NORTHERN FARMING LIFESTYLES February 2017
LIVESTOCK BUSINESS PROFILE
59
EADON HIGHLAND FOLD
Solving poultry problems After years of frustration over losing chicken feed to sparrows, rats and mice, Bill Kirkham had a burst of Kiwi ingenuity and designed an automatic chicken feeder he called Grandpa’s Feeders. This ingenious yet simple product has been available in New Zealand since 1995 allowing poultry owners to leave their chickens for a couple of days and take a break without having to rely on family or neighbours. Bill, a retired farmer, never meant for his invention to become a commercial enterprise but when he had perfected the prototype and tested it on a friend’s chicken run it soon became apparent there was a high demand for his invention. This innovative idea was just the beginning and now parent company Windsong Enterprises are introducing two brand new products to the market. One of the latest inventions is a watering system called Grandpa’s’ Drinker cups and the other is Grandpa’s Check in Automatic Door. “The watering system works by having a couple of drinking cups with a tiny ball cock. As the chook drinks it pecks at the ball cock and releases a small amount of water. It is very good for people who don’t have a water supply at their chook run,” business partner Alla Kirkham says. “The automatic chook door means people can set it to open whenever they want it to open during the day to let the chooks out and it will automatically close again at night time once the birds have gone back in. “We have been working on these ideas for quite a long time and we have just got them ready now.”
FOR SALE EADON Highland Cattle
Members of New Zealand Highland Cattle Society
www.eadon.co.nz FULLBLOOD PEDIGREE HIGHLAND CATTLE BULLS, COWS AND HEIFERS
Doug & Jenny Sheldon
108 Kanohi Rd, Kaukapakapa, North Auckland
Phone 09 420 4065 / 021 938 641 email jenny@eadon.co.nz
Alla and Mark Kirkham of Windsong Enterprises
Alla and her husband Mark will be attending the Northland Field Days themselves and a full range of their products will be available. There will also be some field day only specials which Alla encourages people to make the most of. “Lifestyle block owners often are holding down full-time jobs at the same time so anything that frees up time can be a huge advantage,” she says. There are also feeders suitable for chickens, bantams, ducks and even other animals such as cats, dogs and rabbits.
ATTENTION FARMERS BULK SILO FILL OR BY THE BAG For all of your stockfood requirements contact your local merchant or
Field Days site #283 Phone 433 8933, Factory Lane, Hikurangi
ARE YOUR GIRLS LAYING GOLDEN EGGS? No, we didn’t think so! But do you ever wonder if the cost of keeping chickens outweigh the cost of the eggs they produce? A Grandpas Feeder will help keep your feed costs low, saving you $$ See us at the Northland Field days Site 710
We like to let our customers do the talking. To see what they have to say, visit our website www.grandpasfeeders.co.nz Email: mark@grandpasfeeders.co.nz | Phone: 07 552 5225 or 027 276 9794
The products have now been available for more than 20 years and have become standard equipment for any poultr y owner even in Australia, the United States and the United Kingdom.
Wear a helmet. A helmet is a must while riding a quad bike around the farm.
Meet Your Local Wool Representative at PGG Wrightson Wool
Want to find the best way to market your wool? Expertise is only a phone call away PGG Wrightson Wool Ltd handles in excess of 350,000 bales annually through its wool store network strategically positioned around New Zealand and its export company Bloch and Behrens.
Henry Bradfield Malcolm Todd
Whangarei Auckland
027 5351924 027 5904831
Paul Turner NORTHLAND DISTRIBUTOR (Nutri-Chiens Ltd) DOG FOOD PRODUCTS
021 114 5535
mightymix.northland@gmail.com
Come & see us at the Northland Field Days — Site 646
MIGHTY MIX MIX DOG DOG FOOD FOOD LTD LTD MIGHTY
0800 MIGHTYMIX (0800 644 489) WWW.MIGHTYMIX.CO.NZ