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Animal Husbandry

Sometimes it is hard to watch these subsistence farms where it is clear the animals are loved but they are mistreated.  The water is of poor quality the feed is mouldy and the barnes are drafty.  Veterinarians are only called in extreme cases and the animals' care is marginal.  I understand the plight of these farmers, and their shattered dreams as they realize that beef cattle each need between 30 and 40 pounds of feed a day and milk cattle nearly double that amount.  

There is a reason why meat is expensive, it's not a cheap business.  It's even worse when you think of the duty of care as the owner of a cattle herd, or milking cows, as a farmer you have obligations, a duty to reduce the stress in the lives of animals that have been bred for their ability to gain weight and have surprisingly poor physical strength of coordination.  You see it in calves that jump and run around but by the time they reach a year, their mobility is greatly reduced.  Farmers like that because the risk of injury is reduced.  However, it leaves the cattle nervous and they are frightened at the slightest provocation.  When farmers enter a barn, they are careful to be noisy, with soothing sounds, that give cattle warning that something is around, but not a predator.

As our herds expand, economies of scale allow us to introduce automation, not so much as replacing staff allowing them to increase their value added.  Right now, in January 2024, feeding all our cattle is a 3-4 hours-a-day monotonous job.  You sit in a skid-steer and follow printed instructions to fill the feed mixer.  For the milk cows twice a day, and for the meat cattle only once a day.  Milk production is a protein-intensive business.

While we were away, Jennifer visited a farm show, where an American company was showing its automatic feed system, Jennifer was intrigued because the system required a silo and conveyor belt grain and silage delivery system, which is exactly what we are planning to install.  The big difference is the additional height required to allow the robot feeders to circulate.  

For our farm, this could be a game changer.  We already decided that we will use silos, bunkers are just not right for the UK weather too much wastage.  The silos we are considering are loaded from the top but the product is extracted from the bottom, reducing feed exposure to oxygen.  This is why silos have so little wastage.

Last week, the company came to the farm, saw our operations and prepared a quote.  We got it this morning.  The price is the equivalent of five man-years of labour.  If we select this product we will not be reducing staffing levels (Sam I know you read this blog...).  In fact, we are hiring the equivalent of 15 full-time employees (actually almost 22 part-time workers).  First, such equipment will greatly reduce the risk of injury, and breakage.  A skid-steer is not the most precise vehicle, and finally, we are reducing diesel consumption.  The robot provides feed 24/7, with sensors that monitor where there's insufficient feed.  It adds it constantly.  The robots are about half the size of a tractor, electric and quiet.  They are about three times the size of a feed pusher.

Feeding is only one of the many tasks for stockmen (or women).  Inspecting the herd, and constantly watching for lameness is equally important, for or stock crew it means they can spend more time with the cattle.  

It's a shame there's nothing like that for our goats, pigs or chickens.  A five-foot robot with a bunch of goats, they would climb it within five minutes, as their own little Everest!  Pigs are way too aggressive. and our chicken numbers are way too small.  

The pig rooting in only two weeks has been amazing.  Our pig forewoman said that they should be moved in about six to eight weeks to a new forested area.  This way we will be able to clear the woods of rubbish and remove destroyed buildings.  IN just a few weeks they already found the collapsed remnants of five small stone sheds.   

Note:  We never promote supplier's products.  I checked the internet this morning, and there are at least 10 different companies that do robot feeders...


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