“It’s not just about the size, it’s about mixing quality and unloading performance too,” explains George Bowe (pictured), who runs the 900-cow, 1,750-acre Chalk Lodge Farm alongside his dad, Michael.
“Feeding is crucial to cow intake and milk production, but it’s also a task that needs to be done quickly and efficiently.” The farm has recently swapped its 36-cubic metre triple auger machine to larger, 40-cube model supplied by RC Dalgleish, with one key option to further improve productivity – that of HD doors.
“Our previous feeder had small doors on the corners, and we feed directly on-floor, not into troughs,” explains George. “We wanted larger, wider doors, but they also needed to be on the sides of the tub and not the corners. This lets us unload faster, but also much closer to the feed barriers.” He says choosing a pair of HD doors on the left-side of the System 1000+ 4535 model has halved unloading times.
“I’m really impressed with the unloading speed,” he says. “It used to take around 30 minutes to unload a full mix, and now we’re down to just 15 minutes. This saves time and diesel, and also means each ration spends less time inside the feeder, and more time in front of the cows.” A third HD door has been fitted to the rear of the right-hand side, but is rarely used. The farm mixes around 40 tonnes of feed each day, in a variety of rations to suit the herd and dry cow requirements. Grass silage forms the lion’s share of the ration, with straights added as required.
“Mixing times are unchanged, and that really doesn’t take long,” he says. “If we needed to go any quicker, we’d need to swap the T6.180 for a more powerful tractor. Though the T6 offers a good mix of size and power for the feeder, and I feel that we’ve got the balance about right.” The triple auger feeder is equipped with two cameras – one watching inside the tub, and the second looking down over the rear of the machine.
“A third camera, looking backwards to provide a wide, rear view, would be helpful around a busy yard,” he says. “I’ve added two LED worklights – one each side – to illuminate down the side of the wheels when reversing. Good lights make a difference in winter, when you’re trying to manoeuvre in tight spots.” He adds that with two steered axles, the 9.9m overall length of the feeder is not difficult to manage. “It turns really well, and doesn’t need a lot of space, though we couldn’t go higher, as we have some low overhanging roof space on the corner of some sheds.”
George’s experience with his previous two Siloking feeders has been positive. “We’ve never needed to reline a Siloking tub,” he says. “There’s plenty of metal in the tub and on the augers, and Hardox makes a difference
