Street Sweeper Brooms Make Nifty Back Scratchers

Street Sweeper Brooms Make Nifty Back Scratchers LIVESTOCK Health 28-4-3 "They just rub and rub and rub," says Carl Cochrane of Rose Lake, Idaho, about the cow back scratchers he created out of street sweeper brooms for his 140 head of beef cattle on his 400-acre ranch. Cochrane asked state staff if he could have their old rollers. They gave him two rollers to experiment with. He came up with two different back scratcher designs. The most popular scratcher hangs between two large pine trees at an angle. This way, the cattle and the smaller calves can reach the roller and rub their backs and scratch their heads, Cochrane says. The other scratcher on another section of his ranch is put on a pole standing up so the cows can scratch their sides. He says the bristle brooms make ideal back scratchers because they're not too sharp and not too soft. "At times, the cattle line up and wait to scratch their backs," he says. Ask him why he built a back scratcher for his cows and he says, "I want my cows to be happy. Happy cows eat more, especially if they are not fighting flies." Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Carl Cochrane, 25183 Meadow Road, Cataldo, Idaho 83810.

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