have you enough fodder?

whelan2

have loads of silage and straw on home farm, only 12 silage bales left on out farm, using 5 a week, have a few round hay bales there and some big square straw bales to stretch it out. Might buy 20 silage bales just in case. No sign of weather lifting:o

Mad4simmental

Plenty untill June/July if needs be. Better not need it! Plenty of extra bales here they'll be used sum winter!

raypallas

Must take a count of how bales we have left at the moment, would estimate about 150. It's a big difference compaired to last as we had about 40 left at this stage and ended up having to buy 40 bales of silage and around 30 hay.

_Brian

Enough here.
Backing off meal now so they're eating more.
Should have some to sell off but well wait another few weeks and see before moving it on.

td5man

Enough here to last until June

I said

More than enough

darragh_haven

8 weeks left here. 5 weeks of pit (maybe 6 weeks,) and 3 weeks of bales.

frazzledhome

Plenty here

onyerbikepat

I have enough for the first year in a long time. You'll see bales of silage being given away for €15 in the coming weeks. You'd wonder if it would be worth buying a few bales of hay.

smokey-fitz

It might get tight for me. Didnt go to mad last year because I had 200 left over from previous years that I needed to get through, but about 80 are f...ed. should have enough good silage and hay for another 6 to 7 weeks.

visatorro

have enough until first of April. waiting on fencing to be done to get weanlings out. will take pressure off.

unreal the difference in a week. everyone talking about letting stock out, and not being able to sell silage. no lads panicking and silage going up in price. as a nation I think we can get abit excited over things!

busyatwork

Have only open first bale of silage yet have heaps of hay as well ,,feeding wholecrop round bales up until today Not one bale was damaged by rats cant believe it as they were ating enought poision and was warned the rats would distroy the wholecrop bales

severeoversteer

major miscalculation of silage need this year

have enough silage to last until june 2016 ! :eek:

still feeding last years bales

and will still be feeding last years bales till april atleast

id hate to think what money id get for last years bales if I were to sell them as 2014 bales are only making 16 - 18 euro around here

Mad4simmental

Money in the bank. Bales will last a few years no problem.

Nekarsulm

severeoversteer wrote: »

major miscalculation of silage need this year

have enough silage to last until june 2016 ! :eek:

still feeding last years bales

and will still be feeding last years bales till april atleast

id hate to think what money id get for last years bales if I were to sell them as 2014 bales are only making 16 - 18 euro around here

Will you make any silage this year at all, Severe? Or just take a paddock or field out that gets strong?
Saving on Fert & Contractor, anyway.

KatyMac

Have loads here. Hoping to save on contractor and fert this year and put the money into building new shed.

Milked out

Plenty here but will be feeding flat out for a bit yet with the rain falling and forecast

Reggie.

Plenty here. Used up all the bales and only getting to the back of the small pit in the next few weeks. Might not have to open the main pit at all.

FIL tells me the plan is to make "a lot more"silage bales and hay this year. No pit being done.....well ATM anyways, see what the year brings

severeoversteer

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Money in the bank. Bales will last a few years no problem.

there is a massive decline in performance this winter

last years silage is all I have fed so far and the cattle have done terrible

it just doesn't seem to be able preserve the goodness for more than 6-8 months in my opinion

wrecking my head trying to fatham out what happened that they didn't hold out for the second winter, all the new silage is preserved fine but the old stuff has a frightening amount of waste

Timmaay

Agreed, we've never ever had any luck holding over bales, always rotten by the 2nd winter, we make sure they get used up here before the winter is out.

AP2014

Timmaay wrote: »

Agreed, we've never ever had any luck holding over bales, always rotten by the 2nd winter, we make sure they get used up here before the winter is out.

Jaysus thought you would get at least 2 years out of them if stored on concrete and wrapped correctly. I was thinking of dabbling on making them and then selling next winter or winter after if prices are poor this winter. Might just continue with selling off field.

ihatewinter

I fed 4 bales of 2013 silage to ewes. It was stored in a field. Quality was surprisingly good though one bale had a small layer of mould. Sheep went mad for it and smelled like tobacco.

Kovu

Those of ye that have had bad luck keeping over bales, how many wraps do you put on them? Always hold bales here if possible and an extra wrap goes on all bales here too. Can never trust Leitrim winters to last less than six months :rolleyes:

Green farmer

I was told by double wrapping bales it would allow you get a second season from them.

severeoversteer

Kovu wrote: »

Those of ye that have had bad luck keeping over bales, how many wraps do you put on them? Always hold bales here if possible and an extra wrap goes on all bales here too. Can never trust Leitrim winters to last less than six months :rolleyes:

well since halfway through 2013 silage season I put 6 layers on everything

but those bales were at the face of the stack and were used in winter 2013/2014 so the 2013 bales with only 4 layers of wrap is what im feeding at the moment
:rolleyes:

stanflt

Could probably make it through next winter with the silage I've left- half first cut pit still there- second pit unopened and 400 ton of maize left- still 50 bales also

Did the sums and I'll save 10k on Fert and contractor for silage this year and I've 20 acres less maize going in that is already planted in winter wheat

Greengrass1

About 300 bales
Last yr only had 600 bales and were gone by mid Feb.
Only hit 600 used now and I've 30 more cows and 15 more heifers than I did last yr.
Going to make as much silage I can this yr.
Going to be expanding fairly quick next two yrs and dont know where I'll get ground for silage

Reggie.

Greengrass1 wrote: »

About 300 bales
Last yr only had 600 bales and were gone by mid Feb.
Only hit 600 used now and I've 30 more cows and 15 more heifers than I did last yr.
Going to make as much silage I can this yr.
Going to be expanding fairly quick next two yrs and dont know where I'll get ground for silage

Big plans green

Greengrass1

Reggie. wrote: »

Big plans green

Go hard or go home.
Been a long time waiting for it

Bodacious

Will have damn all left over if any at all.. april 12th but probably get a few cows away to grass as soon as I can to reduce consumption

Muckit

Mad4simmental wrote: »

Money in the bank. Bales will last a few years no problem.

Sssssshhhhhh!!!!!

Muckit

Only half way through bales and pit never opened. No plan to close for silage this year. Realistically will probably take out few paddocks for bales but that will be it.

AP2014

Greengrass1 wrote: »

About 300 bales
Last yr only had 600 bales and were gone by mid Feb.
Only hit 600 used now and I've 30 more cows and 15 more heifers than I did last yr.
Going to make as much silage I can this yr.
Going to be expanding fairly quick next two yrs and dont know where I'll get ground for silage

Bit far away otherwise I wouldn't see you stuck.

CowMeister

About quarter of the pit left and over 100 bales. Have started to sell a few to a neighbour. So I hope I have my calculations right and don't run short myself.

Greengrass1

AP2014 wrote: »

Bit far away otherwise I wouldn't see you stuck.

Something usually turns up for us at the right time when we really need it.
Hope to get some ground but......just in case

Reggie.

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Something usually turns up for us at the right time when we really need it.
Hope to get some ground but......just in case

Land on your feet if ya fell out of a window sort of fella are ya :rolleyes:

mahoney_j

40 acres of 76 dmd silage will be left and circa 120/150 bales will be left.going to chase quality silage this year ,only closing half of what I closed for first cut last year and all other silage will be wraps from balling surpluses throughout summer.also have an option to take more wholecrop .still only March 2 though and who knows what rest of spring and summer will throw at us but great to have good options in bales and pit to help through any shortages

Milked out

Greengrass1 wrote: »

About 300 bales
Last yr only had 600 bales and were gone by mid Feb.
Only hit 600 used now and I've 30 more cows and 15 more heifers than I did last yr.
Going to make as much silage I can this yr.
Going to be expanding fairly quick next two yrs and dont know where I'll get ground for silage

Given the amount if tillage in your area Gg It may be worth considering other options which may be better value than buying silage eg wholecrop or maize etc.

Greengrass1

Milked out wrote: »

Given the amount if tillage in your area Gg It may be worth considering other options which may be better value than buying silage eg wholecrop or maize etc.

Oceans of beet here no maize though
Have renewed lease on out farm for 7 yrs. She can ship us out after 5 if she wants.
Could get heifers contract reared and reseed there for silage. Would ye find a lad willing to rear winter born heifers and spring born ones though

Milked out

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Oceans of beet here no maize though
Have renewed lease on out farm for 7 yrs. She can ship us out after 5 if she wants.
Could get heifers contract reared and reseed there for silage. Would ye find a lad willing to rear winter born heifers and spring born ones though

Could be tough to find someone for that alrite, ideally if renting if one could get enuv ground for silage and young stock it would be ideal as you could use the young stock to graze early and have plenty after grass for calves along with more ground coming available after second cut as calves and heifers demand grows and grass growth slows down hence keeping stock out longer.

Brown Podzol

C. 1.4 ton dm per lu still left, maize and quality bales. Problem is very little average quality silage for very well conditioned cows dry since last Nov. No diet wagon so diluting with straw not an option and don't like restricting feed. May buy average quality bales,

Greengrass1

Brown Podzol wrote: »

C. 1.4 ton dm per lu still left, maize and quality bales. Problem is very little average quality silage for very well conditioned cows dry since last Nov. No diet wagon so diluting with straw not an option and don't like restricting feed. May buy average quality bales,

Ill swap with ye. 100 bales of real steamy itailin here like hay nearly.
46 DM
69dmd.
Problem is my cows are over condition too.
Vet gave out to us last day he was here

mahoney_j

Brown Podzol wrote: »

C. 1.4 ton dm per lu still left, maize and quality bales. Problem is very little average quality silage for very well conditioned cows dry since last Nov. No diet wagon so diluting with straw not an option and don't like restricting feed. May buy average quality bales,

Why can't u dilute with straw brown??,I'm in same position with too much good silage and cows in very good and improving condition.my diet feeder works as follows,scatter straw along passage first ,then bales then more straw on top.they get no new feed till it's all gone.no second tractor ,no diet feeder and no extra running costs.small bit of extra work but manageable.i work bales and wholecrop to milkers same way.

Greengrass1

Milked out wrote: »

Could be tough to find someone for that alrite, ideally if renting if one could get enuv ground for silage and young stock it would be ideal as you could use the young stock to graze early and have plenty after grass for calves along with more ground coming available after second cut as calves and heifers demand grows and grass growth slows down hence keeping stock out longer.

That land is 5 mile away from us 3 bay lean two either side of a hay shed on it too.
Would hold a lot of heifers.
To get silahe ground close to me I'm looking at robbing someone's barley ground and I'll be into situation then with hungry ground like here was and paying through the nose for it

mahoney_j

Milked out wrote: »

Given the amount if tillage in your area Gg It may be worth considering other options which may be better value than buying silage eg wholecrop or maize etc.

Gg you really should approach a tillage man in ur area re growing maize ,beet or wholecrop on contract .would be a great addition for ur winter calvers.

Greengrass1

mahoney_j wrote: »

Gg you really should approach a tillage man in ur area re growing maize ,beet or wholecrop on contract .would be a great addition for ur winter calvers.

Could get beet easy with out any contract dad hates it though
Maize I would like to have. Won't go looking this yr but next yr I'll do something.
I have the dung which they go mad for here

Brown Podzol

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Ill swap with ye. 100 bales of real steamy itailin here like hay nearly.
46 DM
69dmd.
Problem is my cows are over condition too.
Vet gave out to us last day he was here

Two bulk tanks being taken out here on Thurs. I swap you one for them bales.:D

Brown Podzol

mahoney_j wrote: »

Why can't u dilute with straw brown??,I'm in same position with too much good silage and cows in very good and improving condition.my diet feeder works as follows,scatter straw along passage first ,then bales then more straw on top.they get no new feed till it's all gone.no second tractor ,no diet feeder and no extra running costs.small bit of extra work but manageable.i work bales and wholecrop to milkers same way.

Well used to layering here. The silage destined for these ladies turned out to be 52% dm, so had to fast forward through it, gave it to everything. No more than yourself, one man show here so less complications the better. 30 cows for an average of 2/3 weeks, 30 bales maybe and I will probably get them at cost delivered seems a simpler way out.

RightTurnClyde

Brown Podzol wrote: »

C. 1.4 ton dm per lu still left, maize and quality bales. Problem is very little average quality silage for very well conditioned cows dry since last Nov. No diet wagon so diluting with straw not an option and don't like restricting feed. May buy average quality bales,

That's what I'm at here, 1/4 left to calve and the calves are too getting big. I've 200 bales of silage here that's too good for the dry cows. Getting, stemmy well preserved silage delivered in for €20/bale for the dry cows. I'm going to try and bank as much of my own 200 as I can. Not all years come as good as last year.

RightTurnClyde

Greengrass1 wrote: »

Could get beet easy with out any contract dad hates it though
Maize I would like to have. Won't go looking this yr but next yr I'll do something.
I have the dung which they go mad for here

Gg, isn't youre SR around 1.9 or 2. Don't bother you're bollo with maize or beet. You'll only be chasing the marginal litres. Concentrate on the grass, you should be able to get it form there

frazzledhome

RightTurnClyde wrote: »

Gg, isn't youre SR around 1.9 or 2. Don't bother you're bollo with maize or beet. You'll only be chasing the marginal litres. Concentrate on the grass, you should be able to get it form there

+1