Peter Louwrens, a Hereford breeder in KZN’s Kokstad district, has invented a dipping machine which is highly effective in eradicating the brown ear tick. D uring a massive infestation of brown ear tick, Peter had to manually apply dip to the ears of each of his cattle every two weeks. This laborious and time-consuming process required the services of four labourers. But now, thanks to Louwrens, the job can be handled by one person with a pair of pliers and a container of dip. How the Louwrens dipper works T he Louwrens dipper is a simple construction, yet it applies dip effectively.
The dip is kept in a rolled 40mm square tube, and 1ℓ will treat 100 cattle. he dip flow can be controlled by tightening or loosening the compression glands that hold the wicks. At the base is a tray with a sponge to catch any surplus dip, which also serves as a secondary applicator, applying dip under the neck. he dipper is used together with a lick fed to the cattle from an inverted tyre. Coming for the lick, the cattle brush up against wicks soaked in the dip. The Louwrens dipper is portable and has detachable wheels to make it easy to move to the next herd. Its height can be adjusted for smaller animals and it can handle any number of cattle. Peter says the dipper eradicates both brown and red ear ticks and has a huge impact on the blue tick. The dipper sells for R2 950 (excl VAT). – Wayne Southwood Call Peter Louwrens on 082 852 3926. |fw
