Calves in the round bale feeder.

[wigg]

I was hoping someone could offer a suggestion in how they keep 8 to 9 month old Dexter calves out of the round bale feeder. My calves are climbing around on the hay after it has been eaten down so far. I don't have a tractor with a loader so I don't think I can set the bale on a rack of some sort. It just might be something I have to live with. My two steers had coccidia about 3 weeks ago and I suspect the climbing in the hay had something to do with it. Thanks!

[gina kay]

I can't think of anything that'd work yet allow the older ones to reach the hay. Maybe you'll have to throw out square bales, just enough for all the cattle to eat at one time, until the young ones are too big to be able to climb onto the round bale. I've had that problem a couple of times with the calves but never realized it could be a health problem since the cattle tended to avoid the pooped on hay. What I hate about round bales is that it seems quite a bit is wasted.

[myersfarm]

put another ring on the hay ring...one in between the two rings they are climbimg though...as in the hay ring has 4 rings all the way around make it a 5 ring hay ring..will still give room to stick heads in and eat hay but not climb though...0=0=0=0.....0-0-0=0=0

[wigg]

Thanks for your advice! I'll have to look at making something.

[willow_girl]

You mean like this?

[Menglish]

See and all this time I thought it was just one calf we had! Last year we had a bull calf that would climb in the ring and sleep every night. He finally got to big to fit in it!

[genebo]

I had the same problem. When my round bale feeder rusted out, I made a new one from cedar, that was smaller around and had a lower rail around it.

The Dexters could reach the hay so much better that they began eating everything in the feeder. Hardly any waste. They'd clean it up to a bare bottom, then I'd add a new bale.

There's no spot in the middle where a calf can sleep. The cattle can reach all the way to the middle.



Genebo
Paradise Farm

[wigg]

Willow Girl that is exactly what I have going on. Genebo, I was thinking of something similar but maybe out of metal. I never really thought about using wooden posts. Sitting the bale on end looks like it would work well too. Thanks,

[willow_girl]

I never found a solution, Wigg -- eventually she outgrew it!