Rollover Plus

The Rollover Plus (above) was designed and manufactured by Stanley Engineering Services, based in Portlaoise, Co Laois. Its primary function allows for sheep to be turned over easily and with less pressure on the operator to treat lame sheep, check udders, etc. The Rollover Plus allows a number of tasks to be completed as it can also be used as a squeeze chute (inset) for restraining animals for jobs such as dosing, tagging and dagging sheep.

It is very easy to use and works on a braked winch mechanism which prevents the crate from turning back quickly and making any sudden movements.

The Rollover Plus is ideal when working alone and is available for €800 plus vat. A scales can also be installed for weighing sheep. This particular scales works in conjunction with a Trutest reader, allowing information to be recorded. The cost, including the scales, is €1,900 plus vat.

Saber somatic cell count (SCC) sensors

Saber somatic cell count (SCC) sensors, offered by LIC Automation, are automated in-line sensors that provide an SCC result while milking a cow.

The sensors catch sub-clinical mastitis before visual signs of mastitis occur. Optical warning lights (OWLS) are used to identify a high SCC cow. Every farmer’s herd’s SCC is different but an uninfected cow should normally have an SCC of 100,000, or less.

A green light comes on the device if the cow’s SCC figure is below the threshold it is set at. An orange or amber light comes on if the cow’s SCC is getting high, at a rate close to mastitis levels.

A red light flashes if the SCC is high and above the threshold set by the farmer. This means that the cow is producing very poor quality milk and could also be in danger of clinical mastitis. The SCC check is normally set up to test 20% of your herd at each milking. So in a 20-unit parlour, every fourth stall is equipped with the device meaning each cow is tested roughly three times a week. The sensor is priced at €1,900/unit.

Dumpy tip-over drinker.

The “dumpy tip-over drinker” is a 3.5-litre rotating drink bowl manufactured by JFC Agri that allows farmers to empty the bowl by the simple press of a button.

It is operated by gravity and simply uses the weight of the water to swing 180 degrees upside down, dumping the entire contents of the drinker on to the ground or slats and in the same action it can swing back to the working position again.

It is manufactured from frost-resistant polyethylene with multiple fixing points for easy mounting to a wall or a bracket. It is easy to clean, ensuring clean drinking water for your animals.

The price for the dumpy tip-over drinker is €165/unit.

Solar Feedsman 3000

The Solar Feedsman 3000 is manufactured by Connacht Agri and is designed for automatically feeding meal or ration. This is possible through a solar-powered programmable timer, which sets the feed times in advance for each day, along with the volume you wish to feed to each animal. It can be programmed to deliver from one to six feeds per day.

This trough space is large enough to feed 25 adult cattle. There is a removable hitch on the feedsman which prevents any injury to cattle and also curtails theft. To fill up the feedsman, the cover is simply removed and nuts are blown in or transferred in by other means.

It dispenses the meal evenly through a vibrator and spinner system to ensure every animal gets an equal measure. The feedsman is also fully galvanised and 100% waterproof with a heavy-duty cover with at least a 10-year lifespan preventing water entering the feed bin. The bin holds 3t of meal and costs €6,750 plus VAT.

Anti-kick gate

This new anti-kick gate is produced by Cieran Fallon from Shannonbridge, Co Offaly, through Bridgeway Engineering. It offers greater protection to operators when working behind animals with the primary aim the safe castration of bull calves. It can be manufactured to suit crushes of all shapes and sizes. It was designed with the safety of the farmer in mind, along with the safety of the animal.

The gate is fastened to the sidebars of the crush and pushes up along the crush very easily; it opens and shuts like a normal gate. The price of the anti-kick gate is €365 plus VAT.

Dairymaster auto-drafting system

The Dairymaster auto-drafting system is an ideal cow separation system for farmers as cows can be easily sorted in a number of different directions. The auto drafting system can be purchased as a two-way or three-way drafting system. The route for individual cows is selected from the parlour pit using the milk meter keypad.

Drafting information is modified by keying in the cow identification number. Cows can be drafted for a number of reasons with the main one being AI.

Also, if a number of cows are lame or have other health issues they can also be drafted easily.

The price of the auto-drafting system is €11,500, plus VAT.

Lamb creep feeder

This 8ft double-sided lamb creep feeder manufactured by O’Donnell Engineering, Tulla, Co Tipperary, is flexible for feeding lambs while suckling ewes or animals on their own. This is possible through creep gates which can be removed for feeding hoggets later in the year, for example. The 100% galvanised unit is designed with a collapsible creep area that can be locked in position during transport. It has a large capacity hopper which holds approximately 300kg (12 25kg bags). A PVC curtain is installed to keep rain and birds away from the meal. The creep feeder can be towed by a quad, car, jeep or tractor.

The creep feeder has large, pumped, needle tyres with needle bearings which can be upgraded to quad trailer wheels, if required. This creep feeder is also safe for use with horned lambs, which are at a higher risk of getting their heads trapped in conventional feeders. The price of the feeder is €640 plus VAT.