Grain Carts 



Most operators on farms studied 

 used some type of cart in feeding- 

 grain. The range in man minutes 

 per day, adjusted to a 40-cow basis, 

 was from a low of 5.6 to a high of 

 17.3. 



Some of the operators feed several 

 kinds of grain — sometimes they feed 

 special mixtures of grain to some of 

 the cows, sometimes they feed two or 

 more kinds to all the cows. In one 

 case the operator made a round with 

 one kind of grain and then another 

 round with a second type. He took 

 17.3 man minutes daily. 



Most of the operators who used 

 two kinds of grain had a division in 

 the cai-t and made one round. Some 

 operators fed only one kind of grain 

 which simplified the process. 



All the operators were careful feed- 

 ers and varied the amount to each in- 

 dividual cow. Three methods were 

 employed in distributing the right 

 amount: (1) estimating volume in 

 hand scoop; (2) by weight as reg- 

 istered on scale on special hand 

 scoop; and (3) by actual weight as 

 read on suspended spring scale. The 

 first two methods were quicker than 

 the third. 



Some of the grain carts were un- 

 necessarily heavy and awkward. A 

 light, easily inaneuvered cart holding 

 only a little more grain than needed 

 for one feeding will be most satis- 

 factory. The operator can estimate 

 the maximum grain he will need at 

 one feeding and build the capacity of 

 the cart accordingly. On a 40-cow 

 farm a cart holding 250 pounds of 

 grain will be large enough. Attention 

 should be given to having the floor of 

 the cart at a level which will enable 

 the operator to move along without 

 undue stooping. 



Most dairymen know their cows 

 and can make a circle traveling along 

 one manger and back along the other, 

 feeding 40 cows one feed in a short 



Fig. 18. One design for a grain cart. 

 Note that the grain is at a 

 convenient height for the 

 operator. It is light and 

 handles easily. It was built 

 under the supervision of 

 Paul A. Oilman, UNH As- 

 sistant Professor of Agri- 

 cultural Engineering. 



period of 4 minutes or less. If the 

 grain cart storage place is located 

 conveniently, less than 175 feet of 

 travel is involved at each feeding. 



The distribution of grain to cows 

 can be mechanized and made more or 

 less automatic, but hand feeding 

 takes so little time that the develop- 

 ment of such equipment is not press- 

 ing. Feeding grain by hand to each 

 individual cow, even if done quickly, 

 aff'ords an opportunity for special ob- 

 servation of each animal — an impor- 

 tant item in the art of successful 

 dairying. 



Feeding Hay 



The feeding of hay involves two 

 operations: (1) moving it from the 

 place of storage to the feeding floor 

 and (2) its distribution to the cows. 



The physical task of transfer from 



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