3 Benefits Of Using Skid Hay Cattle Feeders
If you want to buy new hay feeders for your herd, then add skid feeders to your shortlist. These feeding systems hold hay off the ground in a contained space and have skid leg bars on their bases.
What are their advantages?
1. Managed Feeding
Open feeders give cattle easy access to hay; however, this isn't an ideal feeding solution. Cattle can eat too much too fast if they don't have to work for their food. They won't stay in healthy shape and might get ill.
Skid hay feeders automatically control how much hay a cow can eat when it feeds. Their slanted sides and bars allow cows to pull out hay; however, they have to do this carefully. They'll get enough feed, but they will eat more slowly and are less likely to overeat. This mimics their natural grazing habits.
2. No Hay Wastage
Some feeding systems waste hay. When cattle feed, they often pull out more hay than they eat. The hay they don't eat immediately falls to the ground.
Cattle don't eat this hay to keep things tidy but continue to use the feeder. The hay on the ground then gets dirty as they walk on it. So, they might not want to eat it at all. Or, if they do, it could make them sick.
Wasted hay is a waste of your money. You have to buy more hay to provide less feed for your herd. Plus, if any of your cows get ill from eating contaminated hay, then your medication or veterinary costs increase.
Skid feeders reduce this wastage. Excess hay falls into the base of the feeder rather than on the ground. This hay stays clean and dry, and your cattle can eat it later without getting sick.
So, you get more value for money out of your hay bales. You won't have to pay to treat sick animals.
3. Easy Relocation
Large hay feeding systems are heavy and cumbersome. They aren't always easy to move from place to place.
However, you might not want to keep feeders in the same places all of the time. For example, if you rotate pastures every season, then your cattle won't stay in the same field. You might have to buy multiple feeders for all your pastures if you can't easily move them.
If you want your feeders to move with your herd, then skid feeders are a good solution. Their skid bar bases help these feeders move smoothly along the ground. You can easily use a tractor or truck to pull the feeder to a new location without doing any heavy lifting work.
Contact a company like Western Pro Feeders to learn more.
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