I have been using saliva lick feeders for about 5 years. I average around 200 sheep on my farm.
The Universal Feeder Ultimate Series is very easy to adjust because of the user-friendly adjustments, to be able to control the daily intake and limit the amount of feed that we are supplementing. The Universal Feeder is built with very heavy-duty metal. I also like the metal plate for the sheep to stand on while they are eating. I don’t need to clean this feeder as much as I do some of my other feeders.
Closer to my breeding dates, I supplement about ¾ pound per day to my 1st year ewes. This has allowed me to help develop the ewe lambs, so they flush much better and are healthier for breeding. I have noticed a much healthier rumen, thus giving me much healthier ewes. This has allowed me to get 3 lamb crops in 2 years.
I can stretch my pastures out much longer during the late dry summer. I have noticed that while pasture grasses are a cheaper feed source, a large amount of the grass seems to not digest as well as when they are supplemented with some grain.
I used a Universal Feeder for 2 weeks. The benefits that I see are as follows:
1. Depending on how many animals you are feeding you would only need to fill the feeder once a week or every other week.
2. Safety for lambs and kids as the ewes/does will not rush to the feeder and injure kids/lambs, as they can eat whenever they want to.
3. Feeders can be used inside or outside.
After working with Saliva Lick feeders for over 4 months now, I have noticed that the Universal Feeder is built much heavier than my other brand and should have better longevity. I don’t have to clean the fines out of the bottom of the feeder as often as I did in my other feeders. With the Ultimate model, I can adjust the feeder without any wrenches. The easy side adjustment has made it easier to achieve lower rates of feed output with having more ease in the adjustment. With around 180 ewes, this feeder is a labor saving piece of equipment.
In the short amount of time that we have been using the feeder, the biggest thing that I have noticed is that the does we are feeding with the Universal Feeder are not screaming to be fed each time I walk into the barn. We have more goats in other open pens that still get hand fed twice a day. They are screaming and fighting for food, while the does on the feeder couldn’t care less that you are scooping feed and rattling buckets. The Universal Feeder is a labor saver as well.
