Milkbar teats are push in with no threads as threads can harbour bacteria and require regular cleaning. Milkbar teats pop in and do not need to be removed to clean. The slow suckling action promoted by the teat is more natural and aids correct digestion in calves. The inverted tip prevents irritating the calf's sensitive mouth. Improved flow helps curd formation, which stops raw milk entering the intestine - a leading cause of nutritional scours. The correct feeding rate also reduces cross suckling as the calves receive the optimal flow of milk, keeping them put at one teat. This reduces fighting for teats and results in happier calves at feeding time.

Natural Digestion: When a calf drinks from a cow, it drinks slowly with its neck stretched out and produces a lot of saliva. This action closes the oesophageal groove so the milk bypass's the rumen and enters the abomasum. When milk enters the abomasum, rennin and other enzymes curd the milk. The whey is squeezed from the abomasums and into the intestine for digestion. Milk curd is broken down by enzymes in the abomasums, before also passing into the intestine for absorption.

Saliva: Saliva is produced by suckling slowly and this balances the pH in the abomasum to help curd the milk. Saliva contains essential enzymes like lipase, for fat digestion. Saliva contains natural antibiotic properties, the first and main defence against infection. When a calf uses the Milkbar feeder and teat it ensures the right amount of saliva is produced when suckling. If the calf dosent produce enough saliva when drinking it will suck on ears, navels and udders to try and make the saliva it should have produced while drinking. Calves fed on Milk Bar Teats adopt the same drinking position as on a cow and produce lots of saliva.

Timing: Timing is important Calves are designed to drink slowly. Milkbar have found that for best results calves need to drink at 150 seconds (2mins 30) per litre. This means that 3L should take 7 and a half minutes. If you feed faster than 150 secs per litre calves will start to cross suck. When a calf is fed too fast, it may not produce the saliva it needs for proper digestion.

Milkbar Tips: When choosing your Milkbar calf feeders, bear in mind who will be feeding the calves. Sometimes a smaller feeder is best. Make sure your Milkbar teats are no higher than 60cm. Clean your teats at least twice a week with an alkali detergent. Watch your calves for any signs of infectious scours. Calves absorb more IgG when fed colostrum from a bottle than when tubed.