Modification to milk bottle holder so it fits on cattle panel
Calf milk bottle holders are meant to be held on vertical bars of hog panel with cable clamps.
Drilling a 1/4" hole, 3/8" in on the top surface allows them to be clamped on the horizontal bar of a cattle panel and the bottle can be slid in the opening. (clamping on the vertical bar of a cattle panel would have the bar be in the way of inserting the milk bottle.)
We also found that for one small, short calf that the usual method of mounting of these feeders on a hog panel was too high. The calf could barely reach the bottle nipple and he wasted about ½ of the milk. Dropping the feeder 1 bar on the hog panel by using this mounting method allowed the calf to fully reach the nipple and not waste milk.
A 1/2" washer bent in a vise with a blacksmith hammer clamps around the panel bar. (Place the washer in the vise with the top of the inner hole just showing and bend the washer with a blacksmith hammer.) A 1-1/4 long X 1/4 bolt, 1/4 washer, 1/4 lock washer, and 1/4 nut round out the hardware need to make the modification.
Perhaps it would be better to drill two 1/4" hole 3/8" in so the holder can't twist.
Starting to put lock nuts with nylon lining so they don't vibrate loose when calves butt the holders. Some calves are worse than others
These are manufactured and sold by http://www.ezfeedcalfbottleholder.com/ .
C&L Powder Coating, LLC
279 4th Street
Echo, MN 56237
507-925-2003 - Office
The owner also has http://www.clpowdercoating.com/ a powder coating (paint) business.