Labour-saving tip: calf transport cage

This cage takes the labour out of moving young calves on the farm.

Peter Varley

23 March 2016

The calf transport cage can fit eight calves at a time comfortably.

It is made from heavy-duty steel to reduce the chances of theft.

Moving calves from one place to another can be a labour-intensive and daunting task.Simon Cantwell from Durrow, Co Laois, came up with a simple idea for moving calves on his farm. Looking at safety cages used in the building industry, Simon reckoned something similar could be done in terms of moving calves. He built a cage measuring 8ft x 3ft x 4ft from heavy-angle and heavy box iron. A heavy-duty steel mesh galvanise floor was also added. Quick-attach euro brackets were fitted on one side of the cage to allow the front loader of his tractor to attach on to it easily. One coat of an oxide paint was added to finish it off.

Moving calves from one place to another can be a labour-intensive and daunting task.

Simon Cantwell from Durrow, Co Laois, came up with a simple idea for moving calves on his farm. Looking at safety cages used in the building industry, Simon reckoned something similar could be done in terms of moving calves. He built a cage measuring 8ft x 3ft x 4ft from heavy-angle and heavy box iron. A heavy-duty steel mesh galvanise floor was also added. Quick-attach euro brackets were fitted on one side of the cage to allow the front loader of his tractor to attach on to it easily. One coat of an oxide paint was added to finish it off.

The cage was finished by 1 February and just in time for the start of calving this year. Simon says it can fit eight calves comfortably or 10 calves at a push. He carried out all the welding work himself and he estimates that it cost €450 to €500 in materials. If he were to buy something similar, he believes that it could cost up to €1,000.

“I am very happy with it so far and anything that makes life easier is worth doing,” Simon explains.

The reason behind heavy-duty material in the construction of the frame was to reduce the chances of theft. “We experience at least one theft per year, usually around Christmas time. Making the cage as heavy as possible makes it much more difficult to steal,” says Simon. If more bars were added to the side of the cage, it would be useful for moving freshly lambed ewes and young lambs from sheds to grass.

What’s your idea? Have you done anything on your farm to make life safer and easier? If so, please send pictures and information to pvarley@farmersjournal.ie or text your pictures to the Irish Farmers Journal on 00 353 (0) 86 836 6465 via WhatsApp or normal text message. Entries featured in the Irish Farmers Journal will get a €50 One4All voucher.

After last week’s safety tip of steel mesh under skylights some readers felt it could be done better. By placing the re-bars above the timbers rather than below and between the sheet corrugations, it would be much safer because excess weight would be better supported.

Under the Farm Safety Scheme, the Department had specifications for retrofitting roof clear sheets with a safety grid.

In the specifications, the safety grid must be placed underneath the clear light and on top of the supporting purloins. This means that the purloins will be able to directly support any weight placed on the grid. The grid must consist of 16mm diameter hot-dip galvanised steel bars, running for the full length of the clear sheet and rigidly secured to each purloin.

The bars must be spaced at not greater than 150mm intervals across the width of the clear sheet. Alternatively, 12mm bars may be used at not greater than 125mm spacing.