Flapjack biscuits

Siamsa Sessions

Hi all,

I can get half-ton bags of those oatie flapjack biscuits from a local supplier for free. They’re perfect in terms of what’s in them but are “offcuts” and biscuits that broken at packaging stage - that’s why they’re taken out.

I mixed some in with meal for the last lambs we sold just to see if they’d eat it and they did.

I’m wondering now about giving some to ewes in with meal before they lamb.

Has anyone ever done similar? Is there likely to be any good in them (e.g. for protein) or am I only wasting time mixing them in for nothing?

Thanks

ganmo

If ya make them yourself it's oats, butter and treacle. So basicly oats oil and sugar grand to feed to sheep. The sugar could lead to acidosis but the oil would help counteract that

I'd say mix at 10 to 15 % with normal ration

Siamsa Sessions

ganmo wrote: »

If ya make them yourself it's oats, butter and treacle. So basicly oats oil and sugar grand to feed to sheep. The sugar could lead to acidosis but the oil would help counteract that

I'd say mix at 10 to 15 % with normal ration

Thanks. Will throw in a small bit to start then and see how they go.

kk.man

Heard of a big cattle finisher in the South Midlands is gone that route. So much so he doesn't do anymore silage. He gets the stuff from some factory in Dublin.
I heard also he has a huge problem with vermin!

farawaygrass

There was a farm in America that fed their cstke skittles that didn’t make the grade. It only came to light one day the lorry turned over and all the skittles fell on the road!

gozunda

kk.man wrote: »

Heard of a big cattle finisher in the South Midlands is gone that route. So much so he doesn't do anymore silage. He gets the stuff from some factory in Dublin.
I heard also he has a huge problem with vermin!

And Bird Bia etc push the image of the quality of our own grass fed beef. Do we want to go down the route of the US - where everytype of rubbish is fed to lot fed cattle. It's a slippery slope imo. Similar practices of feeding dodgy waste led to the whole BSE debacle.

Btw I would not consider flapjacks to be in this category but feeding skittles for cattle - seriousley?

Birdnuts

I worked as a student in a Pizza factory 20 years ago and a beef feedlot use to take all they "faulty" product - not sure is he still doing it!!

Siamsa Sessions

gozunda wrote: »

And Bird Bia etc push the image of the quality of our own grass fed beef. Do we want to go down the route of the US - where everytype of rubbish is fed to lot fed cattle. It's a slippery slope imo. Similar practices of feeding dodgy waste led to the whole BSE debacle.

Btw I would not consider flapjacks to be in this category but feeding skittles for cattle - seriousley?

You’re right - where are the inspections to prevent such dumping and feeding? To be honest, I hadn’t given that side of things much thought. We’re not in any Bord Bia scheme and they’re just flapjacks but still...

It could be a slippery slope.

In fairness, sheep are probably too fussy (and stubborn) to eat anything overly crazy like skittles or pizza

ganmo

gozunda wrote: »

And Bird Bia etc push the image of the quality of our own grass fed beef. Do we want to go down the route of the US - where everytype of rubbish is fed to lot fed cattle. It's a slippery slope imo. Similar practices of feeding dodgy waste led to the whole BSE debacle.

Btw I would not consider flapjacks to be in this category but feeding skittles for cattle - seriousley?

What's more 'green' throwing almost good food into landfill or making the most of it.

There is a line where it does get stupid but we've got to make the most of everything

Odelay

ganmo wrote: »

What's more 'green' throwing almost good food into landfill or making the most of it.

There is a line where it does get stupid but we've got to make the most of everything

I wouldn't describe a truck load of skittles as "almost good food", it's an industrial amount of who knows what.

tomwaterford

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Has anyone ever done similar? Is there likely to be any good in them (e.g. for protein) or am I only wasting time mixing them in for nothing?

Thanks

Go to a shop and buy 1 of the flap jack biscuits and it'll be wrote on it??

ganmo

Odelay wrote: »

I wouldn't describe a truck load of skittles as "almost good food", it's an industrial amount of who knows what.

Let me explain the 'almost good food'
There's pharmaceutical grade
There's food grade
Then there's feed grade

Take oats for example your porridge is food
The oats you'd get in animal feed will have gone through the same steps to get to your animals except the tolerance in spec is bigger.

The skittles could be grand for human consumption(the s might be funny or somethin random like that), they might have failed the food grade tolerance but fall within the feed grade spec.

The only things we humans can eat that we can't feed to cattle and sheep are meat or fish everything else is grand once it's tested and is safe

gozunda

ganmo wrote: »

Let me explain the 'almost good food'
There's pharmaceutical grade
There's food grade
Then there's feed grade

Take oats for example your porridge is food
The oats you'd get in animal feed will have gone through the same steps to get to your animals except the tolerance in spec is bigger.

The skittles could be grand for human consumption(the s might be funny or somethin random like that), they might have failed the food grade tolerance but fall within the feed grade spec.

The only things we humans can eat that we can't feed to cattle and sheep are meat or fish everything else is grand once it's tested and is safe

As said what happens to our supposedly valuable grass fed image which we use both nationally and internationally? I've tasted lot fed beef and you can't compare it to our Irish beef. You get out what you put in imo.

SO let's say ok we go down the lot fed cattle route and we are now competing with the big boys in the US - who wins in terms of scale and cost margins? Not us.

Skittles are not food- they are classed as a confectionary designed for humans and were never designed as a feedstuff to be eaten by ruminants

I know skittles are just an example here but they are effectively human junk food that is supposed to be eaten as a treat and not fed to animals as a significant part of their diet along with other types of junk foods

Start adding ****e to an animals feed and like bse you will be sure to have some type of nasty consequences down the road - whether that is animal or human health time will tell

tomwaterford

gozunda wrote: »

As said what happens to our supposedly valuable grass fed image which we use both nationally and internationally? I've tasted lot fed beef and you can't compare it to our Irish beef. You get out what you put in imo.

Anything upto 60% of Irish beef comes off feed lots....kepak in particular have massive ones


The grass fed image,is just that......I know a producer of artisan meat down the country that advertises it as being from x region...

And at times of tight supply etc,have seen him buying up already fattened animals to fill orders

gozunda

tomwaterford wrote: »

Anything upto 60% of Irish beef comes off feed lots....kepak in particular have massive ones


The grass fed image,is just that......I know a producer of artisan meat down the country that advertises it as being from x region...

And at times of tight supply etc,have seen him buying up already fattened animals to fill orders

I'm talking the US model of feedlots- where cattle feed can be fed just about anything ...

Grass remain relatively cheap here whether zero grazing or fodder is used - the concern is adding in large amounts of human junk food to animals diets. We still use the grass fed image for marketing purposes and I know that composite feeds are used but hats a diffetent matter.

That will go out the window if we follow the US feedlot system imo.

ganmo

gozunda wrote: »

I'm talking the US model of feedlots- where cattle feed can be fed just about anything ...

Grass remain relatively cheap here whether zero grazing or fodder is used - the concern is adding in large amounts of human junk food to animals diets. We still use the grass fed image for marketing purposes and I know that composite feeds are used but hats a diffetent matter.

That will go out the window if we follow the US feedlot system imo.

Feedlot systems depend on a steady supply of feed, these loads of discarded food are not predictable so even in a feedlot system they only make up a small % of the diet.

I've no idea where you're getting this bee in your bonnet about feed lots...in the sheep forum

Siamsa Sessions

Don't know if it covers "donations" for animal consumption, but the EU has guidelines on Food Donation: https://ec.europa.eu/food/safety/food_waste/eu_actions/food-donation_en

gozunda

ganmo wrote: »

Feedlot systems depend on a steady supply of feed, these loads of discarded food are not predictable so even in a feedlot system they only make up a small % of the diet.
I've no idea where you're getting this bee in your bonnet about feed lots...in the sheep forum

I know that is the case in Ireland. :rolleyes: no need whatsoever to get over excited tbh ' It's called discussion I believe - others brought up the issue of feedlots afaik

Sheep - well sheep are sheep obviously...

Sheep breeder

Any body feeding this type of waste product have to register as a surplus feed user, which brings record keeping and inspections and not as simple as just feeding by products,
It's not to long ago when the dioxins in pigs knocked a big hole in the pig industry.

grassroot1

gozunda wrote: »

As said what happens to our supposedly valuable grass fed image which we use both nationally and internationally? I've tasted lot fed beef and you can't compare it to our Irish beef. You get out what you put in imo.


That grass fed image how is that working out for you.
Bord bia only work for the processors not for farmers they haven't put an extra penny in your pocket. There entire purpose is to operate a licencing system on behalf of the processors to allow you as a farmer to produce the raw material.

gozunda

grassroot1 wrote: »

That grass fed image how is that working out for you.
Bord bia only work for the processors not for farmers they haven't put an extra penny in your pocket. There entire purpose is to operate a licencing system on behalf of the processors to allow you as a farmer to produce the raw material.

I know from personal experience you can't beat good Irish grass fed beef, lamb etc ...