Diet feeders

mf240 · 31-07-2013 10:27PM #1

Well lads and ladies what are the pros and cons of a diet feeder?

Do they increase output and do they pay for themselves. I dont have one and am wondering if I missing out.

bob charles · 01-08-2013 12:09AM

they are the creation of the devil.

anyway dont you have cows, sure they only need grass??

when everything is sold here it will be the last thing out the gate.

Going forward... · 01-08-2013 12:32AM

Depends what you're prepared to put into them. They're not magic but if used to any of their potential, you should see improvements. It's probably more a change to your whole approach that will bring the benefits, making better silage, getting meal with better ingredients, formulating diets based on tests and so on. Depending on your yard layout, it might speed up feeding.

nashmach · 01-08-2013 01:40AM

bob charles wrote: »

when everything is sold here it will be the last thing out the gate.

Any further comments on why you say this Bob?

whelan1 · 01-08-2013 05:56AM

wouldnt be without it, have a keenan 170 feeder. no wastage, troughs normally cleaned. great way of getting straw , minerals into animals. very low maintenance

freedominacup · 01-08-2013 06:38AM

Get one but keep it simple. As soon as you go above 4 ingredients in a mix it gets time consuming. That said most of ours will have 6 counting straw and minerals. The first benefit is to be able to mix forages which should give you a 20%+ increase in forage intakes. Cheaper rations if you can take in grain at harvest time crimped grain has been our poison for 10 years or more now. We just buy a simple protein blend with maybe a bit of pulp added to balance the crimped grain. The meal cost savings should pay for the feeder fairly quickly.

As whelan said reduced waste, we expect to feed everything that's in the pits with absolute minimal dumping. Dry cows are usually the target for any leftovers. You aren't guessing how much you are cutting a group who aren't cleaning out their ration by you are measuring it accurately.

Unless you have very large numbers don't start getting involved with buying truckloads of straights between the storage requirements, waste, getting stuck with the wrong ingredients at the wrong time and the added complications and time spent running from one bay to another for bits of this and that it doesn't really save much if anything overall.

You don't need 100's of dairy cows to make a feeder viable. Two neighbours with 50 cow suckler herds who finish all their own calves have bought second-hand feeders in the past couple of years can't understand why they didn't get one years ago. Big reductions in calving problems, and far higher and cheaper performance from their finishing cattle. One of them works full-time off farm and the other has a business that keeps him off-farm quite a lot neither appear to have time issues since buying the feeder. Difficult calvings and sick cattle don't look after themselves either and can be very time consuming.

yellow50HX · 01-08-2013 08:36AM

what is your plan for it? by that i mean are you planning on using it to mix different feeds and for feeding different groups like the lads above?

are you looking for soemthing that will reduce your work load by been able to you the feeder to make up enough feed for 2 days then just hopping up on the tractor to feed it out.

you will need a tractor that can power it with enough spool valve to work the controls and also power the scales (usually pluged into the trailer lights). you will then need a loader or tractor with a decent sized loader, a quick attach is essential if you need the bucket to feed in loose feed.

also and very importantly can you fit one into your feed passages? had looked at getting a 2nd hand one last year for feeding sucklers and yearlings a mixture of silage, straw and maybe beet but the feed passage is too narrow and i'd end up catching the wall or driving over the silage.

jersey101 · 01-08-2013 10:30AM

As the lads say if your goin to get one keep it simple. No point in having heaps of feed around. All i get here is brewers grain and soya. I get a half tonne sack of soya at a time and that would nearly last me month to feed the heifers with, and i feed the cows the brewers with silage and minerals. Its a great way to make sure every animal is getting the same

loveta · 01-08-2013 10:41AM

Bought one in 02 and for the most part would not be without one, apart from the improve performance they really save fodder and like they guys in previous post said great way of getting straw into the diet to firm up dung esp if silage was made wet

Going forward... · 01-08-2013 11:43AM

For the love of God, don't buy a Keenan whatever you do.

jersey101 · 01-08-2013 12:06PM

Going forward... wrote: »

For the love of God, don't buy a Keenan whatever you do.

ill second that, takes way to long to mix bales. And bales is all i have

locha · 01-08-2013 12:06PM

Going forward... wrote: »

For the love of God, don't buy a Keenan whatever you do.

I take it you have also been through the pain of pulling out silage out of the auger when it gets blocked... have some fond memories of that!

grazeaway · 01-08-2013 12:13PM

are tub mixers better for bales? taught with a chopped bale that there would not be as many problems breaking them up?

jersey101 · 01-08-2013 12:15PM

grazeaway wrote: »

are tub mixers better for bales? taught with a chopped bale that there would not be as many problems breaking them up?

with tubs ye can really just throw the bales in a keenan you have too feed them in

01-08-2013 12:19PM

Read some sensible advice before that said so long as you do not have to another tractor to run the feeder it can stack up but always wondered about mixing times and the added fuel, maintence required?

Timmaay · 01-08-2013 12:48PM

Plenty people I've talked to have told me to stay away from a diet feeder, but I guess reading up about them now here, and looking at afew of the problems that I've had with our HO cows, it's something that I really should be more open minded about, at the very least I need to get way more serious with the cows diet around here. That or just steer away from any sort of 7/8klitres HO cows which we have, which are giving out far far less delivered milk on a herd average bases! I guess thats problem I need to address before I'd ever seriously look at a diet feeder, I've seen farmers expect the diet feeder to solve all their problems overnight, when the biggest problem is they aren't looking after the cows themselves.

delaval · 01-08-2013 01:23PM

whelan1 wrote: »

wouldnt be without it, have a keenan 170 feeder. no wastage, troughs normally cleaned. great way of getting straw , minerals into animals. very low maintenance

But you need a tractor and diesel and time to run it. Unless you're moving feed to an out farm, finishing cattle or very high out put milkers they are an unnecessary item.

I have had them and never regretted it going. We had Keenan and a 24cu twin tub, if you need a machine that's the one.

Funny Whelan I knew you had one when you mentioned 'tickle factor' in a post. A Keenan phrase!!

delaval · 01-08-2013 01:26PM

Timmaay wrote: »

Plenty people I've talked to have told me to stay away from a diet feeder, but I guess reading up about them now here, and looking at afew of the problems that I've had with our HO cows, it's something that I really should be more open minded about, at the very least I need to get way more serious with the cows diet around here. That or just steer away from any sort of 7/8klitres HO cows which we have, which are giving out far far less delivered milk on a herd average bases! I guess thats problem I need to address before I'd ever seriously look at a diet feeder, I've seen farmers expect the diet feeder to solve all their problems overnight, when the biggest problem is they aren't looking after the cows themselves.

Timmay maybe you need one but if you re read your last post in Grass measuring I think with the greatest respect that you might need to invest otherwise ie regrassing first

Going forward... · 01-08-2013 01:28PM

Timmaay wrote: »

Plenty people I've talked to have told me to stay away from a diet feeder, but I guess reading up about them now here, and looking at afew of the problems that I've had with our HO cows, it's something that I really should be more open minded about, at the very least I need to get way more serious with the cows diet around here. That or just steer away from any sort of 7/8klitres HO cows which we have, which are giving out far far less delivered milk on a herd average bases! I guess thats problem I need to address before I'd ever seriously look at a diet feeder, I've seen farmers expect the diet feeder to solve all their problems overnight, when the biggest problem is they aren't looking after the cows themselves.

You don't need a feeder to tackle those problems. A feeder alone won't do anything for you. Start with getting good nutritional advice. A better quality, balanced meal in the parlour is good enough for most herd of those yields. If your mindset is meal is evil, forget it too.

whelan1 · 01-08-2013 01:34PM

delaval wrote: »

But you need a tractor and diesel and time to run it. Unless you're moving feed to an out farm, finishing cattle or very high out put milkers they are an unnecessary item.

I have had them and never regretted it going. We had Keenan and a 24cu twin tub, if you need a machine that's the one.

Funny Whelan I knew you had one when you mentioned 'tickle factor' in a post. A Keenan phrase!!

ye we have an outfarm, we go there with feeder twice a week in the winter, very handy. i suppose the other downside is its doing nothing for 6 months-well in a "normal" year-

mf240 · 01-08-2013 01:41PM

Ya thanks for the replies I suppose it would be something that I was just thinking about.
Have to say I would nearly prefer to put in a feed to yield system in the palour and get a good nut made up to suit forage. (something like mahoney j)
Feeder would mean purchasing another tractor and some adjusments to a couple of sheds.
One shed could do with improvement anyway, but I think if I was to get to the stage that they all had room to eat at once, it would give me the option to restrict silage and feed some straw even without buying feeder.
Also the fact that silage is my only forage I dont think there is much to be gained here. But I wont rule it out just yet.

bob charles · 01-08-2013 02:49PM

I find it hard to see how someone can justify a feeder to park it up for 8 months of the year. In my view to you lads with cows it would be most beneficial at the shoulders of the grazing season and times like last may when the grass just wouldnt grow and you can buffer feed the cows to balance everything up. I a fan of the keenan type feeder as it doesnt give trouble when working hard. A couple of bearings usually is all that needed. On saying that mine is to be relined in the next month or so but having put through about 30k tons through it so not too bad. does something short of 1k loads a year but I constantly over load it :rolleyes: so something has got to give. Diet feeder aint magic so if you put in **** you will get out ****, simple as.

**** = s hit:rolleyes:

mikefoxo · 01-08-2013 10:09PM

mf240 wrote: »

Also the fact that silage is my only forage I dont think there is much to be gained here.

Would you think about one of these?

www.youtube.com/watch?v=SupYPeSrTQc

Going forward... · 02-08-2013 08:58AM

No brainer then in that case. How much is a proper feed to yield system?

bob charles · 02-08-2013 10:58AM

other good think about diet feeders is your able to use liquid feed. which Im a serious fan of

Going forward... · 02-08-2013 11:02AM

What liquid feeds are you using, Bob?

nashmach · 02-08-2013 12:41PM

bob charles wrote: »

other good think about diet feeders is your able to use liquid feed. which Im a serious fan of

Rainwater stor Bob

:D

bob charles · 02-08-2013 02:38PM

Going forward... wrote: »

What liquid feeds are you using, Bob?

only beef cattle here so can afford any of the fancy products, just straight cane molasses at the moment, sway in and out when sugar beet is available. like to keep the sugars high in the diet along with intakes

grumpyfarmer · 03-08-2013 12:15PM

Just a question I've always been curious about the2 different types of feeders can a tub feeder mix a plain meal ration, i.e. say a calf ration, 3 parts rolled barley 1 part citrus 1 part soy bean meal and minerals or a dairy ration, the same way you can in a paddle type??

bob charles · 03-08-2013 12:17PM

grumpyfarmer wrote: »

Just a question I've always been curious about the2 different types of feeders can a tub feeder mix a plain meal ration, i.e. say a calf ration, 3 parts rolled barley 1 part citrus 1 part soy bean meal and minerals or a dairy ration, the same way you can in a paddle type??

yes, has problems discharging the final 100 ish kilos though

dar31 · 03-08-2013 01:14PM

bob charles wrote: »

only beef cattle here so can afford any of the fancy products, just straight cane molasses at the moment, sway in and out when sugar beet is available. like to keep the sugars high in the diet along with intakes

what price is molasses at the moment, havent feed it in a few years, as it had got to dear, but we are still set up for it

Diet feeders

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