*Stock photo

Understanding how ammonia gas is formed, the major and minor impacts it can have on the bird and what can be done to manage this issue can be helpful for proper poultry management.

Click here for the full article. 

Frank Dowling runs a busy spring calving herd in Freshford, Co. Kilkenny. He is feeding his dairy cows with a MechFiber360, his third KEENAN machine, during the winter and around June for buffer feeding.

“One year, I forgot about servicing the machine and a bearing went. It was in the middle of winter, the machine was needed every day and I could not have done it without it,” says Frank. Since then, Frank gets his KEENAN serviced every year at the end of summer to have the machine ready for winter feeding. “A regular service avoids downtime for the machine — it’s really for peace of mind,” explains Frank.

Martin Nolan, experienced KEENAN service agent, goes out to Frank’s farm to perform a 40+ machine check and routine maintenance, including greasing, a weighing system check and zeroing. Martin flags if any replacements or repairs are needed. Frank wants to make sure his body blades are always up to scratch because he knows that “it is quicker chopping straw after the knives are sharpened or replaced.”

Frank says he will continue getting a service at the end of every summer, because “if you are busy in spring, all you want to do is get up on the tractor and feed.”

If you would like to talk to us about the new KEENAN service contracts that are individually tailored to your farm needs to keep your machine in top condition, avoid downtime and ensure the unique KEENAN quality and consistent mix, please contact the KEENAN service team:

Ireland: 059 977 1200

UK: 01780 437521

keenaninfo@alltech.com

1 October 2019 - Alltech has issued a word of caution with regard to some technologies available that claim to reduce enteric methane emissions in ruminants. These can potentially have a negative impact on rumen bacteria and, ultimately, animal performance.

In today’s interview, Matthew Smith, Vice President, Alltech, stresses the importance of adopting tried and trusted programmes for reducing emissions and a farm’s carbon footprint via nutrition and feeds that are digestible and that maximise animal production and efficiency.

Animal rights are very different from animal welfare or animal care, which is related to the welfare state of the animals and the care they receive from farmers and people l

Mastitis records are an essential part of dairy herd management for many progressive dairy operations.

*Stock photo, machine in refurbishment

If you have made the decision to buy a used KEENAN diet feeder to decrease manual labour and improve your feed management on your farm, we have put together recommendations to get a reliable KEENAN that fits onto your farm.

How many animals do you want to feed with one mix? What is the maximum height of a machine to fit into your sheds? Do you have any tight turns you will need to navigate with the machine? These are questions that will influence the size and equipment that will work on your farm. Our experienced KEENAN area business managers can help you with these questions.

To ensure that your used KEENAN diet feeder is in good nick, start with checking the overall appearance. Every machine will have to be relined at some point in their life, take the cost of relining the machine into account if the mixing chamber is worn. To get a long working life out of your machine, make sure that 6 mm steel is used when relining a machine.

Check the paddles, rotor and auger – it is important that these parts are straight and undamaged. Also, check the auger flighting, worn flighting can be replaced.

The VFC-door should open and close freely. See if the seals are intact to make sure powdery feed doesn’t fall out where it isn’t supposed to. Replacing the seal is a nut-and-bolt job.

An important part to ensure good mix quality is checking that the body blades are sharp and paddle rubbers aren’t worn. Consider sharpening or replacing worn knives and paddle rubbers to get a good quality mix, increase chopping speed and keeping fuel consumption low. Lastly, check seals, protective devices and guards (including PTO) and make sure that your machine will be delivered with all of these in good condition.

Next points to check are hitch, chassis and drawbar. Have a look at the hydraulics as well and check operation and for leakages.

Check the spline shaft. The PTO shaft connects to the diet feeder and turns the two chain drives for the auger and rotor. The stub shaft sits in two bearings. If you pull the shaft and it rattles, check if the back bearings need replacing. It is easy enough to replace the whole drive shaft assembly.

Open the front covers and look at the drive chains. There are two chains used on the KEENAN MechFiber model. The primary drive chain drives the auger shaft and the secondary chain drives the rotor. Both chains are tensioned by spring assemblies on the slack side of the chain. If these are slack, check for chamfer on the sprockets. The tensioners itself can be replaced easily and at low cost. Check if the chains are lubricated and that the machine got regularly greased.

Lastly, check the weighbox including weighbars, cables and sockets to ensure it’s working properly. A weighbox is the brain of the operation and you want it working properly to guide you through the loading and mixing process to get an accurate mix and keep feed waste to a minimum.

The one place to get a top-quality used KEENAN diet feeder with warranty is directly from the manufacturer. Their trade-ins have mostly been maintained directly by KEENAN service engineers and the history of the machine is known. This way, only structurally sound machines will be released back into the market. For the KEENAN Approved range, only the top of the range trade-ins are used with a maximum of 10 years old. Machines are fully stripped down, checked for functionality and put back together. Approved machines come with a 3-month manufacturer warranty, are relined, shot blasted and painted and have new body blades, paddle rubbers, hydraulic pipes and tyres.

If you are interested in a used diet feeder, get in contact with KEENAN for a list of directly available machines.

Email: keenaninfo@alltech.com

Phone

Ireland: 059 977 1200

UK: 01780 437521

The position and role of R&D Engineer is to support the Design Engineers in design, build and test function as applicable to design work. They will assist with resolving both Production and Customer issues, with onsite and customer visits. International travel maybe involved in the role. The Ideal candidate will have a high level of hands on ability / expertise in the use of hand tools and equipment such as welding, gas, hand plasma, tractor operation, forklift driving and hydraulic equipment. A minimum of 5+ years engineering experience in a R&D environment with a trade and or degree in Engineering. Agricultural background would be an advantage.

To achieve the MechFiber mix quality with a machine of any age and avoid downtime, we have put together a checklist to keep your KEENAN in a good condition.

Do you need replacement parts? Does the machine need to be relined? Should you exchange it for a newer model?

By getting your machine checked and serviced regularly, you can ensure reliability and avoid any technical issues. A correctly serviced machine will have a better chopping and mixing performance. This reduces the power requirements and fuel consumption, extends the working life and helps to maintain the value of your machine.

A fully-functioning machine producing a consistent and good-quality daily mix also improves feed intake and rumination and supports the health of the herd. Aside from creating less waste, it improves feed efficiency and increases the output of animals, which results in more milk or beef.

Below is a checklist for keeping your KEENAN in optimum condition:

Weighbox: The weighbox is the brain of the operation. In order to feed the correct amount of ingredients, it needs to be working properly. Start with zeroing the system. Look at the overall condition of the weighbars, cables and sockets and run a test to confirm that everything weighs correctly.

Hitch, chassis and drawbar: Check the condition of the parts, including pivots, springs, U-bolts and pins. Grease all smear points. The newer oil bath models have a greasing manifold that tends to all the inaccessible grease points of the machine’s drive system.

Brakes, tyres and wheels: Check that your brakes are engaging; carefully look at the overall condition of tyres, rims and wheel bearings and check that wheel nuts are tight. Don’t forget to check the tyre pressure.

Driveline: Check all sprockets and bearings and make sure all chains are tensioned correctly to avoid increased wearing. Grease all pivot points and the tensioner mechanism. Refill the oil bath or the automatic oiler, if necessary. Regularly oil the chains to lengthen their working life. (Fitting an automatic oiler or getting a model with an oil bath negates the need for this.)

Hydraulics: Check for leakages and do a test run. The design life of hydraulic hoses depends on the level of usage and wear and tear. They should be checked yearly and replaced about every 10 years.

Mix quality assurance: Check the condition of body blades and paddle rubbers. Replace if necessary — these parts have a significant impact on the mix quality. Also, check the condition of the top knife and the clearance between it and the paddles. If you have a bale handler, check the clearances of moving parts and grease pivot points on each bale handler tine.

Overall machine: Check seals and flighting and grease the VFC-door with a food-grade grease. Check paddles, rotor and tray parts. Ensure the safety of your machine by checking protective devices and guards. Replace a worn PTO cover and make sure it is tied and not spinning freely. For those feeding on an out-farm, check that the lights and indicators are working correctly.

KEENAN makes the reliability of your machine simple. We offer service contracts that are individually tailored to your farm’s needs, with service intervals dependant on the number of daily mixes.

To keep your machine in top condition, avoid downtime and ensure the unique KEENAN quality and consistent mix, give your KEENAN service department a call.

keenaninfo@alltech.com

Ireland: James Bolger 059 977 1200

UK: Service department 0800 587 3296