feeding nuts

Tomjim

I have land away from the house and the ewes are there at the moment and will be coming home shortly

There are 30 ewes there and they get a bucket of nuts each day, I throw it on the ground as there are no troughs there.

While I know this may not be ideal, I don't seem to lose an awful lot of it

Anyone any views re throwing nuts on the ground

893bet

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058277885/feeding-nuts

On concrete? It’s fine. They will lick it clean.

If on grass there must be loss not to mention the amount of dirt they must end up eating.

funkey_monkey

Not fed sheep outside in long time, but I guess it would depend on the nut and ground conditions. If you can get the nuts out on solid ground then it should be fine, but if lying on gutters then no. If you're not losing much then you may be okay. I'd prefer to feed them in troughs though. Nuts would be fine - some are designed to be fed this way.

Do you have troughs for them when they come home?

Tomjim

yes troughs when they come home

Always feed in a high spot, which would be dry. ie last few days there were pools of water but I go to high spot where there is no water and is dry

Danzy

Corrugated pipe,grand job. I also put the nuts under a wire works fine

funkey_monkey

Obvs would have been better in the troughs, but should be fine on a high spot.

Jonnyc135

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058277885/feeding-nuts

If ur in the west, homeland/Aurivo are making a sheep cob nut at the minute that perfect for feeding on ground and no wastage, 18% protein and €12.25 a bag.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120058740#Comment_120058740

We never use troughs outside for ewes, we always use cobs,, they're a great job ,, Grennans make them as well.

Jonnyc135

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059062#Comment_120059062

This is Aurivos first year making them, Ill definitely be buying them as I always finding mucking up around a trough area or in a pen always leads to lameness, least with these I can feed them different areas every day to help minimize the risk and poaching, without having to lug a few steel troughs around, plus they seem good value too compared to the conventional 18% ewe and lamb at €13 a bag.

razor8

many uk flocks feed cobs to ewes inside as well by just throwing it into the pens

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120059103#Comment_120059103

Yea, and if you have a big number of sheep they'd knock you over the troughs

farawaygrass

Do ye use a snacker for feeding the cobs?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120061062#Comment_120061062

Yea, but I know people that just throw them from the quad too

Jimbo789

Is there anyone making a cheaper cob suitable for giving small amount just as maintenance for ewe lambs being kept until hoggets for breeding, they have no grass left but as much hay as they want.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120064748#Comment_120064748

Until now there wasn't much demand for sheep cobs and the merchants would only supply one type but demand is picking up now so there might be different rations available as cobs. Were buying the 18%cobs from Grennans at a similar price to their lamb finisher.

Hay usually doesn't have great feed value so the bit of extra protein in cobs would be no harm. Protein helps livestock to digest fibre and God Knows there's plenty of fibre in hay.

Tomjim

I was buying the Grennans 16% protein nut, is this the same as cobs?

I know Grennans also do a bulk sheep nut in the bin that you can pick up 500kg loose, would that be a cob?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120067024#Comment_120067024

Their nuts are only about 8mm, the cobs are 15mm.

As far as I know the only Cobs they're making for sheep are the 18% cobs. There wasn't a lot of demand for cobs and it's awkward for them to change the machinery unless they were sure of demand.

I'd sometimes feed Cobs at the end of april if the east wind cut the grass out of it and I'd have to go around the local branches taking what they'd left over

razor8

what are ye paying for pre lambing meal this year? haven't priced around yet

Jonnyc135

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120069849#Comment_120069849

12.25 for 18% protein cobs and around 13ish for 18% protein ewe&lamb nuts in aurivo. Was handling them last week during the scanning and they in very good shape and plenty of decent winter grass ahead of them. Was a mild winter up until recently, and projections around Europe is their could be another warm spell comming.

I will just feed bare minimum 3-4 weeks pre lambing along with crystalex.

orm0nd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120069849#Comment_120069849

440/tonne bulk blown in, nuts , ration probably cheaper , but attracts birds

19%p barley soya distillers maize minerals

I do try to get multiple drops eg order weanling or dairy on the same load and haggle a bit of discount for same

razor8

Not bad value in todays market and ingredients look good. Which mill are they from?

k mac

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120070373#Comment_120070373

Do you find the chrstalx worth it, its expensive at nearly 33 a bucket, i put one with 20 ewes a week ago and its nearly half gone already

Jonnyc135

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120074493#Comment_120074493

There fairly eating through that alright have they much grass in front of them, I usually get alot longer, a bucket could last me a well over a month per 25 ewes, but they are on decent grass too which may mean they dont need as much of the lick for energy.

The only reason I like using them as I am quite mean with nut feeding them especially if they are in decent shape, least the bucket can ensure they are getting minerals an extra energy when they need it.

Limestone Cowboy

€520/ton for grennans 20%. Got a pallet earlier in the week.

Box09

540 for Glanbia ewe master 20%. Got 5t blown in so hopefully get for 500 when pay at end of month.

Sami23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120069849#Comment_120069849

450 for 18% nut

470 for 20% nut plus Soya

Small Bags:

12.80 and 13.35.

Gonna go with the 20% nut this year right or wrong

clonagh

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120083709#Comment_120083709

Who and where are those prices from?

Sami23

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120084550#Comment_120084550

Local merchant in Galway.

Do you count them good or bad

clonagh

They're not bad. I paid 510 for 18% nut.

razor8

% protein doesn't mean a thing in my opinion. I would be more concerned on what the ingredients were

you could get a very good 18% feed or a very bad one, a lot of people get caught out on this and end up with ewes with very poor milk

Limestone Cowboy

This is the nut I'm feeding from grennans.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103113#Comment_120103113

That's the same as I use too, really good ingredients, ewes perform well on it here

charolais0153

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120104239#Comment_120104239

It’s the best I’ve seen.

Jimbo789

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120104239#Comment_120104239

Do you find the Grennan’s size of pellet works well in Advantage/3in1 feeder?

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120105902#Comment_120105902

Have only used the elite lamb finisher pellet as the others were a bit dusty and clogged in the damp.

Like the elite ewe and lamb, the elite lamb finisher is a very good ration

razor8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120103113#Comment_120103113

really top ingredients in that mix, should be lots of milk from them. how much is it costing?

Limestone Cowboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120110168#Comment_120110168

520/ton in bags.

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120110906#Comment_120110906

€475 bulk collected for the same nut though my local co op

Limestone Cowboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112248#Comment_120112248

Fair difference. I'd to get it ordered in, merchant doesn't normally stock it.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120112248#Comment_120112248

€505 on the invoice for same ration in bags collected but it'll be a good bit less when i pay

Dickie10

whats your opinions on a mineral bucket? i usually go with lifeline as the lambs come lively and ewes have plenty of milk. are there other good/better ones out there?

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120113474#Comment_120113474

Pure waste of money,your paying over 1000 euro a ton for a block of hardened molasses with a touch of soya hulls and a few grams of minerals,..a good meal is far cheaper even at 400+ a ton

orm0nd

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120072161#Comment_120072161

I'm leaving a substantial figure with that merchant annually and have to fight my corner You (or myself) won't match it asking for a once off. (not trying to be smart)

A lot of comments here about 'good' nuts at very high cost. Remember gold can be bought too dear especially with the current outlook.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114283#Comment_120114283

I'm guessing you've good quality silage and it doesn't matter what meal you use, or any for that matter. A neighbour got his silage tested last year and he was recommended only to feed meal for the last fortnight of pregnancy to twin and triplet carrying ewes.

I'm at the other end of the scale and I know the straw is rubbish feed, just fibre, so we go for the best we can get.

Incidentally we worked it out this year again and feeding silage at €35/bale costs the same as feeding meal at €500/ton and anyone thats selling 70dmd silage at €35 bale is losing money on it

Limestone Cowboy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120114283#Comment_120114283

It's hard to know what's right or wrong. I'd got a few bags of 19% ewe and lamb nuts from liffeys before Christmas at 11.50 a bag and if it's anything like their cattle meal it's sh1t. For the sake of the few euro I'd rather feed them something right and have the ewes milking.

wrangler

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120115003#Comment_120115003

+100

Lambs get a great start when the ewe is well fed, i'd guess that all these lambs that are under 30kg at this stage were short of milk when born, I'd be aiming to have my lambs circa 30 kgs when weaned, not the following december.

The xtra cost involved in a ewe eating 40kg pre lambing is only €3 or 4 . A ewe on silage would be very well fed to eat 40kg

Sami23

This is the nut I'm feeding this year at 13.35 for 25kg bags or 470 bulk available also.

How does it compare to the other nuts mentioned above ?

razor8

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120116791#Comment_120116791

It’s not bad in my opinion. I’d like soya bean higher up

weatherbyfoxer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/120116791#Comment_120116791

Maize,soya meal,barley and distiller are the first 4 ingredients..will do the job perfectly...what you don't want to see in the top 3 ingredients in the list is rapeseed, sunflower,palm kernel or gluten,alot of these bring up the protein % but the digestibility of that protein is low

Soya meal,barley,oats,maize soya hulls are what you want to see usually

Tomjim

I changed from nuts to the COBS, both are from Grennans.

The sheep aren't that keen on the COBS, I only started feeding it on Saturday, will they get to like it?

roosky

Started feeding the COBS a week ago....absolute game changer for me !!!

I have a portable meal bin (JFC bale lifter type) in field with approx 20 bags in it....i stop on the way home from work and spread a bag in little piles (approx 1kg per pile) and that's 80 ewes fed in about 2 mins, with no troughs, no fighting ewes, no muck and no hassle.

COBS prob aren't good enough quality for final two weeks pre lambing but plenty good to get out wintered ewes that far...IMO