Beet

Coolfresian

Anyone feeding beet to milking cows or finishing cattle and how do u find it? Would a free standing chopper or bucket chopper work better?

Keepgrowing

Coolfresian wrote: »

Anyone feeding beet to milking cows or finishing cattle and how do u find it? Would a free standing chopper or bucket chopper work better?

Not feeding anymore but used to use a lot of it. If you've a diet wagon the freestanding chopper is the job. If you're feeding on top of silage along a feed rail the bucket would do.

They will fling silage everywhere to get the beet. If mixing chop small and mix it well. Be sure to get it pulled by an Armer as other machines will pick stones aswell.

Another option is to get in a contractor with a washer chopper unit. Chop and wash all in one day and ensile with citrus, soya hulls or beet pulp. Anything that'll soak up the runoff. Mix at about 7:1 and cover as you would silage, can be fed anytime that way

Coolfresian

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Not feeding anymore but used to use a lot of it. If you've a diet wagon the freestanding chopper is the job. If you're feeding on top of silage along a feed rail the bucket would do.

They will fling silage everywhere to get the beet. If mixing chop small and mix it well. Be sure to get it pulled by an Armer as other machines will pick stones aswell.


Another option is to get in a contractor with a washer chopper unit. Chop and wash all in one day and ensile with citrus, soya hulls or beet pulp. Anything that'll soak up the runoff. Mix at about 7:1 and cover as you would silage, can be fed anytime that way

Have a diet feeder so it will be going through that for the cows. Would be using around 20 tonne a week so probably the free standing one will work well. If u don't mind me asking did u find the performance from the cows improved or that u saved much silage? Would u use it again?

Keepgrowing

Coolfresian wrote: »

Have a diet feeder so it will be going through that for the cows. Would be using around 20 tonne a week so probably the free standing one will work well. If u don't mind me asking did u find the performance from the cows improved or that u saved much silage? Would u use it again?

Saves precious little silage unless you go to large volumes but boy will they perform, it's like a switch. If I was considering and second forage it would be my first choice. Fed some in March this year as good quality bales were scarce and it's easily gotten around here. We don't have a wagon anymore but if using again I'd deffo be buying washed

Coolfresian

Keepgrowing wrote: »

Saves precious little silage unless you go to large volumes but boy will they perform, it's like a switch. If I was considering and second forage it would be my first choice. Fed some in March this year as good quality bales were scarce and it's easily gotten around here. We don't have a wagon anymore but if using again I'd deffo be buying washed

Thanks for that, plenty available around here too so will be using as much as is reasonable in the diet.

simx

Always a little short in silage, have 14ac available to me to take for first cut this grass would be costing me €28/t in pit of yielding 8.5t/ac
Can buy washed sugar beet delivered into yard @ €42/t

Would I be mad to choose the beet over silage, the silage quality I couldn't comment on as there's loads of ifs and buts regarding weather when cutting etc well just say 67dmd for talks sake

Sam Kade

Coolfresian wrote: »

Thanks for that, plenty available around here too so will be using as much as is reasonable in the diet.

You'd also want to introduce it gradually to get them used to it.

White Clover

Sam Kade wrote: »

You'd also want to introduce it gradually to get them used to it.

As well as reducing gradually when taking them off of it.

farmersfriend

We feed beet to cows here, great stuff and they go mad for it. Have a trailed washer chopper and feed on top of silage at feed rail. Minute they hear tractor starting they are lining up!
Had a couple of culls on an outfarm last summer, was driving past with the tractor we use with the feeder, next thing one of them recognized the tractor and galloped across the field like a mad thing.

larthehar

What about finishing cattle? Won't have enough barley to see out the winter with keeping stores, considering beet. Is it a good for thrive vs barley?

primary 2

feed it here to finishing cattle and a bit to store cattle as well,as soon as they hear the tractor starting that chops the beet they are all up waiting,i also know a dairy farmer that uses it in the spring time when the cows calf and are still in the shed and he says he gets great results out of it

Conor556

Would beet be any good to feed to weanlings and if I do should they get a balancer with it?

Mooooo

When ye are feeding make sure the gates in the pens are good and strong and stand well back they'd blow ya clean out of it for it. Used to feed here to milkers and even in tmr well chopped with ration thru the silage as well they'd still go rooting for the beet

GERMAN ROCKS

can you feed beet by strip grazing it?

Sam Kade

GERMAN ROCKS wrote: »

can you feed beet by strip grazing it?

You can but it would want to be low dry mater beet as most of the root grows out of the ground. You'd also want good dry land for it.

darragh_haven

Sam Kade wrote: »

You can but it would want to be low dry mater beet as most of the root grows out of the ground. You'd also want good dry land for it.

Can be issues with older cows loosing teeth too. Neighbour is doing it here for 5 years and problems are starting to arise with some older ladies

greysides

darragh_haven wrote: »

Can be issues with older cows loosing teeth too. Neighbour is doing it here for 5 years and problems are starting to arise with some older ladies

Toothpaste for cows.......... now there's a business idea.:cool:

pedigree 6

greysides wrote: »

Toothpaste for cows.......... now there's a business idea.:cool:

Just like Queen Elizabeth I.

freedominacup

simx wrote: »

Always a little short in silage, have 14ac available to me to take for first cut this grass would be costing me €28/t in pit of yielding 8.5t/ac
Can buy washed sugar beet delivered into yard @ €42/t

Would I be mad to choose the beet over silage, the silage quality I couldn't comment on as there's loads of ifs and buts regarding weather when cutting etc well just say 67dmd for talks sake

Against that quality silage the beet wins every way you can look at it at those prices.

Sam Kade

greysides wrote: »

Toothpaste for cows.......... now there's a business idea.:cool:

False teeth

pat73

What is the difference between all the different types of beet.I was thinking of feeding some to my stock as i don't think il have enough of silage.Its mainly beef i have.I see adds on donedeal for sugar,cagnote , magnum fodder beet.What is the difference,which is the best for beef cattle.

WexfordFarmer

Howya's all today
Was thinking there last night after I was over at a neighbouring farm drawing beet for them and was wondering is there any money in growing beet and selling it I would be selling it at €25 a tonne and if there was a market maybe up it to €30 ?as I have 30 acres spare with no stones in the land all destoned few years ago .Would be able to spend a few bob on a beet Hartvester and Washer/chopper and beet loader,even if there was no market it would still benefit us for our cattle and sheep.

DMAXMAN

pat73 wrote: »

What is the difference between all the different types of beet.I was thinking of feeding some to my stock as i don't think il have enough of silage.Its mainly beef i have.I see adds on donedeal for sugar,cagnote , magnum fodder beet.What is the difference,which is the best for beef cattle.

magnum is a white fodder beet,looks like sugarbeet.lower in dry matter hence lower in feeding. personally i would not feed anything other than sugar beet they can get a drink any time. needs to be balanced for protein and minerals too

Water John

Wexford, suggest you do a tie up with a few farmers, dairy or finishing cattle before you plough.

foxer3640

You'll lose a lot of money at 25 Euro. If you can't get 40 euro per ton delivered over the road forget about it.

foxer3640

You'll lose a lot of money at 25 Euro. If you can't get 40 euro per ton delivered over the road forget about it.

WexfordFarmer

Yes well a neighbour over the road is selling it for 30 a ton and sells a good bit of it too and grows about 200 acres of it and he's not a bit cheap but says there's good business for it if it's going cheap??

Waffletraktor

WexfordFarmer wrote: »

Yes well a neighbour over the road is selling it for 30 a ton and sells a good bit of it too and grows about 200 acres of it and he's not a bit cheap but says there's good business for it if it's going cheap??

Define good business, making good profit or lots of marginal turn over.
There's a guy near Pedigree6 who grows alot also, my friend gets it delivered in south kilkenny for 40-washed + delivery on top over the weighbridge. Has a big customer base built up now growing to order though.

foxer3640

WexfordFarmer wrote: »

Yes well a neighbour over the road is selling it for 30 a ton and sells a good bit of it too and grows about 200 acres of it and he's not a bit cheap but says there's good business for it if it's going cheap??

If you're neighbour is happy working for nothing more power to him. He's probably happy growing barley too if he's that type.

pedigree 6

A Fastrac is essential for the job.:D
Better still buy an artic for the long draws.;)

Waffletraktor

pedigree 6 wrote: »

A Fastrac is essential for the job.:D
Better still buy an artic for the long draws.;)

No shortage of bulkers looking for work this time of year though either