Mineral Feeder Squirts Cow's Back

Mineral Feeder squirts cow's back LIVESTOCK Health 9-5-23 You've never seen anything like this new mineral feeder that squirts a glob of mineral paste directly onto the backs of cattle. "As soon as the animal feels the paste on its back, it licks it off. There's absolutely no waste and there's no way they can avoid it," says Brian Brown, inventor of the new feeder. Brown came up with his unique method of application several years ago when he first developed a new mineral paste. He originally applied it by hand through a squeeze applicator gun. His new invention goes one step further with the development of an electric eye-activated canister filled with mineral paste that squirts onto the backs of cows as they go through a chute which can be placed anywhere the animals regularly travel. As they walk through the chute, they break through a beam of light, activating the automatic applicator which squirts a pre-set amount on each animal. For dairy cattle, Brown recommends mounting the unit at the entrance to the parlor. He has one unit mounted above a rotary milking parlor so that, as the cows rotate during milking, they all get a treatment. Brown says all types of minerals can be fed through the system but that it's particularly popular for use with magnesium paste he has developed. "The animals soon get into the habit and it becomes an automatic response to reach back onto their back for the nourishment," he notes. Contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Brian Brown, Wonder D.C.L., P.O. Box 176, Eltham, New Zealand.

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