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100% Maize

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  • 16-05-2012 7:25pm
    #1
    beefman
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1 ✭


    Hey everyone, what do you all think of a 100% maize diet for finishing beef?
    Any advantages/disadvanages? Any problems with 100% maize?
    Tagged:


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    #2
    leoch
    Registered Users Posts: 891 ✭✭✭leoch


    what about just wheat and maize as feed for heifers year to year and a half old


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    #3
    bob charles
    Registered Users Posts: 6,343 ✭✭✭bob charles


    Dried Maize, crimped maize, maize silage or what. I would never go 100% maize with either of the above.

    wheat/maize would be grand on grass if say under 5kgs head but I usually wouldnt go over 2/3 kilos of maize meal per head. wheat/maize for a indoor finish would be a no no as it would just be too hot. I find dried wheat just too hot (stomach problems/reduced intakes) if fed as a dried product. caustic/crimped/wholecrop wheat is a whole different ball game


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    #4
    Conflats
    Registered Users Posts: 224 ✭✭Conflats


    Maize= high in energy low in protein
    i think you would want some roughage in there to slow the passage rate down and get the value


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    #5
    Farmer Pudsey
    Registered Users Posts: 6,326 ✭✭✭Farmer Pudsey


    Not possible maize is only 10% protein you will need a protein source, I presume when you say 100% maize you are talking about maize silage or crimped maize, you could use maize to make up 50% of the total dry matter intake. However your protein source is the issue.

    Percsonally I cannot understand why more peas and barley/wheat is not grown to either be crimped (for a finishing ration) or ensiled (for stores/weanlings) as it is very cheap to grow if you have access to slurry.


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    #6
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,631 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    The fat on the carcases will be too yellow also from the maize.

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



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    #7
    sinewc
    Registered Users Posts: 27 ✭sinewc


    Hi
    We are finishing bulls and heifers on a maize based diet but it is not 100% maize. It is a fact that you've got all the energy content you need but it doesn't have near the protein content that you'll need and ive heard of a risk of acidosis but haven't witnessed it. Were feeding about 22kg of a mix. 7kg of a maize balancer nut. this is 17% protein. not cheap. and about 10kg maize and 5kg haylage. i'm assuming you want to reduce your meal bill and so do we but you cant expect to finish cattle without meal. Added to this, last years maize crop was chronic and the weather this year is as bad. We've not sown our maize yet but plan to later this week weather permitting. and it's going in under plastic for the first time for us.


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