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Feeding kale anyone?

  • 20-11-2011 2:32pm
    #1
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭


    Anyone feeding Kale, how is it working out for you? What way are you feeding minerals?

    I've about 20 cows and 20 heifer weanlings on kale at the moment, I've bbs in lines in the field but they wouldn't have access to silage all the time, so they get an odd bale of straw as well. I sprinkle minerals on the bales, just wondering is this enough as kale is low in iodine?

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



Comments

  • #2
    theroad
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 167 ✭✭theroad


    Sowed redstart this year 'cos I was too late for kale, it's a cross between rape and kale - looks the same as kale only not as tall and a bit leafier. The weanling heifers will be on it when their grass runs out, end of the week probably. They'll also get baled silage.

    They'll all get a bolus to make sure they get enough iodine, though in other years I have just put out a mineral lick and that seemed to be fine too.


  • #3
    F.D
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 718 ✭✭✭F.D


    blue5000 wrote: »
    Anyone feeding Kale, how is it working out for you? What way are you feeding minerals?

    I've about 20 cows and 20 heifer weanlings on kale at the moment, I've bbs in lines in the field but they wouldn't have access to silage all the time, so they get an odd bale of straw as well. I sprinkle minerals on the bales, just wondering is this enough as kale is low in iodine?

    know nothing about kale but just wondering hows the fields looking after all the rain


  • #4
    dar31
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,704 ✭✭✭dar31


    started grazing nearly a week now.
    one field opened up, and in the process of opening up another.
    they are used to the wire now, but need a while longer to get used to eating out the full plant.

    op, they would need an iodine bolus along with standard minerals, esp if they are in calf. weanling would just do with bolus.
    bales in the field works great, esp if there is no where handy to feed them, done it 2 yrs ago, but put them to close together, and caused problems with moving the wire.


  • #5
    case 5150
    Closed Accounts Posts: 197 ✭✭case 5150


    dar31 wrote: »
    started grazing nearly a week now.
    one field opened up, and in the process of opening up another.
    they are used to the wire now, but need a while longer to get used to eating out the full plant.

    op, they would need an iodine bolus along with standard minerals, esp if they are in calf. weanling would just do with bolus.
    bales in the field works great, esp if there is no where handy to feed them, done it 2 yrs ago, but put them to close together, and caused problems with moving the wire.


    i dont grow it but intertested in growing it next yr, where do you put the bales and if a whole field is in kale and no bales in it how you give them the bales as heard before not suppose ta drive in with tractor on the crop

    also how much kale would be needed to sow for 25 bulling heifers


  • #6
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Dar31 that looks a good crop, how big a block do you give them?
    I move a strip wire 3 times a day, about a metre each time, the only time they'd get a chance to walk on the kale is when the wire goes over a ring feeder at a bale. What bolus would do? Is it any of the trace element ones?

    Our land (where the kale is anyway!) is fairly dry, they run back on to a grass paddock as well. If it gets really wet they can be switched to a different lieback paddock.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



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  • #7
    dar31
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,704 ✭✭✭dar31


    blue5000 wrote: »
    Dar31 that looks a good crop, how big a block do you give them?
    I move a strip wire 3 times a day, about a metre each time, the only time they'd get a chance to walk on the kale is when the wire goes over a ring feeder at a bale. What bolus would do? Is it any of the trace element ones?

    Our land (where the kale is anyway!) is fairly dry, they run back on to a grass paddock as well. If it gets really wet they can be switched to a different lieback paddock.

    moving the wire twice a day, but will only do it once a day when they are doing a good job cleaning it out. if it is wet they tend to muddy the stalks, so need to move twice.
    the pictures are the first day into it, so they did trample a bit of it.
    i find it very hard to start a paddock off with out wasting some,
    they are feed bales on a wide part of the farm road beside the field.
    weighed them a day before they went on to the kale and will weigh them again when they come off it in feb and go to grass, very intrested to see how they get on.

    use ionix or trase-sure i boluses


  • #8
    sh1tstirrer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,489 ✭✭✭sh1tstirrer


    dar31 wrote: »
    moving the wire twice a day, but will only do it once a day when they are doing a good job cleaning it out. if it is wet they tend to muddy the stalks, so need to move twice.
    the pictures are the first day into it, so they did trample a bit of it.
    i find it very hard to start a paddock off with out wasting some,
    they are feed bales on a wide part of the farm road beside the field.
    weighed them a day before they went on to the kale and will weigh them again when they come off it in feb and go to grass, very intrested to see how they get on.

    use ionix or trase-sure i boluses
    What was their average weight going onto the kale?


  • #9
    sh1tstirrer
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,489 ✭✭✭sh1tstirrer


    case 5150 wrote: »
    i dont grow it but intertested in growing it next yr, where do you put the bales and if a whole field is in kale and no bales in it how you give them the bales as heard before not suppose ta drive in with tractor on the crop

    also how much kale would be needed to sow for 25 bulling heifers
    It depends on how long you want to feed them on it and what yield you have. I think you need to feed 2/3 kale and 1/3 roughage. If you sow early April-May you should get 8-10 tonnes DM/ha.


  • #10
    dar31
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,704 ✭✭✭dar31


    sh1tstirrer wrote: »
    What was their average weight going onto the kale?

    the spring weanlings averaged 230kg and the autum bulling heifers averaged 350kg. the bulling hfs will stay on the kale till xmas when the bull will go with them in a shed


  • #11
    funny man
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 908 ✭✭✭funny man


    dar31 wrote: »
    started grazing nearly a week now.
    one field opened up, and in the process of opening up another.
    they are used to the wire now, but need a while longer to get used to eating out the full plant.

    op, they would need an iodine bolus along with standard minerals, esp if they are in calf. weanling would just do with bolus.
    bales in the field works great, esp if there is no where handy to feed them, done it 2 yrs ago, but put them to close together, and caused problems with moving the wire.

    dar just wondering do you use a different plot each year and if not can you use the same area continuously.


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  • #12
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Its better to move to a new plot, it can get a disease called clubroot.

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



  • #13
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Heres our lot

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/blue5th/sets/72157628088861323/

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



  • #14
    Bizzum
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,034 ✭✭✭Bizzum


    Jaysus Blue You were hard on that county:D

    Nice crop of Kale there by the way!


  • #15
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    Bizzum wrote: »
    Jaysus Blue You were hard on that county:D

    Nice crop of Kale there by the way!

    It needs a bit of work alright, I was trying to buy:( it but OH said no fcukin way! 6k yer man wants for it, 1500 would be lots. Nice set of wheels for this weather though!!

    If the seat's wet, sit on yer hat, a cool head is better than a wet ar5e.



  • #16
    Tipp Man
    Closed Accounts Posts: 4,025 ✭✭✭Tipp Man


    blue5000 wrote: »
    Heres our lot

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/blue5th/sets/72157628088861323/

    Your "fellow snapper" is rather attractive;)


  • #17
    dar31
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,704 ✭✭✭dar31


    funny man wrote: »
    dar just wondering do you use a different plot each year and if not can you use the same area continuously.

    new plot every year, reseed it early april and reseed is fit for grazing end may / early june just as new area is sown for kale.
    works well in a reseeding plan.


  • #18
    dar31
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,704 ✭✭✭dar31


    weighed the heifers last week when they came off the kale,
    ave weight 272kg, ave daily weight gain 0.46kg/day, from kale and 2kg/dm/day bale silage.
    a little disappointed with weight gain, had hope they would do 0.55 or so, but they are better set to gain from grass, unlike cattle straight out of a shed.
    out of 75, only 25 wont make bulling weigh on grass alone, and will be put in batch on their own on grass and 2kg meal..
    there is April/may born ones in the batch.


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