Essential Animal Care Tools & Equipment for Your Farm

Farm tools are simple equipment that is used on the farm for farm work. Farmers cannot do all the farm work with their bare hands. They require farm tools, which will make their farm work easier and faster.

There should be a shed with plenty of tools on any livestock farm. Power equipment like saws, drills, and graders assists in the management of the daily operations on our farms.

Some livestock tools and equipment are necessary and practical to have nearby to take proper care of animals and determine whether they are ill, so as to help in the treatment of livestock.

In the process, you discover that life becomes significantly simpler when equipped with the right agricultural gear and farm machinery for your livestock, which not only saves you time but also minimizes frustration.

Livestock tools and equipment can be categorized under the following activities of daily routine practices that take place on livestock production farms:

Feeding and Watering Equipment

Many livestock farms necessitate the use of feeders and water troughs, as feeding animals directly on the ground not only results in substantial feed wastage but also facilitates the transmission of diseases, especially internal parasites, and instances of abortion among the livestock.

Water can be provided in various forms, either through free-flowing sources or using stock tanks, buckets, troughs, tubs, or mechanical waterers.

The need is to maintain clean water supplies, free of hay, straw, and feces.

Below is a list of feeding and watering tools, including automatic feeders, troughs, and feed bins; hay feeders, silos, and grain storage systems; watering systems such as nipples and cups, water tanks and troughs; supplement and mineral feeders; feed mixing equipment; feed conveyors and augers; and pasture management equipment like rotational grazing systems.

Handling and Movement Equipment

Even the best ranchers can struggle with livestock rearing and herding. Livestock such as cattle are usually shown as composed, obedient, and calm. However, handling and moving animals can often be challenging due to their nature, prompting the consideration of utilizing specialized equipment to facilitate these tasks and make them more manageable.

Livestock handling facilities encompass a wide range of equipment, including chutes, alleys, crowding tubs, portable corrals, panels, loading chutes, ramps, livestock trailers, trucks, scales, various livestock products, electric fencing, head gates, head holders, roping and sorting equipment, as well as innovative technologies like livestock handling robots and drones, and specialized components such as squeezer chutes and palpation cages.

Health Monitoring and Treatment Equipment

Due to livestock owners' concerns about food quality and safety, livestock health is of great importance in food production. Improved livestock welfare has a direct impact on disease resistance and pathology.

Diseases significantly affect both the well-being of livestock and the profitability of farmers, prompting farmers to proactively seek health monitoring and treatment technologies to ensure the highest quality healthcare and treatment for their animals, ultimately optimizing production.

Examples of health monitoring and treatment equipment include:

1. Thermometers for measuring body temperature.
2. Stethoscopes for listening to heartbeat and lung sounds.
3. Weighing scale for monitoring weight changes of livestock.
4. Blood testing equipment for monitoring blood parameters.
5. Ultrasound equipment for pregnancy detection and monitoring.
6. Vaccination equipment, like syringes and needles.
7. Medication equipment like drenching guns and tag applicators.
8. First aid kit.
9. Livestock grooming equipment, like clippers, shears, and trimmers.
10. Parasite control equipment, for example, pour-on applicators, dusters, and sprayers.

Facilities and Infrastructure Equipment

The infrastructure, equipment, and resources required for various livestock farming operations may vary. For this reason, it is crucial to assess the existing infrastructure and gain a clear understanding of your operation's needs.

Effective fencing is essential when planning to raise livestock, as you are responsible for any escaped animals. Overcrowding a small area can also harm the long-term health of the land, leading to reduced productivity. When evaluating your requirements for improving livestock production, be sure to consider the necessary equipment and facilities.

Examples of facilities and infrastructures for livestock include;

1. Barns and sheds for housing and protecting livestock.
2. Fencing and gates for enclosing and separating animals.
3. Bedding, for example, straw, sawdust, or shavings.
4. Ventilation systems, for example, fans and exhaust systems.
5. Heating and cooling systems for the maintenance of optimal temperature.
6. Waste management systems, for example, manure pits and lagoons.
7. Pasture management equipment, like irrigation systems.
8. Feed storage and delivery systems, like silos and conveyors.
9. Livestock handling facilities, like chutes, alleys, and crowding tubs.

Tools for Livestock Care and Treatment

It is critical to remember that animals require sensitive care in order to reap their benefits. There is no reason to keep animals that die without providing any benefits. Given the multiple health issues associated with keeping livestock healthy, it is critical to have a basic awareness of effective animal healthcare procedures.

Ticks and fleas must be controlled so that they do not spread diseases. Worms and flukes must be controlled to prevent them from eating the animals from the inside. It is also important to ensure that animals are happy and comfortable.

To take good care of animals, diagnose and treat them when they are sick, there are various instruments that might be beneficial and practical to have on hand.

The following are some of the more commonly used tools:

a). Thermometer:

Used to check the body temperature of livestock.

b). Hoof trimming tools:

In some areas, especially where the ground is soft, the hooves of animals tend to grow much faster than normal and can tend to wear them down. Hoof trimming becomes necessary for animals to walk normally. The problem of overgrown hooves is particularly important for cows kept in zero-grazing that do not exercise or walk on pasture at all.

Also, donkeys working on rough ground must be trimmed regularly to keep the hoofs in normal shape. Deformed hooves make normal walking difficult and painful for the animal. The legs may twist in different directions. The hooves become deformed, soft, and prone to infections like foot rot.

Overgrown, long hooves are also dangerous for the udder because they may damage the teats when the cow stands up.

An animal that only walks with difficulty and pain and has infected hooves has low animal welfare and cannot be a productive animal.

However, hoof trimming is a specialized procedure, and proper instructions and training from qualified livestock officers will be extremely useful for any livestock farmer.

Hoof-trimming knives are usually available from most well-stocked agro-veterinary shops, but if not, any good, sharp knife can assist in addition to hoof-trimming knives. Professional hoof trimmers will also make use of more sophisticated tools like a hoof pioneer for clipping the dew claws, a toeing knife, and a hoof rasp.

c). Glass slides for making blood smears:

Blood samples are very useful for examining diseases in animals such as cattle. Many diseases, for example, East Coast fever, babesiosis, and anaplasmosis, are caused by organisms that will show up under the microscope in a good blood smear.

Farmers only need glass slides, a needle or fine knife, and a bit of training to make blood smears. Glass slides are available from pharmacies and from some agro-vet shops.

They are cheap and help in getting a diagnosis from a vet who doesn’t even have to visit the farm. Treating a cow against the wrong disease will not only cost you the drug but also the value of the whole cow if it dies.

d). Other Useful Tools for Livestock Farmers

1. Bandages and clean cloths for cleaning wounds, covering them, and holding broken legs in place.
2. A bottle for giving medicine by mouth. If a glass bottle is used, it is useful to put a rubber tube over the end to prevent it from breaking.
3. A container for sterilizing equipment. A cooking pot with a lid will suffice. Sterilize equipment by boiling it in water.
4. A sharp knife or scalpel. Scalpels have sterile blades that can be thrown away after use.
5. A pen and notebook for keeping records.
6. Ropes are essential for any livestock keeper! They are very useful for tying up animals and for making halters to lead animals during transport. Fine, clean ropes (sterilized in boiling water) can also be useful when assisting a cow with a difficult birth.
7. Soap or soap flakes for washing hands and arms, and for washing the cow's rear end when assisting with difficult births.
8. Syringes and needles for injection. With the great distance between vets, skilled farmers can learn to do basic treatment before calling the vet. The most useful sizes are 10ml, 20ml, and 50ml. Some syringes can be boiled to sterilize them for reuse, while others need to be thrown away after use. A syringe without a needle is useful for measuring liquids such as dewormers or medicines given by mouth and for flushing wounds and abscesses.
9. Castration rings, mostly for goats and sheep, but they can also be used for small newborn calves.
10. A Burdizzo castrator (no blood) is the best and cleanest tool for castrating bulls, rams, and bucks. Farmers can share the costs of buying this tool from an agro-vet shop. The Burdizzo should be used on the young animal. There are Burdizzos for animals of different sizes. Always remember that the Burdizzo is a valuable instrument and keep it clean and oiled. Do not drop it.
11. Needles and stitching material (thread = suture) for stitching wounds.
12. A tape measure for measuring animals to estimate their weight. When treating animals, it is very important to know the approximate body weight to give the correct dosage of medicine.
13. A trocar for making a hole in the rumen to treat severe cases of bloat. Trocars come in two sizes, for cattle and goats, and sheep.

The Importance of Using Modern Tools and Equipment in Livestock

They make work easier while enhancing the welfare, productivity, and profitability of the animals.

They enhance cost-effectiveness, improve animal welfare, provide better working conditions, enable better production monitoring, such as remote monitoring, and provide access to real-time data, and improve the delivery of crucial production data.

Agricultural mechanization practices have improved land reclamation, reduced soil erosion, and made irrigation systems more efficient. The cultivators attached to tractors help to smooth out the soil, fill in ditches, and remove weeds, all of which help to increase the amount of land used and prevent soil erosion.

Agricultural mechanization has primarily replaced subsistence farming, increasing productivity and crop yields. In subsistence farming, farmers produce only enough food to feed themselves or their families. Meanwhile, mechanization has enabled commercial farmers to produce far more food for profit.

In recent years, many people in rural areas have moved to cities because of more job opportunities. However, this has left farms without enough workers. Farm workers are no longer required to work as hard because machines are doing some of their work.

Using the mechanization process, we can use the land more efficiently. Machines can make the land arable that might have been unused before, allowing us to grow a wider variety of crops and feeds for livestock.

Agricultural mechanization provides more monetary gain for large and small farms and reduces the time needed to pay laborers. Crop yields are higher with machinery, thus increasing farm profits. Lastly, it adds a level of sophistication to farms, transforming them from local businesses into organizations that can compete on a global scale.

NOTE: Each of these modern agricultural instruments holds the potential to enhance productivity and drive positive outcomes at the livestock farm level, benefiting both farmers and animals. Additionally, their implementation has the capacity to bolster national productivity, which is crucially required to accelerate overall growth.

Conclusion

The world of livestock farming has witnessed a transformative shift, thanks to the invaluable contributions of modern tools and equipment. These essential instruments not only simplify the daily tasks of farmers but also significantly enhance the well-being and productivity of the animals they care for. From efficient feeding and watering systems to advanced health monitoring and treatment equipment, these tools have become indispensable for any livestock operation.

As we strive for a sustainable and prosperous future in agriculture, it is clear that the adoption of modern tools and equipment is not merely an option but a necessity. By investing in these resources, farmers can ensure the welfare of their livestock, optimize production, and drive positive outcomes for themselves, their animals, and the broader agricultural landscape.