Feed Manger Built From Feeder Panel

Feed Manger Built From Feeder Panel FENCING Miscellaneous When we decided to keep a couple of bulls in our main corral for winter we wanted a place to feed them where they wouldn’t waste a lot of hay We had an old metal feeder panel that we could put across a corner and make a feed manger but it didn’t have anything on the bottom to keep hay from coming out beneath the slots for cattle to reach through it It was also bent and had some weak spots starting to rust along the main frame We were afraid the bulls could break it if they pushed on it too hard so we needed a way to reinforce it We set up the old panel in the corner next to our loading dock which had poles we could secure it to and improvised to make it into a sturdy feed manger We had some old boards taken off a corral fence in our “salvage pile” of materials for future fix-it projects We used a thick board that was long enough to put across the bottom of the feeder panel to keep the hay inside the manger corner after we secured the panel to the corral fence To reinforce the frame we secured a pole along the top of the “stanchion” area and another pole along the bottom which were the pressure points where the bulls would be leaning into the feeder to reach the hay The poles were strong enough to take the weight and help protect the old metal panel We needed to move the bulls into that corral quickly At first we simply tied the poles in place with baling twine Then we came back and used long screws through the poles to secure them firmly to the fence Putting flakes of hay through the corral fence was easy We also kept a few bales stacked there outside the fence covered with a small tarp Since it was hard for the bulls to reach back into the farthest corner we placed an old tire there The feed manger has worked nicely It keeps the hay in a clean place rather than just throwing it over the fence and having it walked on pooped on and bedded on and the bulls don’t pull out any hay and waste it This is the second winter we’ve used it and it seems durable enough to last a long time Contact: FARM SHOW Followup Heather Smith Thomas Salmon Idaho

To read the rest of this story, download this issue below or click here to register with your account number.