O’Donovan Engineering exhibited a starter Pratley unit, which the company is targeting towards smaller flock owners with fragmented lands. The unit consists of an 8ft race, which incorporates a guillotine gate at the front and a drafting gate at the front of the left panel of the race to facilitate two-way drafting.

It also comes with an anti-backing gate to prevent sheep from reversing out of the race.

The unit is being sold with five 7ft aluminium alloy gates and, in total, costs €1,485, excluding VAT.

Graham Potterton says the company is in the final stages of testing brackets to allow gates to be quickly fitted and unloaded to the side of standard 8ft trailers. He says the lightweight nature of the alloy gates make them a good fit for farmers travelling between and handling sheep on fragmented lands.

The race component of the unit is eligible for full grant aid at 40% (40% on a cost of €780). The unit can be expanded in future. All fittings are compatible with the full range of Pratley sheep equipment.

Option of future additions

Stanley Engineering is marketing a start-up modular unit, which allows a farmer to purchase equipment at an entry level and, over time, add to the unit.

George Stanley says the units are aimed at smaller flock owners or those looking to get into sheep equipment initially at a lower cost and to expand thereafter.

The entry race is simply made up of four 8ft sheep hurdles with a joiner in the middle. There is a guillotine gate at the back and a two-way drafting gate at the front. The unit costs €490, excluding VAT.

The next step-up are four sheeted 8ft side panels, footbaths and a telescopic handle to allow drafting to take place from the back of the race. With this purchase, George says the initial 8ft gates can then be used as collecting or handling pens. This step-up costs approximately €710, excluding VAT.

The final option brings the race up to a mobile unit and costs €1,150, excluding VAT. For farmers who want to enter at this level, the unit costs €2,200, excluding VAT, without the four 8ft gates.

Movable structure

Cormac Sheep Equipment, from Tuam, Co Galway, exhibited a 20ft sheep race. The unit comprises four heavy-sheeted gates with a joiner in the middle, a guillotine gate at the back and a two-way drafting gate at the front. It is also sold with two 5ft footbaths and sponges.

Cathal Duffy says the unit can be set up as a solid structure in a yard but it is also mobile, meaning the unit is eligible for grant aid under the Sheep Fencing/Mobile Handling Equipment Scheme. The unit costs €990, excluding VAT.

New creep feeder

Stanley Engineering has launched a new meal feeder for lambs and hoggets. The feeder is designed to be trailed with a ball hitch but alterations can also be made for transport with a front loader.

The hopper holds approximately 400kg of meal, with plastic sheets preventing entry of rain or birds. The 8ft feeder can be purchased in three different ways. The hopper on its own for feeding weaned lambs or hoggets can be purchased for approximately €450, excluding VAT. The complete unit, comprising four 5ft gates and two 8ft creep gates, costs €690, excluding VAT. If a farmer has his/her own 5ft gates, the feeder and the two 8ft creep gates will cost €572, excluding VAT.

George Stanley says that the company will also sell the 8ft creep gates to farmers who want to carry out creep grazing or combine them with an existing creep feeding system. Individual creep gates cost €60, excluding VAT.

Farm gates & creep gate

Among the equipment exhibited by Fox Bros, farm equipment and machinery manufacturers in Gorey, were farm gates with a creep gate feature.

The creep gate allows lambs to creep graze ahead of ewes or pass through the gates for meal feeding in troughs.

The fact that the creep gate is built into a standard field gate means the gates will also work well in a mixed grazing system.

The creep gate openings can be quickly altered, depending on lamb size, and can also be secured in a permanently closed position. A standard 12ft sheep gate with a creep gate costs €165, plus VAT.

Peter O’Rourke, from Fox Bros, says the company provides field gates in a range of sizes and can make alterations to field gates to suit farmers’ needs.

The company trades through a network of retailers throughout the country. For further information, phone 053-9421677 or see the website www.foxbros.ie.

Keep shears in good order

The lifetime of a sheep shearing machine can be influenced greatly by the way it is looked after and stored. This was the view of Andrew Corrigan, Co Kildare, the main Lister agent and shearing equipment provider for the Republic of Ireland.

When operating a machine for the first time, after a period of storage, Andrew says that all plugs and leads should be checked.

“Safety should always be the first concern. It is worth giving the machine a once-over to make sure that all wiring and leads are okay and no wires have frayed or cracked with incorrect storage,” he said.

Oiling the machine is the next step and Andrew says that a correctly oiled machine will improve the cutting quality and take pressure off the machine.

He cautions shearers with newer hand pieces not to overfill the oil bath (section on hand piece that is filled with oil). “If you overfill the oil bath, the oil will put excess pressure on the seals at the back and greatly increase the risk of bursting them. It is better to let some oil back out if you have filled the bath to the top.”

Once shearing has been completed for the year, Andrew recommends washing out all equipment with boiling water.

This, he says, will remove any grease and dirt which, if left over the winter, may lead to rusting or interference with the movement of the cutters.

Boiling water will also dry faster. The shears and hand piece should be stored in a dry area, free from dampness or potential access to vermin.

If your machine is a flexi-shears, the hanging lead should be hung straight or stored flat. This will ensure that the outer surface of the lead does not get porous during storage.

It is critical to store blades, combs and spare cutters free from any moisture or dampness, once they have been cleaned with boiling water.

“Some people store these pieces in oil as they think it will prevent rust. This doesn’t work as even a very small percentage of water or moisture in oil will lead to rusting. It is best to store them in brown paper or a means that works for you.

‘‘An old Maori shearer told me the best place to store blades and cutters are in flour as there is no moisture whatsoever,” said Andrew.

All sheep equipment companies exhibiting at the Golden Shears said they were receiving numerous inquiries on handling equipment but that many farmers were restricted in making orders as they had not received grant aid approval.

The Department of Agriculture says that files have been circulated to local offices to start granting approvals.

The Department says that every applicant who submitted an eligible application will receive approval but it cannot confirm when all approvals will be granted.

Maximum use

Every effort should be made to get approvals out as soon as possible to allow farmers to get maximum use from handling equipment this season.