Ad-lib nuts or ad-lib barley dairy X bulls and steers

[FarmerK]

Does anyone on here feed ad-lib nuts to their dairy X steers or bulls instead of ad-lib barley protein?
Indoor housed and on straw feed

The reason I’m asking is because by the time you get your barley, protein, mix and mill it, labour then possibly led it is it cheaper than just getting a nut blown into a bin and it be done with?
Everything for myself is to buy in regardless so I don’t already have the barley etc

Is there a significant performance difference etc?

 

[Timbo]

Id have a very good think about selling the cattle (assuming marketable) than buying in feed for them.

 

[An Gof]

Does anyone on here feed ad-lib nuts to their dairy X steers or bulls instead of ad-lib barley protein?
Indoor housed and on straw feed

The reason I’m asking is because by the time you get your barley, protein, mix and mill it, labour then possibly led it is it cheaper than just getting a nut blown into a bin and it be done with?
Everything for myself is to buy in regardless so I don’t already have the barley etc

Is there a significant performance difference etc?

If you haven’t already got the nuts contracted it will be expensive either way.
The way prices at moving for concentrates if you are doing intensive as lib conc dairy beef you’ll be wanting a lift in the beef price when you come to sell them.

 

[beefandsleep]

There possibly isn’t much in it if you are buying all your feed in anyway but not if you’ve grown it yourself.
I don’t think finishing cattle is viable if that is the case and doubt it ever has been.

 

[An Gof]

Job doesn’t look Good with straw at £150/t either.
Think I’d be better off not having the cattle and selling the straw and barley this year.

 

[FarmerK]

There possibly isn’t much in it if you are buying all your feed in anyway but not if you’ve grown it yourself.
I don’t think finishing cattle is viable if that is the case and doubt it ever has been.

I’m not finishing them, just growing them quickly if you get what I mean. Just any advice would be good. Silage mightn’t always be available so was just curious as to other feeding options that’s all

 

[Hummin-Cummins]

What about a a ready made bull meal?

 

[Agrivator]

The benefit of a a beef nut, from a reputable company, is that it is likely to be slightly dearer than your own mix, but certainly more reliable/predictable.

A major benefit is that you should be able to get it tipped or blown in 5 tonne lots, or any higher quantity. What quantities of barley and proteins would you have to buy?

And milling and mixing plays havoc with your airways, and boiler suit. You also have to change your shirt and wash your hair at regular intervals,

 

[Bullring]

If you haven’t already got the nuts contracted it will be expensive either way.
The way prices at moving for concentrates if you are doing intensive as lib conc dairy beef you’ll be wanting a lift in the beef price when you come to sell them.

The whole contract thing won’t be worth the piece of paper its written on if tarriffs are put on goods, most of the feed companies have it written into it that prices may alter in the event of tarrifs. I decided to sell all my 16-19 month old cattle that I usually fatten as stores this year, price was extremely good for them and straw was expensive and there’s no risk of the beef price crashing after Christmas like it usually does, it could backfire if beef price rockets but it was money in the bank with no risk at the time and Now I can spread the remaining cows and calves out more in the sheds hopefully reducing straw usage.

I usually feed barley and protein pellets and molasses but after doing the sums theirs only about £10-£15 t in it by the time you buy the barley, Protein, molasses and cost in Milling and mixing, so to save faffing about I’ve gone nuts this year.

 

[czechmate]

The whole contract thing won’t be worth the piece of paper its written on if tarriffs are put on goods, most of the feed companies have it written into it that prices may alter in the event of tarrifs. I decided to sell all my 16-19 month old cattle that I usually fatten as stores this year, price was extremely good for them and straw was expensive and there’s no risk of the beef price crashing after Christmas like it usually does, it could backfire if beef price rockets but it was money in the bank with no risk at the time and Now I can spread the remaining cows and calves out more in the sheds hopefully reducing straw usage.

I usually feed barley and protein pellets and molasses but after doing the sums theirs only about £10-£15 t in it by the time you buy the barley, Protein, molasses and cost in Milling and mixing, so to save faffing about I’ve gone nuts this year.

I mill up home grown cereals and mix with bicarbonate and protein pellets.
What do you do with the molasses? Just pour a bit on, in the trough? Wouldn’t dream of putting it in the mixer!!

 

[Bullring]

I mill up home grown cereals and mix with bicarbonate and protein pellets.
What do you do with the molasses? Just pour a bit on, in the trough? Wouldn’t dream of putting it in the mixer!!

yea all goes in the mixer, mines a vertical one with auger up through the middle, don’t know if I’d want to put molasses in a chain and slat one.

 

[czechmate]

yea all goes in the mixer, mines a vertical one with auger up through the middle, don’t know if I’d want to put molasses in a chain and slat one.

Yes the same. I can imagine it getting all sticky? Mine is 3 tonnes, what kind of amount do you add to that?

Do you pour it in the top?

 

[deleted user 837354]

If you can grow barley for sensible money on your own farm, you can buy in a small volume of higher protein material and have a mobile mill and mix wagon in to mill the barley and blend the rest of the products to create your own blend. I suspect this is likely to be the neck end of £20/tonne though by the time you have done it.

Few things must pish farmers off more than seeing a whole load of excellent looking finished beef cattle get loaded on a wagon and then be robbed for them when it comes to the finished price on a hook. Enough to make you vegetarian I dare say. One or two goes of that and I'd be like fudge it and refuse to keep any cattle or just sell stores.

 

[Bullring]

Yes the same. I can imagine it getting all sticky? Mine is 3 tonnes, what kind of amount do you add to that?

Do you pour it in the top?

Yea pour it in the top, use about 20 litres per ton, don’t pour it all in at once. Usually half full it then pour half of it in whilst it’s mixing and the other half when it’s full, stops the dust.

 

[Hampton]

Does anyone on here feed ad-lib nuts to their dairy X steers or bulls instead of ad-lib barley protein?
Indoor housed and on straw feed

The reason I’m asking is because by the time you get your barley, protein, mix and mill it, labour then possibly led it is it cheaper than just getting a nut blown into a bin and it be done with?
Everything for myself is to buy in regardless so I don’t already have the barley etc

Is there a significant performance difference etc?

I grow all my own feed, so feed barley and beans, but ACT do a fully mineralised urea in a 25kg bag which you add to barley at a rate of one bag per tonne. This is supposed to give a 13.5% protein mix.
Think a bag is £15. Barley is around £145-150, therefore you could theoretically feed your cattle for £160-165 plus milling costs.
I haven’t priced a blend or nut, but doubt you would buy one for under £220 per tonne

 

[Bullring]

I grow all my own feed, so feed barley and beans, but ACT do a fully mineralised urea in a 25kg bag which you add to barley at a rate of one bag per tonne. This is supposed to give a 13.5% protein mix.
Think a bag is £15. Barley is around £145-150, therefore you could theoretically feed your cattle for £160-165 plus milling costs.
I haven’t priced a blend or nut, but doubt you would buy one for under £220 per tonne

im paying 230 for a good 16% rearing blend in tote bags so in bulk it would be cheaper. Bulk 16% nuts are 231

 

[Hampton]

just worked it out and my barley, beans, mins, equaliser, molasses plus milling is working out at £175/t
(Barley at £145, beans at 210)

 

[Bullring]

just worked it out and my barley, beans, mins, equaliser, molasses plus milling is working out at £175/t
(Barley at £145, beans at 210)

At a guess

750kgs barley £109
200kgs beans £42
25kgs mins £10-15
25kgs molasses £12-14
Mill and mix costs £15/t

Nearer to £190-195 for a 13.1% mix

At 16% you would be nearer £215-220

 

[Hampton]

At a guess

750kgs barley £109
200kgs beans £42
25kgs mins £10-15
25kgs molasses £12-14
Mill and mix costs £15/t

Nearer to £190-195 for a 13.1% mix

At 16% you would be nearer £215-220

That’s not my mix though is it?
Also, £12-14 for molasses? Is it dipped in gold?
25kg of minerals for £15?
think you need to buy your straights from somewhere else!
Percentage depends on size of cattle. You don’t need to feed a 16% ration to a 500kg animal.

 

[Bullring]

That’s not my mix though is it?
Also, £12-14 for molasses? Is it dipped in gold?
25kg of minerals for £15?
think you need to buy your straights from somewhere else!
Percentage depends on size of cattle. You don’t need to feed a 16% ration to a 500kg animal.

No but you need a 13% ration high in starch to finish, by my calculations that’s 750kgs of barley and 200kgs of beans, add in molasses and minerals and your at 1000kgs. Your at 150 without minerals, molasses and Milling and mixing. I’m basing molasses on an ibc of 1000l which I bought last year, it’s since gone up. It’s 1.3t in weight at 32ppl so 41p per kg. 25 kgs per ton is £10.50.