Feed passage vs troughs

A1baz · Jan 16, 2024

Currently feed our cows in an old brick trough built against the wall of the shed. The current trough is way too high and they struggle to eat the last 25% and feeding inside the shed is a PITA. Planning to pull the trough and wall out as part of some shed upgrades and put some locking yokes in so I can feed outside.

Question is why does nearly everyone seem to favour feeding on the floor rather than in a trough? Just seems like you’re creating an extra job by constantly having to push it up. Read some guidance saying ideally every wants doing every 2 hours!

I’m tempted by something like this. Interested to hear other people’s thoughts.

O'Reilly · Jan 16, 2024

A1baz said:
Currently feed our cows in an old brick trough built against the wall of the shed. The current trough is way too high and they struggle to eat the last 25% and feeding inside the shed is a PITA. Planning to pull the trough and wall out as part of some shed upgrades and put some locking yokes in so I can feed outside.

Question is why does nearly everyone seem to favour feeding on the floor rather than in a trough? Just seems like you’re creating an extra job by constantly having to push it up. Read some guidance saying ideally every wants doing every 2 hours!

I’m tempted by something like this. Interested to hear other people’s thoughts.

View attachment 1158973

I don't know about concrete troughs, but I agree with everything else you said. The only thing I would say against troughs is the buggers flick the feed out, and it doesn't get shovelled back in. At the moment your wall is stopping this. It's less of an issue if your trough is fed from both sides.

Nathan818 · Jan 16, 2024

We feed on the floor because at least you can push it up relatively easily in various ways. Pushing up will improve intakes too regardless, just reminds cows that there's food there. With a trough if you have it anyway filled at all then you'll come back and find half of it flicked out onto the floor, and then there's no easy way of getting it back in other than forking it over

‍

Conrod96 · Jan 16, 2024

We put in the feed bunkers on a new shed in 2017 was laying thru out on the floor there is a weeks worth so not too bad

egbert · Jan 16, 2024

Raised feed passages ...pleasing place to be on a winters day

Grassman247 · Jan 16, 2024

A1baz said:
Currently feed our cows in an old brick trough built against the wall of the shed. The current trough is way too high and they struggle to eat the last 25% and feeding inside the shed is a PITA. Planning to pull the trough and wall out as part of some shed upgrades and put some locking yokes in so I can feed outside.

Question is why does nearly everyone seem to favour feeding on the floor rather than in a trough? Just seems like you’re creating an extra job by constantly having to push it up. Read some guidance saying ideally every wants doing every 2 hours!

I’m tempted by something like this. Interested to hear other people’s thoughts.

View attachment 1158973

We have fitted those in our new shed. Very pleased with them. We feed twice a day now, zero wastage, no manure getting into the feed and only cleaned trough out once a year and milk gone up because feed is fresher also eliminates a job of pushing up or a robot which will wonder off or break down. People slate troughs but historically they’ve been badly designed

we also layed concrete on outside of trough 6 inches higher so feeder tractor just drops food into trough to make feeding easier

Farmer Keith · Jan 17, 2024

Our trough works well, built in 2012, had to add the top rail a few years later after a cow got pushed in upside down. Take a bit of care getting your measurements right and the cows clean it up no problem, I fly along with the shovel once a fornight and chuck any leftovers out, keeps you focused on good clamp management as it’s to chuck out by hand if you get it wrong. Biggest downside is you need a wagon with a conveyor belt to fill it. Nearly impossible with the grab or the bucket.

frederick · Jan 17, 2024

How many of these until a lely juno is cheaper.

Cleaning out is the harder problem. Can't say I can really agree with the person that manages to get away with only cleaning his troughs out once a year. To my mind that means the cows have probably been underfed every day if the year.

betweenthelines · Jan 17, 2024

Are you underfed if you leave your plate clean?

A1baz · Jan 17, 2024

frederick said:
View attachment 1159105

How many of these until a lely juno is cheaper.

Cleaning out is the harder problem. Can't say I can really agree with the person that manages to get away with only cleaning his troughs out once a year. To my mind that means the cows have probably been underfed every day if the year.

I make my cows clean up, maybe chuck one or 2 shovel fulls out if I’m feeling inpatient and they’re knocking out 850kg of solids. I don’t think they’re underfed but I think they’ll do more if they didn’t have to work so hard to reach the bottom of the trough.

Last year they quoted me £350 each so about 50 needed to match the Fullwood pusher. I only need 10!

Farmer Keith · Jan 17, 2024

A1baz said:
I make my cows clean up, maybe chuck one or 2 shovel fulls out if I’m feeling inpatient and they’re knocking out 850kg of solids. I don’t think they’re underfed but I think they’ll do more if they didn’t have to work so hard to reach the bottom of the trough.

Last year they quoted me £350 each so about 50 needed to match the Fullwood pusher. I only need 10!

Plus they’ve virtually no ongoing maintenance cost and the pusher will be on the scrap heap long before they are.

Old apprentice · Jan 17, 2024

You guys with troughs do with having to clean them out.

Grassman247 · Jan 17, 2024

frederick said:
View attachment 1159105

How many of these until a lely juno is cheaper.

Cleaning out is the harder problem. Can't say I can really agree with the person that manages to get away with only cleaning his troughs out once a year. To my mind that means the cows have probably been underfed every day if the year.

5200 litres from forage with a total yield of 7600 litres and concentrate use of 1.4T per cow. There is and never will be any underfed cows on this farm.

Not many doing that sort of litres from forage.

Conrod96 · Jan 17, 2024

Grassman247 said:
5200 litres from forage with a total yield of 7600 litres and concentrate use of 1.4T per cow. There is and never will be any underfed cows on this farm.

Not many doing that sort of litres from forage.

That’s is serious performance

Only time we we’ve have to clean out our troughs is when at the end of one silo pit and starting a new one, makes you watch what you put into the diet feeder

Blue. · Jan 17, 2024

Milkers are all fed on floor and drys and beef fed in troughs,I push feed up twice a day,it’s a good time to look into the cows and check for bullers etc

O'Reilly · Jan 18, 2024

Grassman247 said:
5200 litres from forage with a total yield of 7600 litres and concentrate use of 1.4T per cow. There is and never will be any underfed cows on this farm.

Not many doing that sort of litres from forage.

Where do the brewers grains fit into that, I think you feed a few hundred tonnes?

jimmer · Jan 18, 2024

frederick said:
View attachment 1159105

How many of these until a lely juno is cheaper.

Cleaning out is the harder problem. Can't say I can really agree with the person that manages to get away with only cleaning his troughs out once a year. To my mind that means the cows have probably been underfed every day if the year.

Yet while grazing it's perfectly acceptable to make them hit a 1500 residual and have them keen enough for good parlour flow

jimmer · Jan 18, 2024

Rather spend a couple hundred quid on an attachment that pushes waste out of trough once a week than tens of thousands on a robot silage pusher that requires constant maintenance

frederick · Jan 18, 2024

jimmer said:
Yet while grazing it's perfectly acceptable to make them hit a 1500 residual and have them keen enough for good parlour flow

But when grazing your looking to maximize the grass not the cow.

When I turn out my uniform spp will drop 2-3 litres which means they have dropped their lactation curve shape by about 6-700 litres.

Beef farmer · Jan 18, 2024

jimmer said:
Rather spend a couple hundred quid on an attachment that pushes waste out of trough once a week than tens of thousands on a robot silage pusher that requires constant maintenance

A prong isn't that dear

Feed passage vs troughs

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