No Hands Carrier For Newborn Calves

No Hands Carrier For Newborn Calves LIVESTOCK Downed Animals 15-4-15 After carrying four wet, slippery newborn calves into the barn on a cold and miserable February day, Gerald Funk decided he had to come up with a new way to handle the back-breaking chore. The Dinsmore, Sask., cattleman patterned his "no hands" calf carrier after "papoose"-type infant carriers that have recently be-come popular with mothers. It's made of tough washable nylon and looks like a long apron when not in use. To load it up, the calf is placed on the skirt of the apron, which is then wrapped around the belly of the animal and fastened to shoulder straps. "The straps that support the calf criss-cross between your shoulder blades, taking the weight off your arms. Extra straps can be fastened around a smaller calf's rump and just under the neck to keep it from sliding out forward or back," explains Funk. One of the best features of the "Moo Glee" carrier, as he calls it, is that it makes it easy and quick to weigh calves without taking them out of the carrier. Two loops on top of the apron can be hooked to a scale so you don't have to take the carrier away from around your neck. What's more, when you don't have calves to carry the apron has 4 pockets to carry eartags, dehorning paste, vaccines, syringes, and other small items. "I have carried and weighed calves of up to 130 lbs. with no problem. Being a live-stock producer myself, I made it strong and durable. Straps adjust to fit any size," says Funk. Sells for $85. For more information, contact: FARM SHOW Followup, Gerald Funk, "Moo-Glee Calf Carrier", Box 475, Dinsmore, Sask. SOL OTO Canada (ph 306 846-4833).

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