Sean Doyle from Ballyroan in Co Laois sent us in this good tip for transporting milk across a yard.

Every spring, Sean rears more than 100 British Fresian bull calves but found transporting milk around the yard to be troublesome. “We used to draw milk from one end of the yard to the other with wheelie bins and this was becoming very hard on the back. The wheels on the bin were too small and not suited to rough ground,” he explained.

To make life easier, he got an old 60 gallon stainless steel milk tank from a former local dairy farmer. Next he made up a steel frame to hold the tank and made a small axle for three old car wheels sourced from the local car breaker. Sean said the big wheels on the tank make it easy to pull even when it is full of milk. “The handle on the tank swivels almost the full way around and it’s very manoeuvrable. The front handle can be pushed against the front wheel to act as a break when needed.”

Sean said feeding calves is now faster because he only has to fill the tank once. “A bag of milk replacer is mixed in the tank and it can either be taken out from the top with buckets or through a 2in outlet at the bottom with a bucket placed underneath,” said Sean. The main cost involved was €100 for the three wheels.