calf rearing nut

mauser77

Hi all was just wondering what your giving your suck calfs I have 15 this year and have them out on grass and have been feeding them a calf rearing nut from stewarts what shud I move them onto next or how long on the calf nut

lakill Farm

mauser77 wrote: »

Hi all was just wondering what your giving your suck calfs I have 15 this year and have them out on grass and have been feeding them a calf rearing nut from stewarts what shud I move them onto next or how long on the calf nut

I used stewards calf muesili this year (very high molasses content) and they loved it.

I weaned the calves from milk twice a day to once a day at 8 weeks
at 9 weeks fulled weaned from milk
Week 10/11 moved to half stewards/half weanling mix
week 12 full weanling mix (buying 600kg in jfc bin at €245 a ton

Stewards was €10.95 went to €11.50 per 25kg ( €460 ton)

mauser77

Was paying 7.50 a bag got in the week before prices went up

bbam

We would be getting them onto 16% beef nut ASAP, 1kg a day and get good results.. ~€250 a ton.

PatQfarmer

bbam wrote: »

We would be getting them onto 16% beef nut ASAP, 1kg a day and get good results.. ~€250 a ton.

Me too! Mix beef nut in with calf nut in ever-increasing ratios to get them on it fully.

PatQfarmer

lakill Farm wrote: »

I used stewards calf muesili this year (very high molasses content) and they loved it.

I weaned the calves from milk twice a day to once a day at 8 weeks
at 9 weeks fulled weaned from milk
Week 10/11 moved to half stewards/half weanling mix
week 12 full weanling mix (buying 600kg in jfc bin at €245 a ton

Stewards was €10.95 went to €11.50 per 25kg ( €460 ton)

You're very kind to them Lakill:)
We normally wean at 6 weeks, with maybe a few days of once a day afterwards, depending on calf and if it has had any setback.
Wish I was nearer to your area to get that cheap weanling mix!
Still get them onto a beef nut as soon as possible.

lakill Farm

PatQfarmer wrote: »

You're very kind to them Lakill:)
We normally wean at 6 weeks, with maybe a few days of once a day afterwards, depending on calf and if it has had any setback.
Wish I was nearer to your area to get that cheap weanling mix!
Still get them onto a beef nut as soon as possible.

2 weeks extra milk is approx €10.08 (€36 milk /100 feeds *28 feeds)

And i thought you couldnt wean before 8 weeks or is that just scws?

PatQfarmer

lakill Farm wrote: »

2 weeks extra milk is approx €10.08 (€36 milk /100 feeds *28 feeds)

And i thought you couldnt wean before 8 weeks or is that just scws?

Don't know that, I don't have any sucklers.
I find the calves do a lot better once eating meal well, rather than on an extended milk-drinking period.
Maybe the calf type I rear (AA/FR X Hfrs) has an influence on this?

lakill Farm

PatQfarmer wrote: »

Don't know that, I don't have any sucklers.
I find the calves do a lot better once eating meal well, rather than on an extended milk-drinking period.
Maybe the calf type I rear (AA/FR X Hfrs) has an influence on this?

I have 7 aa/fr x heifers i reared last year and they only turned into nice animals this spring once they hit grass in March at 10 months old.

but i feed them also to about 8 weeks, well the OH did .

Farmer Pudsey

What is in the beef nut for 250 euro/ton. Cannot be great or else mill must have pre bought all the good ingreidients barley, wheat, Soyahulls, beetpulp, Soyabean meal, rapeseed, maize, peas and beans

If in bulk it is cheap not to mind in bags .

mauser77

lakill Farm wrote: »

PatQfarmer wrote: »

Don't know that, I don't have any sucklers.
I find the calves do a lot better once eating meal well, rather than on an extended milk-drinking period.
Maybe the calf type I rear (AA/FR X Hfrs) has an influence on this?

I have 7 aa/fr x heifers i reared last year and they only turned into nice animals this spring once they hit grass in March at 10 months old.

but i feed them also to about 8 weeks, well the OH did .

How long do you feed them on meal for and do you cut it down ours are on just over 11/2kg a day now

bbam

We would keep them on 1 kg a day right through to hitting grass next spring. Then boy do they thrive. The big thing with sucks is that they don't do much until 9-10 months. Then they condition well.

lakill Farm

bbam wrote: »

We would keep them on 1 kg a day right through to hitting grass next spring. Then boy do they thrive. The big thing with sucks is that they don't do much until 9-10 months. Then they condition well.

Like this, however in Sept/Oct until they go into the slatted shed i dont feed meal. Once they go intot he shed mid/late Oct they get meal at 1kg a head a day.

Once they come out of the slatted shed in March i only feed meal for 3 more weeks when on grass. thems them settled

bbam

Farmer Pudsey wrote: »

What is in the beef nut for 250 euro/ton. Cannot be great or else mill must have pre bought all the good ingreidients barley, wheat, Soyahulls, beetpulp, Soyabean meal, rapeseed, maize, peas and beans

If in bulk it is cheap not to mind in bags .

I've heard the argument against beef nut many times. However after trying a few rations we found better results from beef nuts.

And in fairness I should have said it was more like €265 a ton the last bag I bought.

PatQfarmer

lakill Farm wrote: »

I have 7 aa/fr x heifers i reared last year and they only turned into nice animals this spring once they hit grass in March at 10 months old.

but i feed them also to about 8 weeks, well the OH did .

I find they only really get going from 6-8 months. Keep them on nut until 6-8 months, depending on grass.