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Feeding meal to weanlings over winter

  • 27-11-2012 5:53pm
    #1
    saranac1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 182 ✭✭


    Right I have 75 Weanling bulls to feed over the winter all continental breeds
    At present they are grouped and in slatted shed and fed either silage or haylage

    At present they are on 2 kg of meal per head per day

    Is this sufficient?

    22 mth bull system is what we are doing also


Comments

  • #2
    freedominacup
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,920 ✭✭✭freedominacup


    What weight are they and what weight gain do you need to achieve? Silage analysis?


  • #3
    saranac1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 182 ✭✭saranac1


    freedominacup wrote: »
    What weight are they and what weight gain do you need to achieve? Silage analysis?

    Silage is of average quality

    Weight is 250 to 300 kg

    Hoping to make good weight gain from now to march to tackle plenty of grass which I have and sell on in oct 2013 if good weights and if not house and finish


  • #4
    blue5000
    Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 12,756 Mod ✭✭✭✭blue5000


    If you are going to grass next spring, 2kg should be enough. Might be worth dropping the meal altogether for a month before they go out so you'll get compensatory growth at grass.

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



  • #5
    bob charles
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,343 ✭✭✭bob charles


    blue5000 wrote: »
    Might be worth dropping the meal altogether for a month before they go out so you'll get compensatory growth at grass.

    With bullocks yes, but dont do it with bulls they have to be kept pushed the whole time once they come to that age. once they get used of the nice stuff they will demand it day in day out or else wont thrive to a high level


  • #6
    freedominacup
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,920 ✭✭✭freedominacup


    bob charles wrote: »
    With bullocks yes, but dont do it with bulls they have to be kept pushed the whole time once they come to that age. once they get used of the nice stuff they will demand it day in day out or else wont thrive to a high level

    Even when the real flush of grass comes (is expected) in late April through to early June would you continue with meal at that point as well?


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  • #7
    saranac1
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 182 ✭✭saranac1


    So continue with 2 kg of meal till feb and none in march to allow them the want for grass in march/ April


  • #8
    bob charles
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,343 ✭✭✭bob charles


    freedominacup wrote: »
    Even when the real flush of grass comes (is expected) in late April through to early June would you continue with meal at that point as well?

    no, once on good grass you could cut them off. IME compensatory growth doesnt work for bulls. I they store a bit at all, its very hard to get them going again, bullocks and heifers are different. So keep the meal infornt of them until they start getting good grass, which may mean feeding a little meal to them for the first week while on grass. bulls do best when their bellies are full.


  • #9
    freedominacup
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 7,920 ✭✭✭freedominacup


    bob charles wrote: »
    no, once on good grass you could cut them off. IME compensatory growth doesnt work for bulls. I they store a bit at all, its very hard to get them going again, bullocks and heifers are different. So keep the meal infornt of them until they start getting good grass, which may mean feeding a little meal to them for the first week while on grass. bulls do best when their bellies are full.

    Thanks for that Bob.


  • #10
    Farmer Pudsey
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,326 ✭✭✭Farmer Pudsey


    I agree and disagree with bob if you are finishing mid or late summer off grass I would feed right from the time I would put them out. However If you are finishing at 22 months (after christmass 2014) I would not feed meal outside until mid july/august then I would feed 2kgs with the right amount of minerals and two weeks before housing(in my own case October 1st) I would build them up onto 4-6 kgs. barley and soyahulls would be suitable. This will have them fine and soft at housing.

    They will preform the way bob is suggesting as well but it is a long time to feed from March-October it is the workload I be thinking about. If you were doing what bob suggested I be trying to finish in september no point in having good bulls for the factories from October-December


  • #11
    bob charles
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 6,343 ✭✭✭bob charles


    Farmer Pudsey wrote: »
    They will preform the way bob is suggesting as well but it is a long time to feed from March-October it is the workload I be thinking about. If you were doing what bob suggested I be trying to finish in september no point in having good bulls for the factories from October-December

    I would be having them out the gate from the 15th of august onwards, start really feeding 15 june. have the last of them gone for the 15th of October. Going the 22 month route for bulls will not pay well as they are just on the farm for too many days when they are not making money


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