“3-In-1 Feeder” Boosts Pasture Efficiency

“3-In-1 Feeder” Boosts Pasture Efficiency LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment “Our new 3-in-1 feeder limits how much your animals can eat After about 5 to 10 minutes of licking the animal’s tongue gets dry and it can no longer obtain feed As a result it ends up consuming small amounts of supplement 10 to 15 times per day which is more efficient ” says Myrna Huber Huber Ag Equipment Coronation Alberta Invented in Australia the 3-in-1 feeder is designed for cattle sheep and goats It’s called a 3-in-1 feeder because it allows controlled feeding creep feeding and free-choice feeding The feeder is equipped with adjustable skids that can be changed in height to suit different types of livestock The system requires animals to lick the feed out of the groove between 2 adjusters Changing the position of the adjusters changes the ration that animals can consume The lower side panels have a table to show what the intake of sheep and cattle is at each adjuster setting When the lick system is in the most restricted setting animals lick for 5 to 10 min between periods of grazing “The licking period is limited because livestock use the saliva from their tongue to get the feed out of the groove and the saliva decreases with progressive licks ” says Huber “The idea is to get the animal’s rumen developed so they can use pasture grass more efficiently ” says Huber “Feeding once a day drastically reduces rumen pH This decreases forage appetite and limits energy extracted from a livestock producer’s cheapest sources of feed - forage and pasture Limiting intake to small doses ensures the rumen pH stays high where the microbes that consume forage best operate ” Sheep can be limited to 0 5 lb per day and trials have shown that supplement feed can be reduced by 30 percent when fed little and often Another advantage to the lick system is that it reduces bossy behavior because it relies on the amount of saliva an animal has and bossy stock don’t have any more saliva than shy stock “When the bossy stock aren’t at the feeder the shy stock have more of a chance to feed ” says Huber The smallest 3-in-1 feeder comes mounted on skids It sells for $1 080 plus assembly Two trailer-mounted models are also available - one that holds 108 bu and the other 51 bu They sell for $3 900 and $3 020 respectively Shipping charges may apply Cattle creep gates are available Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Huber Ag Equipment RR 3 Coronation Alberta Canada T0C 1C0 ph 800 806-0715 or 403 575-1977; www huberequipment com or www 3in1feeders com

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