Handheld Nipple Feeder For Lambs

Handheld Nipple Feeder For Lambs LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment Sheep producer Forbes Stewart Warren Man designed this nifty handheld nipple feeder to make weaning his lambs an easier job “I use it on lambs from 3 days to 5 weeks old I like it because it’s portable and lets me feed up to 6 lambs at a time ” says Stewart who raises 50 to 60 lambs each spring “I use it mostly on premature and orphaned lambs Each lamb gets its own numbered bottle which makes it easy to control the quantity and type of milk replacer it gets Also I can easily pre-warm all the bottles so the lambs always get warm milk which virtually eliminates scours ” The nipple feeder consists of 2 boards spaced about 6 in apart – a 1 by 6 board on front with a plywood section on back – and is open at the ends bottom and top The bottles fit into six 2 1/4-in dia holes cut into the front board There’s a handle on top Each hole is numbered to match up with a numbered milk bottle containing a lamb’s particular milk replacer formula The holes are lined with duct tape so the bottles won’t get scratched and to hold them tight The outside holes are beveled to hold the bottles outward providing the lambs with more room and also making the one-handed feeder easier to control Elastic rings attached to staples are used to help keep the lambs from pulling the bottles out “It works great The lambs come right up to me and I’m not trying to run back and forth for a single bottle all the time I always have one hand free to make sure the lambs line up with the right bottle I think the same idea would work with baby goats and other small animals ” According to Stewart the handheld portable feeder works better than commercial bottle systems that mount on the side of a pen “I can control how much milk each lamb gets and the type of milk it gets which is important because sometimes we feed different ratios of milk replacer to water as we get closer to weaning Also younger lambs often need to be fed more frequently which I can easily do with this system Different lambs drink at different speeds but with my feeder even the slowest drinker will get his full share Another advantage is that I can adjust how high I hold the unit depending on the size of the lambs I’m feeding ” Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Forbes Stewart P O Box 361 Warren Man Canada R0C 3E0 ph 204 322-5364

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