creep feeders

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cotton1

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Due to some recent issues I have been considering creep for my winter calves. I have never used a creep feeder, and never known one to be on the farm here, even as a kid.So, does anybody have info on the types, sizes, brands(if thats ok),that work the best? I was looking at building one out of 2in square tubing as an option. Most calving will be in January so I have a few months, guessing they will be 2mo before they use it. Only around 20 calves so a small one would probably work, but are the small ones to light to stay put? I have been told that I will like the results so much I wont change back once I use it, so I quess I need one to last just in case. Thanks in advance
 
For that number of calves, a "creep gate" set up with a seperate pen for the feeder would work best I think. A "creep gate" is basicly the cow excluder that can be set up to have an area that the calves can use but the cows can;t get into. We have an old one that is 10 feet long so it would match up well with pipe corral sections to form a pen.
 
That sounds like a great idea. I was thinking of building that type of area with a adjustable gate that would only be large enough for calfs to get in. I first thought of just putting regular feed bunks inside, but that would require a "feed time" for the calves instead of free choice. Im thinking the area with the feeder inside like you suggested might be the thing to do.Thanks Dun
 
Definitely on the right path with Dun's advice and your last post. Lots of advantages that way, and the only disadvantage is having to feed a couple 5 gallon buckets of feed everyday.
 
The problem with creeep feeding it that you feed a lot of coons and squirrels. I swear they eat as much as the calves and the coons will crap on the rest.
 
No love for the ring tails here. In my youth I had the pleasure of hunting coon with a man that won the grand nationals twice. 10 years apart, same blood line, the last one was the first dogs grandson. They were bluetick hounds with deep tounges...good times. The dogs almost seemed to make a musical melody to me. Once I learned the individuals, it was like a choir performing! I guess those times are gone, but a nice part of my life.Biggest boar I ever got was 22 lbs, a whopper. I will probably make my creep area a little larger based on your suggestions here. Thanks all, keep em coming
 
I tried creep feeding. I caught 10 coons in 3 days .. Needless to say I'm not creep feeding anymore. But I built a 30 ft round pen and put a plastic creep feeder in it . On one side I put a creep gate with the cattle panel pulled back on the other I put a hog trap gate. Set my game camera up and when the hogs were going in regular I'd set the trap and close creep gate . Caught 38 in 4 trips.. Anyway I didn't like feeding wild life so I stopped creeping ..
 
Black and Good":o8nebra6 said:
You could go this route these are really handy. I chose the GWS brand cause it has a ploy bottom to help with rusting out problems. B&G


That is a real nice feeder B&G, my only concern would be when you have 4 of those lovely big calves all lined up there with v little room behind them and they get a fright and all want to exit at the same time that you could get some serious damage done. I have something similar I built myself but they only can feed from the one side however I left a lot more room behind them for ease of turning around and also they can exit from the side. The towbar is on the end of the pen.
I always start creep feeding about 4 weeks before weaning so by weaning time they have a taste for feed and will quickly go to the feed in between looking for their mother. I like to have them continually going forward and the keep up 1kg/day gain through their first winter and not having any setback through weaning is a good start.
Ken
 
Used creep feeders run $1400 to $2100 here. They are nice when you are rotating paddocks.
I bought a used creep gate to try. Seems like more of a wintering yard tool.
My calves take about 3 weeks to really get on the feed. Heifers can get too fat after that unless you are using a high fiber or an Acuration mix.
 
and the cow doesn't just go under that and try to lift it up?...

because when I built mine out of panels and the gate part of wood they just lifted it from underneath and destroyed the gate part...
 
dieselbeef":m9s0mo8c said:
and the cow doesn't just go under that and try to lift it up?...

because when I built mine out of panels and the gate part of wood they just lifted it from underneath and destroyed the gate part...

I had a Charolais/Simm bull just flip one of the smaller ones completely over last year. That double sided one looks pretty heavy tho.
 
i just used a homemade feeder but the rails to keep the big cows out didn last long...they wanted to eat that feed and they destroyed a weekend of work to do it
 
Thanks for the info everybody. I am a little concerned about the coons,but fortunately we dont have any wild hogs(yet, some a few miles away). I am also wondering about the calves getting too fat/overconditioned? Was figuring on using a feed designed for calves in it, if I get one. That will be a new one on me, I have always made up feed for mama cows or growing yearling bulls or heifers. I would think the young calves need less fat, moderate protien and higher fiber. Does that sound right? Not sure now if I want to buy one or build one still. I didnt think I needed one as large as the one in the picture, but maybe I do. I have a used one located that needs some TLC due to age and rust. I just have to get time to go and look at it. Maybe this next weekend. I will update. I was advised to use whole oats for calves in a creep feeder, any experience with that? Maybe thats better or worse, I dont know. The man that suggested it says he has done it for years, and got the advise from a old friend a long time ago. I have not seen either of their calves to know. Oats are about $160-$200 ton here
 
I've always heard oats were great to creep with. They can't over eat them.
And at 200 a ton that's a good price for oats.
If you get them for 160 its a great price.

I didn't read any of these, just the first google search I did. There's a ton of stuff out there. Use university research for decisions instead of hearsay or like I like to do is back up the old sayings with research.
http://extension.uga.edu/publications/d ... mber=B1315
http://extension.oregonstate.edu/dougla ... /ec935.pdf
http://www.slideserve.com/Jimmy/feeding ... tock-diets
http://www.steerplanet.com/bb/the-big-s ... t-you-use/
http://articles.extension.org/pages/395 ... knRXIy9KSM
 

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