Once a day feeding v twicw a day feeding

Reggie.

In relation to bucket fed calves, I usually feed them twice a day but thinking of changing to once a day feeding this year. What are peoples thoughts on the two feeding systems.

jersey101

I'm going to put my neck out here. Is Reggie your new name sharp_?

just do it

jersey101 wrote: »

I'm going to put my neck out here. Is Reggie your new name sharp_?

Ah feck it jersey. 'tis idle speculation about people's previous identity that causes this site to crash. Mods will be onto you soon

Reggie.

jersey101 wrote: »

I'm going to put my neck out here. Is Reggie your new name sharp_?

Sssssh :D

Panch18

Did it here for the first time last year, no problems at all, best calves in quite a few years, although other factors in play here as well

Twice a day up to 3 weeks and then once after that

Timmaay

jersey101 wrote: »

I'm going to put my neck out here. Is Reggie your new name sharp_?

Jersey your not the sharpest tool in the box (ha unintentional pun), anyways we figured out who he was the otherday!

jersey101

Timmaay wrote: »

Jersey your not the sharpest tool in the box (ha unintentional pun), anyways we figured out who he was the otherday!

Ah feck I wasn't paying attention ha

Reggie.

Panch18 wrote: »

Did it here for the first time last year, no problems at all, best calves in quite a few years, although other factors in play here as well

Twice a day up to 3 weeks and then once after that

Good stuff what powder did you use as I'm thinking of getting the grennans powder this year

Panch18

Reggie. wrote: »

Good stuff what powder did you use as I'm thinking of getting the grennans powder this year

Proper milk here!!! This was for replacement heifers

Reggie.

Panch18 wrote: »

Proper milk here!!!

Ah I see, seen on one of the threads before someone mentioned the grennans powdered milk was supposed to be very good stuff.

jersey101

Panch18 wrote: »

Proper milk here!!! This was for replacement heifers

Ye never do the sums on that?, it works out cheaper to feed milk replacer instead of whole milk. That unless your over quota?

Reggie.

jersey101 wrote: »

Ye never do the sums on that?, it works out cheaper to feed milk replacer instead of whole milk. That unless your over quota?

What do you use jersey

jersey101

Reggie. wrote: »

What do you use jersey

Used the stuff from Wicklow cattle company last tear, twice a day, worked fine, going to use maverick OAD this year

Reggie.

jersey101 wrote: »

Used the stuff from Wicklow cattle company last tear, twice a day, worked fine, going to use maverick OAD this year

Looked at the stuff, was a little on the costly side wasn't it? You always feed twice a day

jersey101

Reggie. wrote: »

Looked at the stuff, was a little on the costly side wasn't it? You always feed twice a day

Bigger bag though 50kg I think. Yep. Going OAD this year. Big difference in autumn calves from doing it this year

Reggie.

jersey101 wrote: »

Bigger bag though 50kg I think. Yep. Going OAD this year. Big difference in autumn calves from doing it this year

You found they did better? Did you try the once a day before

jersey101

Reggie. wrote: »

You found they did better? Did you try the once a day before

Nope never. They just ate more meal and straw. I'd say they were eating a kilo of meal by week 6

Reggie.

jersey101 wrote: »

Nope never. They just ate more meal and straw. I'd say they were eating a kilo of meal by week 6

There's another thing when would you wean them off. I always go to at least 10 weeks but others told me after week 7 . Always thought that would be a bit soon to be off the milk

Panch18

jersey101 wrote: »

Ye never do the sums on that?, it works out cheaper to feed milk replacer instead of whole milk. That unless your over quota?

Over by a long long way

Anyway even without a quota we'll stick with the fresh milk, wasn't getting the same thrive on powdered before, so will stick with it

Damo810

Reggie. wrote: »

There's another thing when would you wean them off. I always go to at least 10 weeks but others told me after week 7 . Always thought that would be a bit soon to be off the milk

As soon as they are eating over 1kg of meal. Some will take longer than others.

delaval

jersey101 wrote: »

Ah feck I wasn't paying attention ha

I'd say the hardest 3 years of your life was probably 6th class!!!!

Reggie.

delaval wrote: »

I'd say the hardest 3 years of your life was probably 6th class!!!!

:D:D

F.D

We did it and it was very handy but i will go back to twice a day this year. If you are changing to once a day,do not change anything else you done last year, keep using the same brand of milk replacer and meal
we changed both of these, we had more calves die on us, problem is i cannot pin it on the once a day or the quality of the replacer or feed, or just something we did wrong or even if it was down to the quality of the calf we bought in
Over all calves settled well into it and were not bawling looking for milk once they got into the routine, and they certainly took to meal quicker

Floody Boreland

Thinking of doing the same this year but seems the advice from UK is wait til they are 28 days.

http://www.volac.ie/media/DEFRA%20OAD%20calf%20feeding%20letter%20%20July13.pdf

C4d78

Been on oad with few years now. All calves go onto oad at 21 days. Definitely eat way more meal and in my opinion end up with far stronger calves.
Same time every day and calves become used to routine with no shouting for milk and instead eat more straw and meal

Floody Boreland

C4d78 wrote: »

Been on oad with few years now. All calves go onto oad at 21 days. Definitely eat way more meal and in my opinion end up with far stronger calves.
Same time every day and calves become used to routine with no shouting for milk and instead eat more straw and meal

What milk are you giving them and is it skim based or whey?

Reggie.

im currently have the calves on twice a day as they only came in the last few days. they are from a month to 6 weeks old and gonna try the Once a day from tomorrow.

C4d78

Floody Boreland wrote: »

What milk are you giving them and is it skim based or whey?

Whole milk. No powder here

Blue Holland

At recent discussion group heard the latest coming from moorepark is to feed 3 litres twice a day up to 3 weeks old and then 6 litres once a day:eek:
Thoughts please.
Any one doing this, 6 once a day at 3 weeks seems hard to believe.
Those of you feeding once a day from 3-4 weeks how much are you feeding?

Greengrass1

Blue Holland wrote: »

At recent discussion group heard the latest coming from moorepark is to feed 3 litres twice a day up to 3 weeks old and then 6 litres once a day:eek:
Thoughts please.
Any one doing this, 6 once a day at 3 weeks seems hard to believe.
Those of you feeding once a day from 3-4 weeks how much are you feeding?

My calves wouldn't take that amount they would die.
Mine are jex calves and are getting 3l a day. They drink a lot of water and eat a lot of meal

Reggie.

Greengrass1 wrote: »

My calves wouldn't take that amount they would die.
Mine are jex calves and are getting 3l a day. They drink a lot of water and eat a lot of meal

yeah mine find it hard to finish 3L at one drinking

trixi2011

Greengrass1 wrote: »

My calves wouldn't take that amount they would die.
Mine are jex calves and are getting 3l a day. They drink a lot of water and eat a lot of meal

Jex will drink 5/6 l oad no bother to them look like beach ball after each feed only thing is they will eat less meal and prob won't be ready for weaning as quick. Like to put them on 4 l until there at grass then 3 then reduce it slowly from there

Blue Holland

What age do you put them on 4l oad?

F.D

When you think about it lads your going against nature feeding once a day, look at a suckler calf he will be up at him mother a good few times through the day so little and often..... instead your flooding there gut with milk once a day and leaving them standing for hours afterwards trying to digest it, we done it last year, wouldnt do it again after seeing the calves we have got so far this year back on twice aday there more lively nibbiling at meal straw etc straight away after drinking..... just my opinion

Blue Holland

F.D wrote: »

When you think about it lads your going against nature feeding once a day, look at a suckler calf he will be up at him mother a good few times through the day so little and often..... instead your flooding there gut with milk once a day and leaving them standing for hours afterwards trying to digest it, we done it last year, wouldnt do it again after seeing the calves we have got so far this year back on twice aday there more lively nibbiling at meal straw etc straight away after drinking..... just my opinion

I'd be inclined to agree with you, don't see huge benefit in OAD at less than 6 weeks but lot people doing it and seem to be getting on well at it.
It's reckoned that 2l twice a day calves are being under fed,
what do you think of the 3 litres twice a day up to 3 weeks.

Blue Holland

Blue Holland wrote: »

At recent discussion group heard the latest coming from moorepark is to feed 3 litres twice a day up to 3 weeks old and then 6 litres once a day:eek:
Thoughts please.
Any one doing this, 6 once a day at 3 weeks seems hard to believe.
Those of you feeding once a day from 3-4 weeks how much are you feeding?

Bumping this up, what do ye think?

F.D

Blue Holland wrote: »

I'd be inclined to agree with you, don't see huge benefit in OAD at less than 6 weeks but lot people doing it and seem to be getting on well at it.
It's reckoned that 2l twice a day calves are being under fed,
what do you think of the 3 litres twice a day up to 3 weeks.

I think if you have them built up to that over three weeks its hardly worth changing to once a day

Reggie.

F.D wrote: »

I think if you have them built up to that over three weeks its hardly worth changing to once a day

I would agree it doesn't matter I think about the amount of litres they get is all about the concentration of powder in it so you could have the same amount of powder in 2l as in 6l and it would have the same effect. The calves I have here find it hard to drink more than 3 so I dropped to 2 till the powder concentration gets to high that it needs a little watering down.
Some difference on the OAD to the twice a day in my mind as the amount of meal that the calves are eating now compared to a week ago is unreal. Eating at least 3 times as much.

Greengrass1

Reggie. wrote: »

I would agree it doesn't matter I think about the amount of litres they get is all about the concentration of powder in it so you could have the same amount of powder in 2l as in 6l and it would have the same effect. The calves I have here find it hard to drink more than 3 so I dropped to 2 till the powder concentration gets to high that it needs a little watering down.
Some difference on the OAD to the twice a day in my mind as the amount of meal that the calves are eating now compared to a week ago is unreal. Eating at least 3 times as much.

They grand now?
I have mine in batches of 5 and the eating two 2kg scoops of meal a day

Reggie.

Greengrass1 wrote: »

They grand now?
I have mine in batches of 5 and the eating two 2kg scoops of meal a day

Massive difference seem more alert and perky. Mine are in a batch of 6 and get 3kg a day. Trough was empty this morning for the first time.

milkprofit

Reggie. wrote: »

In relation to bucket fed calves, I usually feed them twice a day but thinking of changing to once a day feeding this year. What are peoples thoughts on the two feeding systems.

after 2 weeks --oad for last 25years

mahoney_j

Oad after a week here,600 grammes a day in 3 Ltrs and upped to 700 grammes after a further week..no comparasion to twice a day fed calves .healthier,eat more meal ,more straw and much stronger at weaning

kevthegaff

Yep i go once a day after 2 weeks, handier and they seem to be a lot healthier, eat meal alot quicker too