncreek]

I use 2 55 gallon steel drum cut in halve lengthwise and the ends cut out of one of them. Then weld them to a pipe frame, cattle have a pretty tough time wrecking htem and their cheap. I move it with a pickup or tractor.

Bobg

[wilderness1989]

Originally Posted by travlnusa

Do not buy the plastic lined feeders. They are a great way for a cow to break a leg when they try to stand in it.

I would feed on the ground. If you are talking about just a few head, carry a bag out and pour it out in a single line. By doing the line as opposed to a pile, they will eat more and walk on less.

If you have more than a few, do the same thing but have one drive truck, tractor, while the other pours the bags as you drive ahead.

Everybody I know in including me feeds range cubes on the ground as above. If you try to feed in a feeder they will fight over them more. Feed on the ground. My 2 ¢.
The only time I ever used feed bunks was to feed sweet feed so I could get them all in the corral at once.

[JulieLou42]

Here's plans for a portable wooden hay feeding bunk...I'm going to make one half that length this spring...with bolts! Choose "Download CPS Plans" then "Beef" then No. 1646

http://www.cps.gov.on.ca/english/frameindex.htm

[DJ]

I use these for feeding. Don't have them in frames. It's easier to step on the edge and empty water. Light weight, durable, and cost effective.