This Fall Pat decided they would gut out the old hay barn/maternity area of the old farm, to build a new calf raising area. He built four quadrants for 25 calves each. He had a utility room built in the center of the four pens, and installed 2 calf feeding machines (each with 2 nipples), a small bulk tank for the pasteurized milk, a sink, and a fridge for meds. It turned out awesome, and the calves are flourishing.
Here is the barn after the gutting
Pouring the concrete for the utility room
When the calf comes into the chute, the machine reads the ear tag and can tell how much milk that calf needs. The milk goes into the blender and if the calf needs any supplements that is mixed with the milk and fed out to the calf. It is ready in seconds! The program keeps track of how much each calf drinks, and alerts Pat if someone didn't drink. It doesn't take them long to know where the milk comes from!
Baby in the drinking chute
Feeder Displaying what calf is drinking
Feeder Mixer/Blender
Red and White Calf
John petting a calf at the grain bin
Here is a video of a calf drinking from the nipple! Amazing.
5 comments:
Wow! That is incredible Audra! I did not know feeding calves was so high tech!!! Thanks for the lesson! John looks so cute in their with the calves...my kids are so jealous! It looks like heaven to them. They love animals so much.
Next time you guys come back here to visit, we'll have a play date at the farm! My kids miss the farm in the winter, too. :)
That is crazy!! Windmill Farms is so high tech!! Woo.
I remember being little and feeding the calves out of GIANT bottles that were almost as big as I was... that was the best part of visiting the farm. Can't wait to come visit so Cullen can see this.
We've watched the video a million and one times now!
Thanks for sharing with us "city folk"! tee hee
We still have those "giant" bottles, too. The newest babies still get fed with those. Adia and John LOVE to hold the bottle. We'll make sure Cullen gets to try it, too. You haven't lived until you feed a baby calf with a giant bottle!! ;)
that's funny you say you haven't lived until you've fed a baby calf with a bottle.
When I first met Ollie he had NEVER been in a real barn... (not counting the ones at a fair). So we took him out to where Derick used to work and within minutes of being in the barn he stood too close to the rear of a cow and had poop all over his leg! It was hysterical.
So maybe both Ollie and Cullen can "live a little" and feed a calf with a giant bottle... I'm sure I'd be safe saying Ollie has NEVER done that either!! ha ha!
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