Used Tote Makes Handy Mineral Feeder

Used Tote Makes Handy Mineral Feeder LIVESTOCK Feeding Equipment Moving salt and mineral every time cattle are moved to new pasture got easier for Becky Jackson when she and her husband Mel built an inexpensive mobile feeder “I love to repurpose and chemical totes work great for this ” she says The totes are plentiful near their Lewistown Mont ranch and they had the running gear and wheels from an old unused auger Mel cut openings in 3 sides of the tote with a reciprocating saw to remove the metal tubes and plastic walls Using scraps of angle iron he welded several supports across the running gear to support the tote With a modified hitch Becky can move it anywhere with a 4-wheeler “I put 100 lbs of salt and 100 lbs of mineral in it ” she says noting she monitors it closely With a large herd it’s important to never let the salt and mineral run out to prevent cattle from fighting to get their heads through one of the three openings Cattle are strong enough to move the feeder so she steadies it with a jack and sometimes chocks the wheels with blocks “I try to place the mineral feeder where I want the cows to trample out things like buck brush ” she adds She positions the closed end of the tote on the side of prevailing winds to prevent rain from getting inside If water does get in the open valve at the bottom of the tote drains it Besides using the feeder for nutrients for their cattle the Jacksons also hang fly bullets with insecticide in the openings that rub on the sides of the cows’ necks In its third year the feeder is holding up well and Becky appreciates not having to lift salt troughs when moving the cattle “The biggest thing is that this is on wheels I just hook on with the 4-wheeler and it’s so convenient ” she says Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Becky and Mel Jackson Lewistown Mont lazyjk9723@gmail com

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