suckler cow ration

jimini0

Small farm here 7 cows. 5 will be outwintered with good grass and some hay and depending on ground conditions some silage. 2 will have access to straw bed shed and plenty of silage. Also have a 2 maybe 3 weanlings kept over the winter.
What ration would ye recommend?
Aurivo is the local place. Just bagged stuff no meal bin here

Kovu

We used to feed rolled oats to sucklers before we had the slatted shed. Don't know why apart from being told it kept the calf small and wouldn't overfatten the cows, so I'm not much use to you really!

jimini0

Kovu wrote: »

We used to feed rolled oats to sucklers before we had the slatted shed. Don't know why apart from being told it kept the calf small and wouldn't overfatten the cows, so I'm not much use to you really!

Ye fancy fellas with your fancy slatted sheds.;)
Ya the ould fella used to feed oats or barley with dairy nuts. Then he started feeding them weanling crunch.
But I'm looking to see what other lads feed them.

TITANIUM.

jimini0 wrote: »

Small farm here 7 cows. 5 will be outwintered with good grass and some hay and depending on ground conditions some silage. 2 will have access to straw bed shed and plenty of silage. Also have a 2 maybe 3 weanlings kept over the winter.
What ration would ye recommend?
Aurivo is the local place. Just bagged stuff no meal bin here

When are they calving?
Have they any calves under um?

jimini0

TITANIUM. wrote: »

When are they calving?
Have they any calves under um?

5 weaned and calves sold . 2 with calves due to start weaning in a couple of weeks ill keep them 2 weanlings in a small 0.7acre field a away from farm over the winter.
The 2 that will be kept around the shed will be calving in late march and April. The other 5 are due may-July.

bogman_bass

For the cows? None if you have enough fodder!

croot

jimini0 wrote: »

Small farm here 7 cows. 5 will be outwintered with good grass and some hay and depending on ground conditions some silage. 2 will have access to straw bed shed and plenty of silage. Also have a 2 maybe 3 weanlings kept over the winter.
What ration would ye recommend?
Aurivo is the local place. Just bagged stuff no meal bin here

No need to give the cows anything if they are in good condition. If you want to give them something then it €9 for 40 kg bag of rolled barley in Aurivo. They have a very good hi protien nut called calf grower that's really good for putting a frame on weanlings but it's dear. Last year it was around €300 a tonne.

TITANIUM.

Ya I agree with bass above. Id definitely aim to be giving them silage. Grass alone won't be enough IMHO. If you could find a good hard rocky spot near enough the yard.although I've found that once you start feeding outwintered animals silage they stop picking around the place and hang around the round feeder all day. I wouldn't be giving any dry cow's ration unless there struggling.

jimini0

Your right about hanging around the round feeder. Standing there in 18 inch deep mud waiting. There is a flat stony area that I put a half feeder. Last year I used to bring them enough silage to do them a day then 2 days later I would bring a couple of bales of hay up the hill and scatter it on the ground. Then 2 days later silage and so on. I cant drive up the hill from December on. Bloody springs everywhere.

TITANIUM.

jimini0 wrote: »

Your right about hanging around the round feeder. Standing there in 18 inch deep mud waiting. There is a flat stony area that I put a half feeder. Last year I used to bring them enough silage to do them a day then 2 days later I would bring a couple of bales of hay up the hill and scatter it on the ground. Then 2 days later silage and so on. I cant drive up the hill from December on. Bloody springs everywhere.

You poor baxtard. Memories of allot of that myself. It used be a pure balls trying to get underneath a round feeder buried in muck and ****e to lift it up when feeding a bale with the spike. Christ front loaders are great, slatted units and feed barriers are even better. Have any auld shed that you could bed um down in, just to make life easier on yourself?

jimini0

Sorry I should have also mentioned that the ration is a "treat" to get them used to me for handling purposes. But I want this treat to be of benefit to them mineral and vitamin etc. That I will give them every second day
Years ago dad used to be able to get them all into the yard by shaking a bucket of nuts. Now I can get a couple in but others woulld not be as used to me.

jimini0

TITANIUM. wrote: »

You poor baxtard. Memories of allot of that myself. It used be a pure balls trying to get underneath a round feeder buried in muck and ****e to lift it up when feeding a bale with the spike. Christ front loaders are great, slatted units and feed barriers are even better. Have any auld shed that you could bed um down in, just to make life easier on yourself?

That's why I only use half a round feeder. Have it against a fence so I just reverse up and shove in the silage from the roadside.
We have a straw bed shed that would take 8 cows. 2 of them will be hanging around up there. Personally I like them out wintered alot healthier. I know its hardship but its the way it has been done for years

IH784man

jimini0 wrote: »

Sorry I should have also mentioned that the ration is a "treat" to get them used to me for handling purposes. But I want this treat to be of benefit to them mineral and vitamin etc. That I will give them every second day
Years ago dad used to be able to get them all into the yard by shaking a bucket of nuts. Now I can get a couple in but others woulld not be as used to me.

Could you get a mineral lick bucket for them instead?

jimini0

IH784man wrote: »

Could you get a mineral lick bucket for them instead?

That's an idea
Which one?
I still want to feed some kind of ration so I can get them used to me close by. The personal touch

kay 9

Bagged suckler or dairy nuts are as good as any.

bogman_bass

jimini0 wrote: »

That's an idea
Which one?
I still want to feed some kind of ration so I can get them used to me close by. The personal touch

if its just a handfull of sweets for bribery than any nut will do.

jimini0

bogman_bass wrote: »

if its just a handfull of sweets for bribery than any nut will do.

Something that might benefit them would be nice.

Farrell

jimini0 wrote: »

That's why I only use half a round feeder. Have it against a fence so I just reverse up and shove in the silage from the roadside.
We have a straw bed shed that would take 8 cows. 2 of them will be hanging around up there. Personally I like them out wintered alot healthier. I know its hardship but its the way it has been done for years

If you're giving the calves a beef but, the cows could take that too.
Think you remind of all of old times

bogman_bass

jimini0 wrote: »

Something that might benefit them would be nice.

They all will. It's only when you are feeding sizable amounts that you will see a difference. Dry cow's dont need meal providing they're in good nick.

I'm a fan of giving a handful to keep them sweet but there is no point in giving expensive stuff when you will get nothing extra back in return.

Don't buy into the Meal reps spin!