Enhance the well-being of your animals with Livestock Brushes and contribute to their health
Scratch brushes for farm animals are an essential element for the health and well-being of your animals. Whether it's electric livestock brushes for cattle and goats or manual scratch brushes for horses, cattle, calves, llamas, alpacas, and many other animal species – they all help ensure your animals feel comfortable and stay healthy. The scratch brushes from the HAPPYCOW brand by Kerbl significantly improve the performance and well-being of your animals. Healthy animals are more relaxed, happier, and perform better.
Why invest in Livestock Brushes?
Enhanced Animal Health
Just like humans, animals also feel itchy from time to time and have the need to rub and scratch themselves. Scratch brushes are an important contribution to general hygiene and should not be missing in any modern barn. The animals clean themselves and rid themselves of lice, mites, and other parasites. The formation of lichen or fungal infestations is minimized or even completely prevented. When animals are healthy, you have a calm and relaxed herd.
Improved Performance
Healthy and well-groomed cattle and goats can achieve better performance since well-being is a crucial factor. Livestock brushes promote blood circulation in the skin through extensive brushing and massaging. This leads to enhanced heat dissipation and stimulates metabolism. The stimulated blood circulation can increase milk production and estrus.
Variety and Occupation
The use of a scratch brush makes the animals calmer, improves their well-being, and serves as a form of occupation. Additionally, unwanted behaviors such as mutual sucking in calves decrease.
Positive Behavioral Effects
Scratch brushes contribute to stress reduction as brushing is perceived as a pleasant stimulus. The use of the brushes is like a massage, has a calming effect, and promotes relaxation.
Easy Installation
Our livestock brushes are easy to install and nearly maintenance-free.
Reduced Workload
Our livestock brushes are designed to reduce the workload for animal care, allowing you to focus on other important tasks.
Long-term Investment with High Return
Investing in high-quality livestock brushes pays off in the long term through healthier and more productive animals. They contribute to more sustainable and efficient farming.
Legal requirements and initiatives: Brushes for livestock in animal husbandry
Brushes are becoming part of everyday life on an increasing number of livestock farms and are having a positive impact. In some countries, there are legal requirements and initiatives that mandate the use of brushes for animals. We would like to provide you with some information on this below
Equipped for the Animal Welfare Initiative
Livestock brushes are an essential criterion of animal welfare programs, such as the Animal Welfare Initiative in Germany. We have summarized information for you here:
NL – Vitaal Kalf
Vitaal Kalf ist ein Programm des Stichting Brancheorganisatie Kalversector (SBK) und hat vitale Kälber, artgerechte Tierhaltung, maximale Lebensmittelsicherheit und eine gute Position auf dem (inter)nationalen Markt zum Ziel. Die Anforderungen beinhalten unter anderem eine geeignete Scheuermöglichkeit für die Tiere. Mit Bürsten von Kerbl erfüllen Sie die Vorgaben. Ausführliche Informationen zu Vitaal Kalf und die aktuell gültigen Kriterien finden Sie hier:
DK – Bekendtgørelse om dyrevelfærdsmæssige mindstekrav til hold af kvæg
In Dänemark gibt es eine rechtliche Vorgabe, die vorschreibt, dass Milchkühe Zugang zu Kuhbürsten haben müssen. Diese Bürsten ermöglichen den Tieren, sich selbst zu pflegen, fördern ihr natürliches Verhalten und tragen so zu ihrem Wohlbefinden bei. Damit leisten sie einen wichtigen Beitrag zum Tierwohl.
Livestock Brushes for all
Scratch brushes are available in various designs to meet the specific needs of different animal species. Electric scratch brushes are particularly used in livestock farming for dairy cattle, calves, and goats. Manual scratch brushes are suitable for almost all animal species, whether in the barn or on the pasture - each type of brush offers specific advantages for the respective animal species.
Electric cattle brushes: A must for modern livestock farming
Enhance the health and productivity of your herd
Caring for livestock is more than just a task – it is a crucial part of running a successful farm with healthy animals. With electric livestock brushes, animal care is taken to a higher level. These brushes work fully automatically, providing gentle massage and grooming for the animals around the clock.
Discover our powerful electric livestock brushes from Kerbl.
Robust and effective
Not every livestock brush delivers the same results. It is especially important to ensure that the brush is easy for the animal to use, reaches as many body parts as possible, provides a good cleaning effect, does not injure the animal, requires minimal maintenance, and operates smoothly.
The importance of a robust and durable design is highlighted by the fact that a cow in a herd of 30 animals brushes itself for an average of 10 minutes per day, resulting in several hours of daily use for a cattle brush.
Benefits of electric livestock brushes
Self-care for your animals
Electric cattle brushes allow animals to brush themselves independently. This not only frees them from dirt and parasites but also grooms their coat and massages their skin. It promotes natural grooming behavior and improves skin health as well as the appearance of the coat.
Promotion of skin health
The rotating brushes cover a large area in a short time, stimulating blood circulation in the skin. Regular use leads to better skin health and a shinier coat. The risk of skin diseases and parasite infestations is significantly reduced.
Conclusion
Livestock brushes, especially electric grooming machines, should not be missing in modern livestock farming. They offer numerous benefits for both the animals and the farmers. Invest in this innovative technology and enhance the health and productivity of your herd.
Contact us today to learn more about our high-quality electric cattle brushes.
HAPPYCOW Livestock Brushes
HAPPYCOW livestock brushes are an integral part of our product range and offer numerous benefits for the care and well-being of your animals. In addition to the proven HAPPYCOW Uno, the HAPPYCOW Duo and HAPPYCOW Swing are also key components of our offering.
Smart and safe
Other important aspects when choosing a suitable cattle brush are safe and injury-free operation as well as a convenient handling. The intelligent electronics of the HAPPYCOW series are convincing with trouble-free and low-maintenance operation.
The control unit with a clearly visible display showing the operating status offers variable adjustment of the brush running time (10 – 300 s) in most models. For optimized bristle wear, the brush changes direction with each activation, allowing the animals to remove even more stubborn dirt from their coat.
All our electric brushes have a torque-dependent safety shutdown that stops the brush when there is too much resistance.
Easy installation and maintenance
These brushes are easy to install and maintain. They are made from robust materials that can withstand the harsh conditions in the barn. The gears and ball bearings have permanent lubrication for their entire lifespan. Timely replacement of the brush rollers increases the lifespan and attractiveness for the animals. The animals activate the brushes by lifting or deflecting them themselves. This ensures efficient and safe use.
The HAPPYCOW Swing-Series
The HAPPYCOW Swing Series from Kerbl, available in MiniSwing (for calves and goats), MidiSwing and MaxiSwing (both for adult cattle), showcases various advantages: The vertical, pendulum arrangement of the brush and optimized bristle layout facilitate cleaning from head to rump.
The cattle brush is accessible from all sides and rotates in any direction and almost any angle, reaching nearly every part of the animal's body. The specially patented arrangement of brush, drive, and joint unit also generates optimized brush pressure on the animal, ensuring efficient, comfortable, and animal-friendly brushing.
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The Kerbl-developed brushes, produced at our headquarters in Buchbach (Bavaria), also feature an extremely robust and maintenance-friendly construction designed for the toughest and longest-lasting use in barns.
HAPPYCOW Uno
The HAPPYCOW Uno stands out for its versatile application. The diagonal, conical arrangement of the brush efficiently brushes the back, tail, flanks, and even the head of the animals.
A significant advantage of this cattle brush is its easy installation as it can be mounted almost anywhere without an additional frame. The control is well-protected within the machine housing and is activated by the animals themselves by simply lifting the brush. High-quality bristles guarantee long-lasting use, while the optimized brush weight ensures animal-friendly use. Additionally, the intelligent electronics ensure smooth and low-maintenance operation.
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HAPPYCOW Duo
The HAPPYCOW Duo also offers numerous advantages and stands out with its 2-brush system. This enables simultaneous cleaning of the flanks and back, stimulating blood circulation and the animals' metabolism.
The extensive brushing, cleaning, and massaging of the head, neck, back, torso, and flanks ensure comprehensive animal care. The optimized brush weight also ensures animal-friendly use.
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With HAPPYCOW livestock brushes – Swing, Uno, and Duo – we provide tailored solutions for the care and well-being of your animals. Each machine is designed to promote the health and well-being of your herd while ensuring smooth and low-maintenance operation.
Manual livestock brushes: Cost-effective and efficient care for all types of animal husbandry
Enhance your animals' well-being
Manual livestock brushes are a cost-effective alternative to electric livestock brushes and offer numerous advantages for animal care in both professional and private animal husbandry. These brushes are ideal for animals with longer hair, small herds, and for creating multiple grooming opportunities. They provide a simple and effective way to enhance the well-being of your animals.
Discover our high-quality manual livestock brushes from Kerbl, specially designed to meet the needs of your animals.
Advantages of manual livestock brushes
No power connection required
- Lower Costs: Manual livestock brushes are not only cheaper to purchase but also incur no ongoing energy costs.
- Flexible mounting options: Since no power connection is required, these brushes can be installed almost anywhere, including pastures or remote barns without electricity. Additionally, the need for special weather protection is eliminated, simplifying outdoor installation and saving additional costs.
Self-care for your animals
- Cost-effective care: Manual livestock brushes allow animals to brush themselves at a low investment cost, with no ongoing costs. Brush elements can be replaced if necessary.
- Natural grooming behaviour: In the wild, animals groom themselves by rubbing against trees and bushes through their movements. This behaviour can be optimally imitated with manual brushes.
Promoting skin health
- Improved blood circulation: Regular use of these brushes stimulates blood circulation in the skin. This leads to better skin health and a shinier coat.
- Reduced risk of skin diseases: Grooming the coat reduces the risk of skin diseases and parasite infestation. Animals can determine the intensity themselves and rub intuitively as needed. Occupational Activity: Especially calves, young cattle, or even horses use brushes for occupational activity. They work on the bristles orally or push movable brushes in different directions playfully.
Occupational activity
Especially calves, young cattle, or even horses use brushes for occupational activity. They work on the bristles orally or push movable brushes in different directions playfully.
Easy installation and maintenance
Our manual livestock brushes are easy to install and maintain. They are made from robust materials that withstand the harsh conditions in the barn. Many models are flexible for use both indoors and outdoors.
Conclusion
Manual livestock brushes are a valuable addition to modern animal husbandry. They enhance the health and satisfaction of your herd and reduce your time spent on care.
Contact us today to learn more about our high-quality manual livestock brushes.
Great comfort at a small price – our swinging livestock brush HAPPYCOW FlexiSwing
Flexible and robust:
The HAPPYCOW FlexiSwing features a robust yet highly flexible spring, similar to springs found on children's playgrounds, making it suitable for calves from two months old. The high-quality construction guarantees a long lifespan and minimizes maintenance effort. The special coating also makes the spring corrosion-resistant, withstanding adverse weather conditions.
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Versatile application
The brush can be mounted on walls or pillars both indoors and outdoors and is accessible from all sides. This versatility allows for flexible installation that adapts to the specific conditions of your barn or pasture. Whether on wooden beams, steel supports, or masonry – the HAPPYCOW FlexiSwing can be easily installed anywhere. Additionally, it promotes the natural grooming behavior of the animals, contributing to improved well-being and health.
Easy installation
The HAPPYCOW FlexiSwing comes with a comprehensive mounting kit that includes all necessary screws and brackets. A detailed manual ensures that even less experienced farmers can quickly and safely install the brush. The modular design also allows for easy disassembly and cleaning, significantly facilitating brush maintenance.
Ergonomic design
The ergonomically designed bristles of the HAPPYCOW FlexiSwing provide a pleasant massage effect and promote blood circulation in the animals. The brush flexibly adapts to the body contours of the calves and reaches even difficult-to-access areas, making it ideal for preventing skin irritations and parasite infestations.
By investing in the HAPPYCOW FlexiSwing, you enhance the health and well-being of your animals while increasing the efficiency and productivity of your operation.
Kerbl's Post Brushes
Cylindrical design
The cylindrical shape of the post brushes allows access from all sides, enabling communal grooming. This innovative design ensures that animals can effectively free themselves from excess fur and dirt. The all-around brushes offer the advantage of reaching difficult-to-access body parts, providing comprehensive cleaning and massage.
Easy mounting
The brushes require only a fixed surface for ground mounting. Installation is straightforward and can be easily performed by two people. The Maxi post brush can also be anchored directly into the ground with a separately available ground anchor, allowing flexible placement outdoors. This is particularly practical for pastures and outdoor areas where stable anchoring is required. The ground anchor ensures secure and permanent anchoring, even with intensive use by multiple animals.
Robustness and durability
The post brushes from Kerbl are made from high-quality, durable materials that withstand daily wear and tear. They are weather-resistant and well-suited for outdoor use. The bristles are designed to be robust enough to ensure thorough cleaning but gentle enough not to injure the animals' skin.
Versatile application
These post brushes are suitable for various animal species. They not only promote grooming but also the well-being of the animals, as brushing can have a calming effect. Additionally, they encourage social interaction, as animals can share the brushes.
Safety features
The post brushes are designed without sharp edges or dangerous components that could cause injuries. The stable construction and secure mounting ensure that the brushes do not tip over or come loose even with intensive use. In summary, Kerbl's post brushes offer an ideal solution for grooming and the well-being of your animals. With their thoughtful design, easy installation, and robust construction, they are a valuable addition to any agricultural operation or animal owner.
The HAPPYCOW Bully Scratch Brush
Scratch brushes are indispensable in dairy barns. Once you've seen the animals enjoying grooming, you won't want to miss this sight. The HAPPYCOW Bully scratch brush is a scrubbing option specifically designed for fattening cattle. In the cattle fattening sector and especially with fattening bulls, animals test their strength, subjecting the scratch brush to entirely different stress than in other cattle farming. The steel frame is particularly robust and withstands the toughest demands of the animals. The brushes are made from high-quality, durable bristles and, if needed, come with replaceable brush strips. Replacement is possible from the front side alone due to the recessed screws in the frame
Flexible mounting options
Pens in cattle fattening systems are also often structured, limiting the mounting options for grooming solutions. Position the scratch brush best in the middle area between feeding and resting zones. Thanks to the elongated holes on both sides, the brush is flexibly mountable on pens or walls, making it particularly versatile.
A Scratch Plate as a low-cost alternative for cattle fattening
Not everyone is immediately ready to equip the entire barn with scratch brushes. We offer our cost-effective and durable scratch plate as an introduction to scouring options in cattle fattening. In addition to the perforated surface, the edges offer an additional option for targeted rubbing on the head and rump. We have also focussed on flexible mounting options for the scratch plate on the housing and wall. The scratch plate is suitable for the animal welfare cattle fattening initiative.
Quality Made in Germany
When it comes to animal comfort, Kerbl relies on quality made in Germany. All cattle brushes are developed and produced in-house at Kerbl. Quality, reliability, and short distances are guaranteed. Kerbl's innovative products are characterized by their durability and high functionality, meeting the needs of the animals in every respect.
With the latest technology and strict quality controls, Kerbl ensures that each scratch brush meets the highest standards. Additionally, the company is committed to sustainable production methods to protect both the environment and the health of the animals.
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Through close collaboration with farmers and experts, continuous efforts are made to optimize and further develop the products. This allows Kerbl to always stay at the forefront of technology and to offer customized solutions for the challenges of modern agriculture.
In this way, Kerbl significantly contributes to a stress-free and healthy living environment for the animals, which ultimately reflects in the productivity and well-being of the entire herd.
With a comprehensive service and support offering, Kerbl stands by its customers even after the purchase, ensuring that the scratch brushes are always in perfect condition and can perform at their best.
A look at the cattle brushes production
All cow cleaning machines are developed and produced at Kerbl. Made in Germany stands for quality, reliability and short distances.
Prepared for the Animal Welfare Initiative
Since March 2022, cattle farmers in Germany have been able to participate in the animal welfare initiative. A key criterion is the provision of scrubbing facilities for the animals. For calf-fattening farms and dairy farms, implementation is mandatory from the time the farm participates. For cattle fattening farms, the criterion is optional in the 1st programme phase, and it is expected to be implemented in a possible 2nd programme phase of the ITW Rind in 2026.
Detailed information on the German Animal Welfare Initiative and the currently valid criteria can be found here:
Our cow brushes meet the requirements of the "scrubbing possibilities" criterion.
* Cattle fattening according to criteria of programme phase I valid until 13.11.2023.
** Calf fattening and dairy cattle according to criteria catalogue as of 15.02.2022 in conjunction with explanations as of 1.8.2022.
Right place of use
So that your animals enjoy an optimum brushing experience, the installation location of the brushes should be selected with care. Select a location which has a lot of free space, so that other animals can get past the animals who are scratching themselves, and that low-ranking animals also get their brushing time. Ensure that dead-ends and dark corners are avoided, and position the brushes as far as possible from feeding and drinking areas, in order to prevent contamination from these.
Find the right brush type for your application:* ausgenommen Bullen (über 6 Monate)
| Brushes for Animals | The benefits | suitable for | Installation location | Power supply |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| HAPPYCOW Uno | installation on half-height wall possible | adult cattle* | wall, half-height wall | ✓ |
| HAPPYCOW Duo | simultaneous brushing of back and flank | adult cattle* | wall | ✓ |
| HAPPYCOW MaxiSwing | accessible from all sides - large brush surface | adult cattle* | wall, pillar | ✓ |
| HAPPYCOW MidiSwing | accessible from all sides | cattle* aged 1 year and above | wall, pillar | ✓ |
| HAPPYCOW MiniSwing | accessible from all sides | calves, goats and breeding sows | wall, pillar | ✓ |
| HAPPYCOW Free Maxi | low-cost and low-maintenance | large animals* | wall, pillar | ❌ |
| HAPPYCOW FlexiSwing | low-cost and low-maintenance | adult cattle*, young animals and calves (from 2 months), horses | wall, pillar | ❌ |
| HAPPYCOW Bully Scratch Plate | very robust construction designed for fattening bulls | cattle fattening | stabling, wall | ❌ |
| Post Scrubber HAPPYCOW | scratch brush for outdoor use | cattle*, calves, goats, horses, etc | for ground mounting on paved surfaces or in the pasture | ❌ |
| Cattle Brush Texas Cattle Brush Lotte | low-cost and low-maintenance | cattle*, calves, goats, horses, etc | wall, pillar | ❌ |
| Scratch Brush Betty Scratch Brush Benny | low-cost and low-maintenance minimal space requirement - flexible in use | cattle*, calves, horses, etc. | wall, pillar, posts, etc. | ❌ |
| Scratch Mat ScratchPad | low-cost and low-maintenance minimal space requirement - flexible in use | cattle*, calves, goats, horses, etc. | wall, pillar, posts, edges, etc. | ❌ |
* except bulls (calves 6 months old)