Feeder Holds Enough Hay To Feed 65 Cattle For Two Weeks

Feeder Holds Enough Hay To Feed 65 Cattle For Two Weeks LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment 26-2-7 Cattlemen Art and Lester Windholtz, Wakeeney, Kansas, were tired of spending most of every winter day feeding cattle. After giving the matter a little thought, they came up with a self-feeder for cattle that will hold enough ground hay to feed 65 head for about two weeks. Now they spend only about 30 minutes a day managing half a dozen feeders. Called the Profit Plus Feeder, the Windholtz feeder is being manufactured and marketed by BG Industries, Wakeeney, Kan., owned by Bob Weigel and Gale Scanlon. The 24-ft. sq. feeder has two sliding panels at either end. The Windholtzes set it up on pasture in a well-drained area. With the sliding panels extended to the edges, they fill the feeder with ground hay blown in from a tub grinder. Scanlon says sliding panels weigh about 600 lbs. each so they're built strong enough to stand up to a lot of abuse. "The panels can be taken apart easily and are sturdy enough to move with a loader tractor," he says. "Setting up takes less than half an hour, so moving the feeder from one pasture to another is simple." Stops on the sliding panels allow the cattle to push them in toward the ground hay up to a foot at a time, so they can't pull hay down and push the panel over it. Since both end panels move, cattle have access to up to 2 ft. of feed each time the stops are reset. Resetting the stops takes less than 5 min. per day. The Windholtz brothers figure the feeder cut their wasted feed to no more than 5 percent because there's less trampling of feed. Another advantage is that the self-feeder can be refilled at any time. If there's a storm in the forecast, you can go out a few days before the feeder is empty and refill it so that you don't have to be out feeding hay in bad weather. The feeder can also be loaded with any size of round or square bales. The basic 24 by 24-ft. unit sells for just under $3,000. If interested, write or call for a video. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gale Scanlon or Bob Weigel, BG Industries, P.O. Box 85, Wakeeney, Kan. 67672 (ph 800 446-9271 or 785 743-6431).

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