How's feeding?

Miname

I measured and thought I'd layers of silage. Long story short it's going too bloody fast. I've restricted the sucklers and bought hay for them but will be pretty tight if the winter drags on too long. The up side is all other stock are flying on the silage. How's everyone else fixed I've had a few lads ringing to see if I knew where there was any and it doesn't seem too plentiful.

TUBBY

Would imagine there will be a shortage alright if it goes past paddys day without some growth.

Lot of people round here ok until end of march at best.

Reggie.

Miname wrote: »

I measured and thought I'd layers of silage. Long story short it's going too bloody fast. I've restricted the sucklers and bought hay for them but will be pretty tight if the winter drags on too long. The up side is all other stock are flying on the silage. How's everyone else fixed I've had a few lads ringing to see if I knew where there was any and it doesn't seem too plentiful.

We have plenty so far, once the spring don't go mental like last year. Where ya based?

Bodacious

didn't start feeding until xmas eve .. will have silage left over id say, great feeling to have plenty of good silage


ive 5 1.5 year old heifers for the bull in march and ive them grazing/ clearing out a woody rough piece of ground and ive started giving them a bit of ration... silly really as ive plenty of silage and ration I have to buy but id like them to clear it out and if I bring out a bale to them they will congregate by the gate waiting to be fed and defeat the object

Dozer1

Like that I've enough until mid March, next door neighbour had 50 bales in the field next door so I bought them Saturday, can't beat having extra and like you said they are flying through my own bales.

bogman_bass

Did a count on Saturday. Have enough to get me to the 10th of April and still have 50 to sell. Have a good bit of hay too

bob charles

hopefully get to mid February before having to go looking for forage. plenty of alternatives this year so not worried. All the cattle could be gone by then if beef prices stays where it is

stanflt

One pit with around 800tonne which won't be opened

Will let it go for 30k cash

bbam

Enough through to mid April which should see them out.

Timmaay

Mid march if we get a late spring. I'll avoid feeding the milkers the lower quality silage at all costs however. Would be very nice to hold over 1/2 a pit of silage for winter next year, however I'm probably dreaming now and going to jinx myself!

visatorro

will have half a pit surplus here. second cut here wasnt great quality wise so im goin thru it so il carry over half decent silage for next winter. some change on last year lots of lads round here were buying at this stage

simx

Opened pit the other day, say I hAve enough till early march which doesn't excite me as the winter could go on another six weeks past that Around here

darragh_haven

stanflt wrote: »

One pit with around 800tonne which won't be opened

Will let it go for 30k cash

Ah your sound.... you'll deliver for that price I suppose :-D

jomoloney

got enough silage until about 1st May

very heavily stocked .... it mightn't be enough

darragh_haven

We have a pit also with 700 to 800 tonne in it. Don't think it'll be opened if we get any sort of a decent spring by mid February.

stanflt

darragh_haven wrote: »

Ah your sound.... you'll deliver for that price I suppose :-D

The grass probably cost 35 to put there in the first place- land charge Npk. Spray and making it add cover and slab to put it on

74dmd silage 38% dm

bob charles

stanflt wrote: »

The grass probably cost 35 to put there in the first place- land charge Npk. Spray and making it add cover and slab to put it on

74dmd silage 38% dm

€35 a ton and 24hr loading and you would be talking business

bob charles

darragh_haven wrote: »

We have a pit also with 700 to 800 tonne in it. Don't think it'll be opened if we get any sort of a decent spring by mid February.

did you ever think about building a digestor? ive cattle eating from a big pit thats waiting for such

rancher

bob charles wrote: »

€35 a ton and 24hr loading and you would be talking business

Would you not be better off without beef cattle than feed silage at that price

feartuath

102 silage ,15 hay bales ,21 acres of 1st cut pit opened on 5th of December .
Cows are going through it as quick as they get ,I should have a surplus again this year if winter drags on .

bob charles

rancher wrote: »

Would you not be better off without beef cattle than feed silage at that price

so do you consider it dear or cheap

rancher

bob charles wrote: »

so do you consider it dear or cheap

Its not dear, if you're giving it to dairy cows.
To put my question another way, is it too dear to feed to beef cattle

bob charles

rancher wrote: »

Its not dear, if you're giving it to dairy cows.
To put my question another way, is it too dear to feed to beef cattle

I wouldnt consider it, if you are looking for it to make up the forage part of a finishing diet. how many guys are paying €20 for round bales of straw for feed which is basically fresh air. Anyway with beef prices, blood water is too dear to be feeding beef cattle at the moment

Im only taking a stab at the energy figure but I would consider it good value especially if you were near the pit, but it could be hauled a nice distance and still be okay

rancher

bob charles wrote: »

I wouldnt consider it, if you are looking for it to make up the forage part of a finishing diet. how many guys are paying €20 for round bales of straw for feed which is basically fresh air. Anyway with beef prices, blood water is too dear to be feeding beef cattle at the moment

Im only taking a stab at the energy figure but I would consider it good value especially if you were near the pit, but it could be hauled a nice distance and still be okay

That was the point I was trying to make in my first post.
If you have the cattle and you need feed, I suppose you have to compare options.
With the numbers of cattle in the country at the moment, I can't see a price rise this winter, one of us will be proved right in april. hope it's you because even though I don't have cattle, I'll probably get plenty of flak if there isn't

bob charles

rancher wrote: »

That was the point I was trying to make in my first post.
If you have the cattle and you need feed, I suppose you have to compare options.
With the numbers of cattle in the country at the moment, I can't see a price rise this winter, one of us will be proved right in april. hope it's you because even though I don't have cattle, I'll probably get plenty of flak if there isn't

I have cattle, but dont see any rise. that doesnt mean you feed cattle crap. even with bad prices you have to formulate the least cost diet. That silage would work into a least cost formulation IMO but only as a small % of the diet obviously.

nashmach

Been counting bales here as well each week, at this stage should be okay till end of March and most stock will be gone by then which will reduce demand too.

Knew it was going to be tight so have extra barley in store and would rather feed than that than lucky bales.

Have heard very very few in this part of the south east say they have plenty of feeding.

f140

I opened the silage pit yesterday. they were on bales up to this and kept back 10 bales for spare. I have enough until the end of april if they were in full time but I want to keep a good reserve because im unsure if I will get a 20 acre field that I rent this year or not.

Timmaay

nashmach wrote: »

Have heard very very few in this part of the south east say they have plenty of feeding.

Any 2nd or 3rd cuts got feed to stock instead! 2012 was a way better year for us in terms of quantity than last year!

KatyMac

Did a count Saturday and reckon I'll have about 50 bales over. Cut down on the numbers to overwinter and may have got bit carried away

biddy2013

better than last year anyway, just depends how long the spring goes on for, i have grass in my paddocks, just a matter of being able to graze it

freedominacup

nashmach wrote: »

Been counting bales here as well each week, at this stage should be okay till end of March and most stock will be gone by then which will reduce demand too.

Knew it was going to be tight so have extra barley in store and would rather feed than that than lucky bales.

Have heard very very few in this part of the south east say they have plenty of feeding.

We're feeding here for the past six months at this stage apart from two weeks in august. This year was a real reminder of why we grow a forage other than grass. We'll be ok but I'm getting a few tonnes of soya hulls for dry stock. They're getting enough to fill them but I think they're lacking a bit of energy.

grassroot1

I will be very tight and have started feeding barley straw every second day I think feeding is very scarce in the south east. We had to graze what appeared for our second cut and our stocking rate is quite high.:(

keep going

Ok id say.I always say 1 jan is half way in the silage feeding year as regards volume as in calf stock always slacken off

freedominacup

keep going wrote: »

Ok id say.I always say 1 jan is half way in the silage feeding year as regards volume as in calf stock always slacken off

1st pit finished this year. We opened the wholecrop pit that we sealed down in 1st week of October. Pleasantly surprised with how little waste there was on it. No more than a couple of hundred kilos. That salt was cheap at the price.