No matter the size of your farm or how many animals you have on your property, feeding time is always a time-consuming process. It takes a lot of effort to get food to all the hungry mouths in your care, especially for large animals such as cows that require a lot of feed. Luckily, simple equipment such as cattle troughs makes it a lot easier to get food to all of your animals.
New developments in farming also make it easier to feed large populations of livestock. Here are some of the most important pieces of farm equipment you should have on hand to make feeding time easier.
Cattle Troughs
Troughs are simple and hardly a new technology. However, having them on hand is crucial for feeding time. Most people think of troughs as essential for pigs, but they are also great for feeding cattle, especially barns full of cows.
Cattle troughs are long containers for food that you can get to run along your entire barn. Cattle can stick their heads through the gap to drink water from water troughs and eat from troughs full of food. All you need to do is toss the food in the trough and distribute it evenly.
Portable Hay Feeders
If you let your animals graze in the field, a portable hay feeder allows you to supply them with food easily, even when they’re out of the barn. Usually used for cattle, portable hay feeders allow animals to freely munch and supplement their grazing diet, helping them grow bigger and fatter.
Besides getting your animals the food they need, the portable hay feeder saves you feed and money. Cattle eat by sticking their heads in the feeder instead of grabbing hay and eating it outside, inevitably dropping and wasting food.
Shade Providers
Shade providers don’t seem like an important part of the feeding system. However, if you are using portable hay feeders to provide food for cattle while they’re out in the field, you want to protect the cattle from the elements somehow with an awning or makeshift shelter. That way, they won’t be in danger from excess sun or rain while they feed.
Plus, covering the portable hay feeder protects your hay from the rain, which will cause damage and mould if your cattle don’t eat it fast enough.
Self-Feeders
If you are running a farm that is fattening livestock up for meat production, or you are just worried about your animals getting enough food, your animals will need a continuous supply of food. However, you can’t exactly spend all day in the barn shovelling hay and food.
The solution to this problem is the self-feeder. Self-feeders are machines that connect to a feeding supply and automatically toss food into the troughs, giving your cattle a continuous supply of food while you kick your heels up and relax. This equipment can make feeding time on your farm easier.
