Tail Hangers Help Keep Cows Clean

Tail hangers help keep cows clean LIVESTOCK Dairy (17) 12-3-28 Cows stay cleaner if you can keep their tails out of the mud, say farmers who've used new "tail hangers" that hold tails up in the air while cows stand or lay down. Friedel Mueller, a dairy farmer near Steinbach, Manitoba, recently told Country Guide magazine that tail hangers work great to keep stanchion barn cows clean. He said tail hangers are as common in Germany as barn cleaners are in the U.S. and Canada. Jorgensen Labs in Loveland, Colo., distributes German-made tail hangers in the U.S. They sell for $4.50 apiece. Tail hangers consist of a 5-ft. long length of 1/8-in. dia. line that fastens to the tail with a 2-in. long lockable "tail tube". The tube has tiny serrations inside that grip tail hairs when the line is pulled tight. The other end of the line attaches to a split plastic ring that slides freely back and forth on a plastic-coated wire that's strung tightly above and behind the cows. When the cow is standing, her tail tilts up just slightly at the end. When she lays down, the tail remains about a foot above the floor. As she flicks her tail back and forth, it sends the plastic ring sliding back and forth on the wire. The ring releases automatically if given a hard tug in a panic-type situation. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Jorgensen Labs, Inc., 2198 W. 15th St., Loveland, Colo. 80537-(ph 303 669-2500).

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