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Spring diet for calved dairy cows

  • 27-01-2015 7:47pm
    #1
    trixi2011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,536 ✭✭✭


    Just wondering what everyone is planning on feeding to cows once calved.my situation is Hoping to get cows out once we have a big enough group to graze but due to sr and low growth rates in spring and a magic day not arriving to late April the spring rotation planner doesn't allow us to feed a lot of the diet in grass. Silage quality is poor enough at only 10.5 me and 20% dm have access to some by-product's and have a meal bin full of high energy but low protein dairy blend to be feed through the parlour.


Comments

  • #2
    Dawggone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,506 ✭✭✭Dawggone


    trixi2011 wrote: »
    Just wondering what everyone is planning on feeding to cows once calved.my situation is Hoping to get cows out once we have a big enough group to graze but due to sr and low growth rates in spring and a magic day not arriving to late April the spring rotation planner doesn't allow us to feed a lot of the diet in grass. Silage quality is poor enough at only 10.5 me and 20% dm have access to some by-product's and have a meal bin full of high energy but low protein dairy blend to be feed through the parlour.

    What byproducts?


  • #3
    trixi2011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,536 ✭✭✭trixi2011


    Dawggone wrote: »
    What byproducts?
    vitagold type 40% dm 14.5me and think 18/20 protein 30 pound a tone


  • #4
    Dawggone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,506 ✭✭✭Dawggone


    trixi2011 wrote: »
    vitagold type 40% dm 14.5me and think 18/20 protein 30 pound a tone

    Is that a kind of Brewers grains ?


  • #5
    trixi2011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,536 ✭✭✭trixi2011


    Dawggone wrote: »
    Is that a kind of Brewers grains ?
    Yip think it comes from whiskey industry plenty available in my area of the uk. don't think it would really be the best quality feed but its cheap and available


  • #6
    Dawggone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,506 ✭✭✭Dawggone


    trixi2011 wrote: »
    Yip think it comes from whiskey industry plenty available in my area of the uk. don't think it would really be the best quality feed but its cheap and available

    Are you sure that it's only 18/20% protein?
    That seems low enough for that product at that DM.


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  • #7
    trixi2011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,536 ✭✭✭trixi2011


    Dawggone wrote: »
    Are you sure that it's only 18/20% protein?
    That seems low enough for that product at that DM.
    No I have it wrong protein 30+ by the looks of things. Have you ever used a product like this ?


  • #8
    mahoney_j
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 11,585 ✭✭✭✭mahoney_j


    trixi2011 wrote: »
    Just wondering what everyone is planning on feeding to cows once calved.my situation is Hoping to get cows out once we have a big enough group to graze but due to sr and low growth rates in spring and a magic day not arriving to late April the spring rotation planner doesn't allow us to feed a lot of the diet in grass. Silage quality is poor enough at only 10.5 me and 20% dm have access to some by-product's and have a meal bin full of high energy but low protein dairy blend to be feed through the parlour.

    Heap of grass so going to be grazing as much of that as possible weather permitting.also have wholecrop wheat,and 78 plus dmd wraps to buffer in .feed to yield in parlour will be 4 kg of a hi maize hi energy 16% nut with megalac and mineral pack at a 23 ltr base and 0.45 kg for evey litre over that.no super levy as such to worry about


  • #9
    Dawggone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,506 ✭✭✭Dawggone


    trixi2011 wrote: »
    No I have it wrong protein 30+ by the looks of things. Have you ever used a product like this ?

    Yes. I think it maybe about 34-38%p.
    Looks you'll be needing some with forage like that!
    TBH all I know about Vitagold is remembering a UK farmer saying it didn't feed out as well as it should.
    What I used was distillers grains with much lower DM and about 27%p.
    What kind of concentrate in the silo?


  • #10
    trixi2011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,536 ✭✭✭trixi2011


    Dawggone wrote: »
    Yes. I think it maybe about 34-38%p.
    Looks you'll be needing some with forage like that!
    TBH all I know about Vitagold is remembering a UK farmer saying it didn't feed out as well as it should.
    What I used was distillers grains with much lower DM and about 27%p.
    What kind of concentrate in the silo?
    A blend with barley, wheat ,sugar beet nut and very small bit of maize,me 12.5 protein very low under 12 at best. Really think its will be holding cows back protein too low when not fulltime on grass


  • #11
    Greengrass1
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,493 ✭✭✭Greengrass1


    Can you get soya hulls Trixi?
    Full of energy and you could feed 4/5kg easy.
    Low protein nut going to be fed here.
    Loads if grass and loads of silage if we need it


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  • #12
    trixi2011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,536 ✭✭✭trixi2011


    Greengrass1 wrote: »
    Can you get soya hulls Trixi?
    Full of energy and you could feed 4/5kg easy.
    Low protein nut going to be fed here.
    Loads if grass and loads of silage if we need it

    Probably can will look into it and see what's available. Have never feed anything other than grass and high quality silage to spring cavers before so going to be a bit of a learning curve. Peak yields have been historically low on this farm but overall milk output really good. Would be hoping to tweek the system without adding to much feeding costs and achieve a higher peak and hold it for longer.


  • #13
    Dawggone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,506 ✭✭✭Dawggone


    trixi2011 wrote: »
    A blend with barley, wheat ,sugar beet nut and very small bit of maize,me 12.5 protein very low under 12 at best. Really think its will be holding cows back protein too low when not fulltime on grass

    Are you feeding by tmr?


  • #14
    trixi2011
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,536 ✭✭✭trixi2011


    Dawggone wrote: »
    Are you feeding by tmr?
    Blend is being feed in the parlour but we use a wagon to feed cows, don't know if you could call it tmr as its only adlib silage at the moment but all cows dry at the moment


  • #15
    conor t
    Closed Accounts Posts: 154 ✭✭conor t


    Rape cake would compliment the proteins in that vitagold stuff well and should be easily gotten over there. Not sure on the ratio but can check it. Use that in with your low protein mix to balance up the diet


  • #16
    Dawggone
    Closed Accounts Posts: 6,506 ✭✭✭Dawggone


    trixi2011 wrote: »
    Blend is being feed in the parlour but we use a wagon to feed cows, don't know if you could call it tmr as its only adlib silage at the moment but all cows dry at the moment

    With a mixer wagon you will easily make up a balanced feed for when they calve.
    Keep feed to ~16%protein when cows are in and about 14% when on grass.
    Silage quality will be a bit challenging...
    My advice is to hire in an independent nutritionist. When he gives a couple of 'recipes' post them up here and we will enjoy going through them...:)


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