Building a Rack for Feeding Calves

You need:

• 2- 1” x 6” Rough Cut Corral Boards 38” Long*.
• 8- 1” x 6” Rough Cut Corral Boards 5” Long*.
• 2- ¼” Think Furring or Lattice Strips 38” Long.
• Screws 2” or 2 ¼” Long

Directions:
Just screw the boards together following the pattern below. The main key is that the opening for the bottles are 4 ½” wide by 5” tall (that way you cut them at 5”). The space in the middle will not be big enough for a bottle to fit, but this rack will still feed six calves. Then just mount the rack between two post, I would use 4 bigger screws about 3” to 3 ½” long. It is kind of hard to reach the inside of the rack, but a drill with an 8” – 10” bit extension will be able to screw the rack on the post from the inside of the rack. Two screws will do the job most of the time, but if rack seems unsteady place in a few more. Rack can be made longer if you have post already in place, just remember the opening for the bottles are 4 ½” x 5” or 5” x 5” would work. When mounting the rack tilt in down so all the milk will be able to come out. We set ours on about a 45 degree pitch down.
*Rough cut corral boards are thicker than regular 1” x 6” boards but if you can’t find them use the regular 1” x 6” just make sure they are treated for outside use.

You want these two stripes to be thin. ¼” thick. Lattice’s strips work great and leave enough space for nipples of the bottles to go in easily. Just nail or screw on front of rack to hold bottles in.



Note: Calves must be watched while feeding from rack. They can rip the nipples off the bottles and waste milk. They also like to steal other’s bottles (a small stick and light tap back of their ears will help them stay off of other’s bottles). Always use bottles with a screw on nipple.

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How to Build a Feeding Trough from a Barrel

These barrel feeders are easy to build, and often you can find old barrels for free that have a hole or crack in them that will still work for a feeder. You may have to hunt around a bit. Just be carefully that the used barrel is safe to use and can be cleaned up well. I will use any scrap lumber that I have around. I don’t use treated. The feeder will need repair from the calves jumping on it before it can rot. Do what you want- it’s your feeder.

 

You will need:

• 2- 2x4 8 foot long
• 1- 2x4 10 foot long (This will cut the two long supports and the two small horizontal leg pieces)
• 1- 1x4 4 foot long
• 2- hand fulls of nails or screws 3” long

If the barrel was used to house flammable or explosive liquid than you need to take proper precautions when cutting so it won’t blow up. Also you want to take precautions if the barrel had any toxic substance, you may need to research further on cutting barrel that had toxins or flammable liquids.

 

The first step is to split the plastic barrel in two. I use a circular saw with a regular 7 ¼” 24 tooth blade carbide tip wood blade.

 

 

 

 

Next build two set of legs make them as tall and wide as the barrel you are working with. The barrel I am working with is 22” wide and 34” tall. So the boards I will be using to make the legs are as follows:

 

 

To build two sets of legs

• 4- Vertical 2x4 at 21” high
• 2- Horizontal 2x4 at 22” long (top board)
• 2- Horizontal 2x4 at 48” long  (bottom board)

 

Next fasten the barrel two the legs with a 1x4 board on the inside of the barrel to the legs about 20” to 21” long

 

To finish fasten support boards under the barrel. Set them touch the barrel bottom to support the weight of the feed once filled in the new barrel feeder.