Livestock Waterers keep your animals healthy

Posted on August 13, 2010 by Rob

Even more important than food, providing your animals with fresh water is paramount to good health. Using a livestock waterer to keep your animals well hydrated is important for overall health and weight gains.

There are many different options to choose from and they all provide an economical method of providing that all important clean water source. Take a look at some of the designs below and ma

How a waterer works

Below is a generic diagram on how a cold weather waterer can be set up. Notice everything but the electrical supply is located below the frost line so it can be used in the cold weather months.

This is most important for the supply line that brings the water into the tank. A heat tube is used in the diagram below to insulate or heat the water supply line as it moves above the frost line and into the waterer.

A qualified electrician and plumber should be consulted for a proper and long-lasting installation.

Types of animal waterers

Livestock waterers can be divided into closed and open categories as well as animal specific. Open means the water source isn’t covered and is the most common design. The closed design is typically seen where freezing occurs or in hot and dirty environments. They provide a literal cover to the water below and help contain evaporation and keep the water clean.

Other popular styles include animal specific designs for horses and hogs and we take a look at some of them below.

Open Livestock Waterers

Any animal can use these open waterers. They’re traditionally used in outdoor pasture or pen settings in capacities of only one gallon all the way up to 60 gallons. They contain a float that keeps a preset level of water. As the float rises, it closes off the supply valve and stops filling the tank.

With the water carried underground to the tank, it’s usually a cool 50 degrees or so when it enters the waterer. Water is automatically replenished with cool water through the valve when animals drink.

In the winter, the underground supply is usually still near 50 degrees which is well above freezing and water heaters are used to keep it that way.

Pictures of Open Waterers

The construction material of choice is polyethylene. It allows the tanks to have smooth edges and prevent rusting or corrosion. It can also take a lot of abuse from animals without bending or denting and the smooth sloped bottoms make it easy to clean.

The single trough or double-sided design allows you to plan your pens or corrals. The double sided waterer can supply fresh water on both side of a fence-line eliminating the need for a second tank.

All of these come with a 5 year warranty and are an easy way to provide a source of fresh water year round.

Closed Top Waterers

This clever design has a lot of advantages over the open top waterers above. The covered source protects from debris like blowing dirt, leaves and even insects. Algae has a tough time accumulating as there isn’t a light source for growth.

The waterers below illustrate the types of closures for containing the water. The balls shown float in their holes and when depressed, provide access to the water below. They are available with built-in heaters for winter operation as well!

The center tank has flap covers that require lifting to access the inside. Both of these designs are popular and very efficient.

They come in an ‘energy free’ design as well as a heated, which has a built in heater for cold winter operation.

The same strong polyethylene construction takes a beating and eliminates corrosion and rust. There are no sharp corners so cleaning is a simple as wiping the trough section down.

They also come with the 5-year manufacturer’s warranty against defects and will provide hassle free water to your animals much longer.

Hog Waterer

A more traditional looking waterer is the hog waterer. It’s made of 100% non-porous polyethylene so it will never rush, corrode or rot. Confinement pen and acids have no affect on the waterer at all.

There are not cracks or corners for sediment, dirt or bacteria to hide. A quick wipe down will allow easy access to all areas of the waterer.

This large poly tank holds 80 gallons at a time and uses a filling float to keep it full. It’ s a single float that keeps the central tank full. The tank itself has calibrations molded into it and the translucent material. This allows a quick glance to see how much water is in the tank.

It has two drinking areas, one on each side. The lip of each drinker is protected with a heavy-duty chew guard in case your hogs try to start chewing where they shouldn’t!

The trough is only 6″ tall so even your little pigs have easy access. It comes with a drain plug to make flushing and washing painless.

Visit Barn World today and select the proper livestock waterer to ensure your animals stay well-hydrated and see the proper weight gains and overall health they need.

Animal Scales – Are your animals adding the weight they should?

Posted on August 12, 2010 by Rob

Keeping track of your animal’s over-all weight and weight gains is an important barometer of overall health. There are many different types of Animal Scales and they are an important health management tool. They can also help you see how effective your feeding strategies and grain efficiencies are as well.

Platform scales are very versatile, especially for larger animals. Specialty scales for weighing animals that are bit more ‘energetic’ includes doors and side walls for an accurate measurement. There are variety to choose from and we’ve highlighted a few different styles below..

Animal Platform Scales

The platform is perhaps the most versatile designs there is. If you can get your animal on the scale from any direction, you can get your weight. Simple and straight-forward, once on, you can easily read the weight from the included display.

The most common of these are available in capacities of 500, 1,000, 2,000 and 3,000 pounds shown below. The large 3,000 pound capacity and platform will allow you to weight almost anything!

Click on an image below to see more details of these various capacities

The only potential trouble with the open-sided platforms is sometimes you can’t get your little guy to stay on. For these ‘higher energy’ measurements, there are contained scales that use doors and sidewalls to assist.

Sheep and Hog Scales

Hogs and Sheep don’t like to stand calmly on an open platform and wait for the weights to be recorded. These scales have entry and exit doors as well as side-walls to help them stay in place.

Below is a hog enjoying his weigh in!

Osborne has been an industry leader in small animal scales for decades. They have designed a portable animal scale specifically for weighing hogs and sheep too.

Scale Options

To make this scale portable, simply add the wheel kit and move it to where you need it. The available wheel kit is designed so move it around or even roll it into the back of your truck for true portability. Makes it easy to store.

The entry doors allow you to contain your animal while weighing and provide a calm environment for even your friskiest of hogs.

There are no weigh cables to deal with. The weigh arms and anti-sway bars help minimize fluctuations in weight readings so you can get an accurate reading. Your animal movements are minimized with this unique design.

Give yourself and your animals a safe and comfortable area for getting accurate weights with this portable animal scale from Barn World!

5 Star Wool Saddle Pads

Posted on August 10, 2010 by Rob

Barn World carries 5 Star Equine Saddle Pads for all your riding needs.

5 Star saddle pads offer the best protection for your horse’s back and are made from 100% Wool. The World’s Finest, All-Natural 100% Wool Contoured Pads are specially designed to fit the shape of your horse or mule’s. The unique, two-piece construction eliminates spinal pressure and improves saddle fit – no over-cinching.

The 5 Star Contoured Saddle Pad is the original Western contour pad with “a true French Curve back-line and withers slope.” Special attention is given to wither height, back-line variance and hip placement which results in a GREAT FITTING PAD that conforms to the shape of your horse or mule. This conscious effort in design has produced a pad that fits most breeds of horses and mules without “break-in” fitting.

PAD THICKNESS

1/2″ Under Pad

Great for showing, reining, cutting or pleasure horses when you still need protection yet want to put a colorful blanket over the under pad for show purposes.

3/4″ Regular Pad

An excellent all-around pad for those that need a daily exercise training pad and may also need to throw a blanket over for the show ring.

7/8″ Thick Pad

The best all-around use pad recommended for trail riding, team penning, cutting, reining, and barrel racing. We can also cut the 3/4″ and 7/8″ pad in a 28″ length for barrel racing saddles.

1″ Extra Thick Pad

Designed with ranch work in mind, for roping, performance, colt starting or heading to the mountains with lots of gear. 1-1/8″ Supreme Roper Pad Specially engineered for team roping, calf roping, steer stopping and performance.

EASY CLEAN-UP

Simply spray pad with water, rub soiled areas in a circular motion with fingers or a rubber curry comb and hang to dry. A gentle detergent may also be necessary. Do not lay flat on it’s back (upside down). With this reasonable care, pad will last 1500-2000 hours. 5 Star 100% Wool Felt Contoured Saddle Pads contain 90% virgin wool and 10% reworked wool giving your animal protection that will last 2,000+ hours with reasonable care. 5 Star’s felt has been made with heat, steam and pressure which eliminates any concerns about shrinkage or distortion as you begin to consider cleaning needs.

Care & Cleaning

Equipment: 5 Star Cleaning Sponge, Rubber Fingered Curry, Flat Rubber Curry
Prevent dirt and hair build-up on the under side of pad by brushing occasionally. This keeps old hair from trapping dirt & sweat, and embedding deep into the pad.
To remove embedded hair and dirt, rotate a dry 5 Star Cleaning Sponge in circular motion on dry pad. Wipe hair off sponge surface with your hand while cleaning pad.
Break up heavy crusted sweat and dirt with rubber curry. Also gently scrape with a dull edged object being careful not to cut the felt. Use a vacuum to remove excess grime and loose material. A brush or a swift slap with your hand may also be used to sweep away dirt and hair.

Every 5 Star pad comes with a label that describes the basic method for cleaning and an all-natural dry-cleaning sponge!

Visit BarnWorld.com today and pick out your new favorite horse tack: A new 5 Star Wool Saddle Pad!

Poly Horse Hay Feeder

Posted on July 28, 2010 by Rob

No longer does a horse hay feeder have to be bulky and difficult to manage. Don’t put up with a rusting hulk of a metal feeder in your pasture!

The new design can be quickly assembled. There are four sections that bolt together on overlapping joints. This feeder that can be used just about anywhere. The single sections may be set up and bolted in a corner of a horse stall. It can also be flipped upside down to provide a lower outer wall for shorter animals.

The new poly horse hay feeder from Barn World

poly stall hay feeder for horses in a corner

round hay feeder for horses in the pasture

Lightweight

This new hay feeder is easy to assemble, move around a pasture and is extremely durable. It only weighs 120 pounds total which makes it easy to stand on its side and roll to where it’s needed. When loading, simply roll it beside your large round bale and drop it over the top.

rolling the hay feeder to a new location

setting a ploy horse hay feeder over a large round bale

Designed for Safety

The four individual panels are secured with three bolts at each overlapping joint. The bolts are recessed along the outside of the feeder so your horses won’t nick or cut themselves. The counter-sunk connections are easy to access and protect your equine legs from scrapes.

Designed to be Outdoors

The poly material is made with recycled materials and includes a UV inhibitor resin when it’s poured. This allows the feeder to be outdoors, in the sun, year-round!

Features of the Poly Horse Hay Feeder

Easy to assemble and move with one person
Designed with horse safety in mind – countersunk connections
Can be flipped over to accommodate smaller animals
Made of environmentally friendly recycled materials
UV-Resistant Resin designed for year-round outdoor use in the sun!
Environmentally conscious – made with recycled materials
Only weighs 120 lbs!
2″ thick walls, 35″ tall and 8′ in diameter

Warranty

This durable long-lasting feeder comes with a manufacturer’s one-year warranty on defects and workmanship. This feeder is built to last outdoors, in both the sun and snow and will provide years of use. It will feeder your large round bales to colts, ponies and full-grown equine!

See all of our Horse Hay Feeders and let us know if we can prepare a quote with shipping to your door today!

Pig Feeders for healthy weight gains

Posted on July 27, 2010 by Rob

Barn World offers a wide selection of pig feeders or the modern farm. We have both gravity feed and ration style feeders that minimize wasted feed. The complete line up of Osborne Pig Feeders will keep your operation running at peak efficiency and keep your profits up. Ensuring your animals have a constant supply of fresh feed without any waste is the goal of each feeder and operator.

Quality Pig Feeders

Osborne pig feeders are top quality and a gold standard in the industry. Their design creates a stress-free eating environment that maximizes access to feed and healthy weight gains. The round trough offers the most feeding areas possible at one time. More pigs have room to get to the feeder because they’re not standing shoulder-to-shoulder. There’s room for more mouths and eating time.

There’s also a patented on-demand mechanical feed design that helps eliminate waste. The feeder will only release feed when it’s asked for. This eliminates standing food that can be turned into ‘play waste’. Grain sitting in a trough easily gets knock to the floor and wasted.

Pig Feeder Designs

Self Cleaning: Another unique feature in the troughs is the self-cleaning paddles. The on-demand arms have sweeps on their bottoms so they clean as they turn through the trough. The pigs are actually cleaning their own feeder as they eat!

Wean-to-Finish Feeder

A feeder we’d like to highlight is the brand new Fast Start Pig Feeder. This radical design automatically converts from the traditional gravity fed flow to on demand only!
When the pigs are small, they really don’t have the strength or will to turn the paddles and ask for feed. The feeder will sit stationary and allow a directly feed flow to the trough as it’s consumed.

As they get bigger, they begin to agitate the paddles. As feeder arms begin to turn, the conversion begins. To keep the higher energy growers from wasting the feed, the arms will slowly close off the free flow feature. As they go through the trough and start to swing around, the interior mechanics close off the free-flow design.

Once closed, feed will only be dispensed when asked for through the trough paddles – automatically! There will no longer be grain laying around to be splashed onto the floor and wasted.

This wonderful feeder will take your young pigs from weaning to finishing all by itself.

Wean-to-Finish Feeder Specifications

Specifications
Capacity – 235 lbs
Height – 36″
Trough Diameter – 31″
Hog Weight – 10 lbs to Market
Hog Capacity – Up to 60 head

Summery

All of the pig feeders are made from poly materials that are impervious to acids from pig waste. They won’t rust and are built to last. Make sure your young animals have constant access to clean food and healthy weight gains with a pig feeder from Barn World.

Bucket Forks turn your bucket into a pallet fork workhorse

Posted on July 24, 2010 by Rob

Barn World, your livestock equipment solution center now offers the extremely versatile clamp on bucket forks to add the functionality of a pallet fork to your bucket. The unique clamps also allow other attachments to be added like our Debris Forks too!

How to Install Pallet Forks

These easy to install and remove pallet forks attach quickly to your bucket. They use the patented “C-Clamp Pad” design that won’t harm your bucket. It creates a secure fit that’s easily removable when ready to un-install. No longer do you need to remove your entire bucket to get the functionality of the pallet forks.

Bucket Fork C-Clamp Attachment Diagram

Note that this unique clamp on design makes adding and removing the forks a breeze. You don’t need to remove your bucket, simply screw them on and you’re ready to go.

Features

No Chains or Binders Needed
“C-Clamp Pad” won’t harm your bucket
No need to remove or modify your bucket
Quickly and easily attaches directly to your existing bucket
All Bucket Forks are powder coated

Three types of pallet forks

Light Duty Pallet Forks -working length of 39″ and load capacity of 1,200 lbs.

Features

Great for compact and sub-compact tractors and loaders up to 25HP
Move pallets, logs, rail road ties and more!
Bucket forks will turn your tractor into a workhorse!

Medium Duty Pallet Forks – working length of 43″ and a load capacity of 2,400 lbs.

Features

Great for compact tractors and loaders from 35 HP to 55 HP
Move pallets, logs, rail road ties and more with our Bucket Forks!
Slip in a standard 2 x 4 as a back stop

Heavy Duty Pallet Forks – working length of 53″ and a load capacity of 5,000 lbs.

Great for tractors, loaders and skid steers up to 55 hp and above
Lifting Capacity for both, together is an impressive 5,500 pounds
Slip in a standard 2 x 4 as a back stop with our HD Bucket Forks

Specifications

5,500 Lifting Capacity (Pair)
Total Weight: 190 lbs
Length: 72″
Width: 4″
Fork Height: 2.”
Height: 10.5″
Length of forks: 53″
15.25″ Under Bucket

All of the bucket forks come with a Limited Lifetime Manufacturer’s Warranty

The great feature of the clamp on design is that it allows a quick and easily attachment to an existing bucket. There’s no need to go through the hassle of changing the bucket. There’s not additional expense of buying another implement, use what you have!

Get a pair of bucket pallet forks from Barn World, your livestock equipment headquarters. www.BarnWorld.com

Organize Your Tack Room

Posted on July 22, 2010 by Rob

It’s time to organize your tack room!

Have you put off the spring cleaning your tack room desperately needs? You can easily get organized with the great tack room organizing products from Barn World.

Saddle Racks

These saddle organizers are a wonderful way to store you saddles and keep your tack room clear. The wall mount can be secured for out-of-the way storage of your prized saddles. They’re also designed as a free-standing display rack. Great for store displays or as a relocatable tack room organizer for your tack room.

The largest of these stands come in a 12 saddle rotary design to handle all of your saddles at once!

Saddle Blanket Racks

Blanket racks not only organize your tack but give you a place to dry, hang and store all of your hard working blankets. They are also great for saddle pads too!

They’re available as wall mounted or as a standalone design. With these strong armed organizers, your horse tack room will be clean and keep your floor free and clear from clutter. Let your blankets and pads dry without getting dirty or thrown in a pile in a corner.

The blanket racks have many different configurations to fit almost any size operation. They’ll allow you to store and dry your tack in an organized fashion while taking up minimal space.

Bridal Racks

Keep your bridles from getting tangled. These racks give them a place to be cleaned while hanging and be stored in an organized manner. There are the straight forward wall-mounted single hanger as well as the multiple hanging bridal racks.

All of these wonderful organizers are made in the USA!

Advantages of Sheepskin Saddle Pads

Posted on July 13, 2010 by Rob

Sheepskin saddle pads have been used for superior comfort and performance for hundreds of years. This luxurious material is comprised with over 3,000 fibers for every square inch. Each of these tiny little fibers acts as a shock absorber and creates a tremendously soft riding experience.

Comfort

The same properties that make it soft also create unparalleled wicking. The tiny fibers absorb and then dissipate any accumulate moisture between your horse and the pad. This naturally occurring process keeps your horse cool and allows them to perform in more comfort for longer periods of time. The perfect combination: performance and comfort!

Protection

Not only does the sheepskin provide superior cooling and comfort, it also offers protection from pressure points and chaffing. The tiny fibers allow any friction from opposite movement between the saddle and the horse to be absorbed. Keeping any rubbing and chafing from transferring to your horse is the key to high performance and long-distance riding.

Sheepskin does not build up any static or electrical charge. The all-natural material is actually an insulator from the natural friction between your body and the horse.

The material is extremely gentle on skin as it include lanolin and is natural dir and bacteria resistant.

Cleaning your Sheepskin Saddle Pad

To make sure you get the most out of your pad, be sure to follow the recommend care instructions.

Thoroughly dry these high performance pads between your rides. This allows the tiny fibers a chance to ‘relax’, separate and re-establish their wicking and protection properties. Once dry, give the material a light brushing to help separate the individual fibers. This ensures a thick and relaxed cushion for your next ride.

To clean your pad, use cold water and a mild soap made for sheepskin. Some examples of light detergents are baby shampoos by Johnson & Johnson, or Ivory. Make sure to to hand wash the pads and avoid machine washing. The mechanical agitator can be a bit rough on sheepskin and may even agitate the quilting if not properly cared for.

Once clean, do not use a machine dryer. Remove the excess accumulated water with either the spin cycle on your washing machine (after hand washing of course) or letting it dry naturally. Simply set the pad out to dry in the ambient air, do not wring out or compress the sheepskin unnaturally. Do not apply any heat to accelerate the drying process.

You may slightly stretch the pad to help avoid any potential shrinkage if desired. Once dry, simply brush it lightly to separate the small fibers and your ready for another comfortable, high performance ride.

Sheepskin saddle pads offer natural protection from chaffing and sore spots and provide superior riding comfort and natural cooling! See all of the Sheepskin Saddle Pads.

Horse Vacuum Convenience

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Rob

The new Equine Vac is a vacuum designed exclusively for horses. Finding the perfect livestock vacuum cleaner for grooming horses is no longer a compromise. This animal vacuum is a sleek, upscale grooming system, featuring injection molding for a long-lasting, durable, non-corrosive finish.

Specifications

There are a lot of design features that were included exclusively for use with horses. It has a flush-mount option so it only protrudes 2 inches from the wall. Installation itself is extremely simple. The surface-mount model can be moved between stalls or other locations such as an RV, Horse Trailer or Tack Room.

All the grooming tools and the 35 foot stretch hose are included!

Picture of the Horse Vacuum

Included Features

35′ long stretch hose and a 6′ power cord
bare floor tool / telescoping steel wand / upholstery brush with horse hair slide
elongated dust brush / long crevice tool / regular crevice tool
3 horse tools – pin comb brush, curry comb and horse grooming brush
(2) dust bags (1 is an extra)

Forget having to cart a canister across the floor. Instead of dragging a noisy appliance around your horse, just bring the high-performance vacuum hose to where you’re working. With the patented 35-ft long-reach hose, the vacuum unit can be conveniently installed in a quiet, out-of-the-way location. This allows you to groom your horse in less stressful and relaxed environment.

Wall mount Grooming System – Installs quickly and securely to a vertical surface. Includes all of the accessories shown above. Available in Red, White, Black or Gray.

Flush Mount Grooming System This is the space-saving installation that is recessed into a and it too includes all of the accessories shown above. Available in Red, White, Black or Gray.

For the best in livestock grooming, call Barn World at (720) 238-2190. You can also email Sales@BarnWorld.com for more information and to place an order.

Gate Openers from Barn World

Posted on July 9, 2010 by Rob

.When a cattle guard can’t be used, accessing your property and passing through your fence line doesn’t have to be inconvenient. A gate opener can make such a mundane and time consuming task effortless.

Barn World carries the Apollo Gate Opener to swing gates that are as long as 16′ in length and weigh up to 600 pounds!

Specifications

This opener set up include two remotes and a two-year manufacturer’s warranty. The controller box is weather resistant which is designed to be used outdoors year-round.

It’s easily installed on existing gates and works with a 12V DC battery which can be maintained with the included 5-watt solar panel or used with AC rechargeable current

This operator is available in the 1500 and 1550 model which includes the ‘soft close’ feature for a smoother closure. It uses an advanced circuit board which learns the current limit settings and the actuator stroke length for future cycles. This helps create a default setting for future openings and increases operating life.

The Apollo brand has been an industry leader for years. Their simple and straight forward gate openers operate most swing gates without having to get out of your vehicle. The opener is especially useful when a cattle grid isn’t an option. Don’t let repetitively opening and closing a gate wear you down. Get an electric gate opener today.