Do they still need nuts

max12

Am out wintering a few weanlings and planning to move them to the silage ground on Saturday. Nice pick of grass on it.

They have been getting 2 pounds of nuts and fairly good silage all winter. Question is do I still need to give them nuts when on to the grass on Saturday.

tanko

max12 wrote: »

Am out wintering a few weanlings and planning to move them to the silage ground on Saturday. Nice pick of grass on it.

They have been getting 2 pounds of nuts and fairly good silage all winter. Question is do I still need to give them nuts when on to the grass on Saturday.

Changing from Silage to grass is going to be a bit of a shock to their system, I'd keep giving them the nuts to keep them healthy and thriving.

Sam Kade

I'd think the opposite that they won't need any nuts as they will quickly adjust to the grass.

Buford T. Justice XIX

max12 wrote: »

Am out wintering a few weanlings and planning to move them to the silage ground on Saturday. Nice pick of grass on it.

They have been getting 2 pounds of nuts and fairly good silage all winter. Question is do I still need to give them nuts when on to the grass on Saturday.

The current thinking would be to cut out any meals a month before going to grass as they will make up for any reduction in weight gain in the first few weeks on grass. But in your case I would continue feeding maybe a half rate for a week or two or longer if the weather turns bad just to keep some bit of consistency in their diet. And also to allow you to easily check they are doing OK until they adjust fully to being out.

max12

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

The current thinking would be to cut out any meals a month before going to grass as they will make up for any reduction in weight gain in the first few weeks on grass. But in your case I would continue feeding maybe a half rate for a week or two or longer if the weather turns bad just to keep some bit of consistency in their diet. And also to allow you to easily check they are doing OK until they adjust fully to being out.

They have been out all winter so no adjustment needed. I would have thought they wouldn't need nuts but was checking. I agree if they were coming out of the shed to stop nuts a month before. In this case they are going onto a nice field of fresh grass but open to others people views

davidk1394

I'd give them meal for about 2 weeks when they go out on grass at half rate. The change in diet means a change in the bacteria in the stomach. It takes time for the bacteria to multiply so keep giving them some meal to take some of the pressure off

Muckit

Question: Do they still need nuts?
Smart Alec answer: Yes if keeping as bulls. No if keeping as bullocks


Joking aside, I'd go with keeping nuts in the diet at a reduced rate. You could gradually start reducing after a week or so.

RD10

Buford T. Justice V wrote: »

The current thinking would be to cut out any meals a month before going to grass as they will make up for any reduction in weight gain in the first few weeks on grass. But in your case I would continue feeding maybe a half rate for a week or two or longer if the weather turns bad just to keep some bit of consistency in their diet. And also to allow you to easily check they are doing OK until they adjust fully to being out.

+1 i always cutbbacknon meal before they go out, that way when they go out to grass they get a boost from both fresh grass and meal in the diet

Bass Reeves

I would see no need for to continue with ration in diet when going to grass. I would have stopped them a month ago but then this year lads will be letting cattle out earlier than previous years so may not have considered dropping ration 3-4 weeks ago. I find when cattle go to grass they can tend to turn there nose up to supplementary feeding so it is not much use as a herding action

Who2

What will it cost? A couple of bags won't break the break the bank and should keep their energy up until the weather turns right.

Good loser

Stop the meals. Money wasted.

Bass Reeves

Who2 wrote: »

What will it cost? A couple of bags won't break the break the bank and should keep their energy up until the weather turns right.

The issue is beef is a low margin businesses. Every euro saved adds to margin. What will the cost of a half kg/ day for thirty days it is 15 kgs.at 250/ ton (6.25/bag) savings of 3.73/ head. So why save that amount. If you use Injection instead of pour- on it another 2-3 euro / year per animal. Generics instead of branded another 2-3 / head. Selling off the farm give about 30 euro between buyer and seller to play around with. Getting out 10 days earlier/ year 10 euro/ head. Improving silage bi 5-6 DMD 10-15 euro/ head.

Would you bend down to pick up four euro if you dropped it across 10 cattle that ration will cost nearly 40 euro. If you used compensatory growth for 30 days for every Kg/ head fed it saves 7.50/ head. so stopping feeding 30 cattle 2 kg/ day would save 450 euro.It is the mindset that lad need to think in.

Limestone Cowboy

Bass Reeves wrote: »

I would see no need for to continue with ration in diet when going to grass. I would have stopped them a month ago but then this year lads will be letting cattle out earlier than previous years so may not have considered dropping ration 3-4 weeks ago. I find when cattle go to grass they can tend to turn there nose up to supplementary feeding so it is not much use as a herding action

Often noticed the same myself that the lose interest in it.