An Easier Way For Kids To Help Bottle Feed Calves

Farming is often a whole-family activity. One of the first chores farm kids have is taking care of bottle calves. It makes for a fun 4-H project for young members too.

But an Oklahoma family has made it a bit easier for kids to help out. Ronnie and Mandi Painter raise cattle near Panama, Okla., with their daughter Oakley.

Oakley, always wanting to help feed the bottle calves, wasn’t strong enough to hold the full weight of the bottle with an active calf.

Mandi was the one to come up with an easier way for Oakley to hold the calf bottle.

“She had a cup that had handles on it,” she said. “And, she was using the handles instead of holding the cup itself. Then I thought, if it (the bottle) had handles on it, I bet she could hold it.”

Mandi and Ronnie tried a few ideas before coming up with “The Nottle”, a plastic attachment that fits over the bottle and has handles on the side.

The couple opened a Kickstarter campaign to raise money for their idea.

Ronnie and Mandi Painter, their daughter Oakley, and Oakley’s cousin Jensen tell how they came up with “The Nottle” a plastic accessory to put on milk bottles so young farmers can help feed baby calves. (Source: KFOR)