Deer feeder in cow pen?

[Sotex]

So I have a small place about 3.5 hours from where I live. My plan is to take 3 weanling calves up there to maintain my ag exemption. Once those calves gain enough weight I'll sell them and take 3 more.

Anyway, I obviously won't be able to visit them every week so I'm thinking about putting a deer feeder in their pen either with straight corn or sweet feed pellets to get them used to going into the pen every day.

I'm thinking that they won't be extremely gentle since they'll only see a human every couple months so I'm hoping this will make it easy to pen them.

Have any of you done something similar? Thoughts?

 

[coachg]

Gravity or spin type feeder ?

 

[Farmgirl]

I have 2 spin type feeders. One holds 500# feed, trough on 4 sides. Will feed several calves. It is a Lamco feeder protein feeder. Works good. Also have a smaller feeder that hold 75# of feed. Both drop feed into a trough. Work good for absentee owners.

 

[coachg]

I would think you would need to ration it somehow, if not they would eat it in a short time .

 

[Brute 23]

Moultrie has one made for livestock.

I would be concerned any thing made for deer in the pen would eventually get damaged.

 

[Farmgirl]

Smaller one is a Sweeney feeder. Almost 20 years old. Larger is a Lamco. Trough has taken a beating but everything else is in great shape.

 

[CowboyRam]

I don't know anything about deer feeders, can they be metered so they can't overeat. If not I would think a deer feeder would be recipe for disaster. One is going to overeat and before you even know there is a problem, you will have at least one dead calf from getting to much grain.

 

[Travlr]

So I have a small place about 3.5 hours from where I live. My plan is to take 3 weanling calves up there to maintain my ag exemption. Once those calves gain enough weight I'll sell them and take 3 more.

Anyway, I obviously won't be able to visit them every week so I'm thinking about putting a deer feeder in their pen either with straight corn or sweet feed pellets to get them used to going into the pen every day.

I'm thinking that they won't be extremely gentle since they'll only see a human every couple months so I'm hoping this will make it easy to pen them.

Have any of you done something similar? Thoughts?

I've never used a deer baiting device but it sounds like an interesting idea. I'm assuming you can put a 50# bag of feed in one and it will dump feed in a specific amount at a chosen time of day... so the 50# would last several days or more? How reliable are they? The only downside I see is if you dump too much grain either because you dial it in wrong or because the machine breaks.

 

[GoWyo]

Do they have a reliable water source? Do you have a remote camera to be able to remote monitor water and feed? I think tubs would be a better option than a hot ration through an automatic feeder to avoid overconsumption of grain unless it was just enough grain to keep them gaining and where if one goes off grain and only two eat it they won't over consume.

 

[greybeard]

Deer feeders usually have a timer and a good one you set both when it comes on and the duration it's spitting feed out.. but even calves ain't dumb. I've had several deer feeders over the years and I don't think even the best one would hold up to hungry calves. As soon as they realize butting it makes the little bit of feed drop that's left below the nozzle they will start hitting it harder and harder. One things for sure, you will find out how many coons and hogs you have in the area.

 

[Sotex]

I was talking about a spin type feeder. I did see the Moultrie feeders but wasn't sure how reliable they are. Lately all I've used for deer have been All Seasons with "The Timer". They've been 100% reliable.

 

[Sotex]

I did think about a Molasses tub also. That may be the simplest solution.

 

[Brute 23]

We have several all season feeders also. Check out krivoman feeders also. They have a directional feeder that could easily be adapted to throw in to a trough.

I agree with what some one else said. Would feed be necessary? Would a tub or some thing of that nature do the job also?

I have been looking in to making a self feed cottonseed feeder for the same reason.

 

[Travlr]

There was a feeder I saw many years ago that required a tag on the animal which would inform the dispenser how much feed to dole out. The unit was made with a stanchion that only one animal would fit into. At the time I thought it was a pretty interesting idea, but I haven't seen one since. I can imagine some scenarios where it might not work well, but have no idea why it's not common enough to see around occasionally or if they are still made at all.

 

[Mark Reynolds]

3 newly weaned calves (teenagers) without a cow (parent) going two months without seeing a human? Sounds like a great plan to create some of the wildest cattle that you could ever introduce to a rodeo. Are you sure you want to do this? Feeding considerations aside? I might be wrong, but my understanding is that cows that aren't accustomed to people are....somewhat unmanageable. And these are 'unsupervised teenagers', which I would expect to be WAY worse. IDK, I've pointed out before I don't actually own any cattle.

 

[Travlr]

3 newly weaned calves (teenagers) without a cow (parent) going two months without seeing a human? Sounds like a great plan to create some of the wildest cattle that you could ever introduce to a rodeo. Are you sure you want to do this? Feeding considerations aside? I might be wrong, but my understanding is that cows that aren't accustomed to people are....somewhat unmanageable. And these are 'unsupervised teenagers', which I would expect to be WAY worse. IDK, I've pointed out before I don't actually own any cattle.

Those are good questions to ask... it's why we are here.

 

[Butterbean_Farms]

There are companies out there that make cattle feeders that do what you are wanting. The part of where you say "they'll only see a human every couple months" causes concern to me. Things go wrong on farms everyday. I'd figure out another way to keep my Ag exemption.

 

[OBAX]

I think everyone is over thinking this. There are lots of cattle that only see humans every couple of months. Are they wild? Probably so, but not wilder than some of the long eared calves running in other places. The deer feeder will only put out the amount of feed that you set it to dispense. If you set it up good and solid it will not be knocked over by the calves, granted you don't have a 2000# bull in there. I'd be more concerned about under feeding than over feeding.
If your water and forage are reliable, I think you have an idea that will work just fine.

 

[Brute 23]

I think everyone is over thinking this. There are lots of cattle that only see humans every couple of months. Are they wild? Probably so, but not wilder than some of the long eared calves running in other places. The deer feeder will only put out the amount of feed that you set it to dispense. If you set it up good and solid it will not be knocked over by the calves, granted you don't have a 2000# bull in there. I'd be more concerned about under feeding than over feeding.
If your water and forage are reliable, I think you have an idea that will work just fine.

I do what is being described to some extent. Witht he right set up it I would go for it. If at all possible I would want a set of pins with a large water trough in it. I would shoot the feed in a tough once a day and I would have a cell camera looking at the water trough and feed trough so check the calves, water, and to make sure the feeder is working. I would have one way in and one way out with a fly bag. I would not take the calves there until they were completely feed broke and would follow me with a bucket or sack. Once that is engrained it's hard to undo.

A couple months would be a bit long for me but I would not hesitate to go in person once a month or so.

With that said, if I could pay a neighbor kid or retired person to feed them once a week in person, I would. It would be a better value long term to have a person handy in the area.

Cell cams are a game changer for us.

Edit: I would not do it with pure Brahman calves. That would be the only exception. 1/2 or less would not worry me at all.

 

[Sotex]

Thanks for all the advice and ideas. I do have a cellular game cam that I would be able to see them going to water every day. That's what I do for my cows here at home during calving season.

I'm currently feeding them every day in a trough and sitting right by the trough as they eat. I only bought them a few days ago. They're not wild but not super tame either. They'll cautiously come sniff my hand when I hold it close to the feed. I'm trying to gentle them down and I think they'll be feed broke in a week or so.

The main reason I was thinking of using a timed feeder in the pen is so I can know that I can get them penned up at a predictable time in case I need to haul em to greener pastures or to the sale. I'm leaning toward a spin feeder with deer corn set to go of for a couple seconds each evening. My cows here at home tend to hang out under the deer feeder when I have it running so I figured it should work there also.