anyone using Downland Optilix ?

[andybk]

usually use a few crystalix for some stores on old grass this time of year , local Downland agency is pushing their optilix , anyone have experience if they last as long as crystalix , £1-2 cheaper and closer than MVF

 

[Bullring]

usually use a few crystalix for some stores on old grass this time of year , local Downland agency is pushing their optilix , anyone have experience if they last as long as crystalix , £1-2 cheaper and closer than MVF

Are they not made by rumenco so essentially the same as rumenco maxx buckets that mole valley now sell.

 

[Bill dog]

Regardless of price etc , the optilix bucket has a handle, so far easier to lug about, and has countless uses once empty.
Always slightly cheaper than crystalix as well, with no noticeable difference in product !

 

[ed g]

I use them for pedigree Texels - exactly the same as the rumenco maxx as far as I know. Last longer than anything else I have used in the past.

 

[hally]

Just as good as crystallix but cheaper

 

[andybk]

thanks lads , will get some in tomorrow , a bit of urea and energy to pull out some old grass this time of year , makes a good job, it at least holds condition on them .

 

[blackieman83]

Put one of the big crystalyx tubs out with a batch of ewes a few years back, it lasted 3 weeks, went to get another and they had none so was persuaded to take a Downland optilix instead, was a couple of quid cheaper and I was informed the "exact same" product, lasted a week, didn't buy any more Downland optilix.

 

[adda]

Put one of the big crystalyx tubs out with a batch of ewes a few years back, it lasted 3 weeks, went to get another and they had none so was persuaded to take a Downland optilix instead, was a couple of quid cheaper and I was informed the "exact same" product, lasted a week, didn't buy any more Downland optilix.

Have been using crystalyx till last year now on download a few people have told me come out of same factory and same ingredients I can not say they eat them any faster than the crystalyx but are cheaper when you work out cost per kg as downland are 2.5 kg lighter

 

[Nithsdale]

Just seem this thread...

Been using the Downland buckets for 3-4 years. Very happy with them. As already said - they have a handle so easy to move around and handy in the lambing shed for watering pens or feeding. They are also identical to the Rumenco Maxx buckets...


BUT;

Remember to work out the price £/kg as Downland are only 20kg compared to Rumenco and Crystalix both being 22.5kg. Downland you do, however, get a true tonne on a pallet instead of 990kg from the other 2.

Get a price for the Rumenco buckets - my neighbour managed to get them cheaper, per bucket, than I could for the Downland (yep, that annoyed me!). he hasn't ordered any this year so not sure current prices... I got my pallet of Downland for same price I paid last year.

 

[Poorbuthappy]

Put one of the big crystalyx tubs out with a batch of ewes a few years back, it lasted 3 weeks, went to get another and they had none so was persuaded to take a Downland optilix instead, was a couple of quid cheaper and I was informed the "exact same" product, lasted a week, didn't buy any more Downland optilix.

What was their grass situation in that time?
I find sheep will hardly touch the buckets with good grass, but consumption rockets if grass is short.

 

[andybk]

What was their grass situation in that time?
I find sheep will hardly touch the buckets with good grass, but consumption rockets if grass is short.

yes found that as well , good indicator of grass quality , and if its poor will help digestion with urea , was reason i posted as need to eat out some stalky stuff to clean up for spring , but didnt want lambs just eating them like feed blocks .

 

[blackieman83]

What was their grass situation in that time?
I find sheep will hardly touch the buckets with good grass, but consumption rockets if grass is short.

Grass was non existent they had access to the same quality haylage with both buckets. The point you make is very valid though.

 

[yellowbelly]

Get a price for the Rumenco buckets - my neighbour managed to get them cheaper, per bucket, than I could for the Downland (yep, that annoyed me!)

Prepare to be annoyed a bit more

As said above, Maxx buckets are almost the same as Optilix - just one or two minor differences in the trace elements lower down the list, if you can make out the hieroglyphics in my comparison below...

IME, Crystalyx are the 'Rolls Royce' but are a Rolls Royce price to go with it.
This year's prices to us (for a pallet) had Downland £75/t cheaper than Crystalyx and Rumenco Maxx £119/t cheaper than Downland.

Crystalyx are good but they aren't £194/t better than Rumenco. Maybe the Crystalyx price was 'inflated' a bit by the dealer (he was quoting for Downland too, so maybe wanting to push Optlix??) but he didn't get either after I'd done the comparison.

 

[Nithsdale]

Prepare to be annoyed a bit more

As said above, Maxx buckets are almost the same as Optilix - just one or two minor differences in the trace elements lower down the list, if you can make out the hieroglyphics in my comparison below...

IME, Crystalyx are the 'Rolls Royce' but are a Rolls Royce price to go with it.
This year's prices to us (for a pallet) had Downland £75/t cheaper than Crystalyx and Rumenco Maxx £119/t cheaper than Downland.

Crystalyx are good but they aren't £194/t better than Rumenco. Maybe the Crystalyx price was 'inflated' a bit by the dealer (he was quoting for Downland too, so maybe wanting to push Optlix??) but he didn't get either after I'd done the comparison.

Downland £130 or £140 cheaper than Crystalix.
Rumenco was around £100 cheaper than Downland last year (so almost £240 cheaper than Crystalix!) I've paid same price for Downland this year, as last year.
I've read over all the analysis of the buckets... It's too close to call for anyone to say either one is better or 'rolls royce', so it really comes down to price.

My main frustration is that the merchant selling Rumenco so cheap, is bloody useless and I hate working with them...

 

[yellowbelly]

It's too close to call for anyone to say either one is better or 'rolls royce', so it really comes down to price.

Totally agree that Crystalyx is too dear to use. By Rolls Royce, I mean the 'hardness thing' - I'm sure they do eat the others a bit quicker.

I'm going to get one Crystalyx tub and put it out next to a Maxx tub and take a picture every day. Could be interesting - watch this space.

 

[Nithsdale]

Totally agree that Crystalyx is too dear to use. By Rolls Royce, I mean the 'hardness thing' - I'm sure they do eat the others a bit quicker.

I'm going to get one Crystalyx tub and put it out next to a Maxx tub and take a picture every day. Could be interesting - watch this space.

Hardness is good...
But too hard is counter productive to the purpose of these buckets. So I don't really buy into the idea that harder is better.

Playing Devils advocate here;
In you're experiment, the molasses is cooked in a different way by each supplier - supposedly - to leave more sugars available to the ewe...
Let's just say the Rumenco buckets last longer - is it harder, or do the ewes just prefer the Crystalix and go to it much more?...

What? No, no I'm not an over thinker at all

 

[andybk]

Hardness is good...
But too hard is counter productive to the purpose of these buckets. So I don't really buy into the idea that harder is better.

Playing Devils advocate here;
In you're experiment, the molasses is cooked in a different way by each supplier - supposedly - to leave more sugars available to the ewe...
Let's just say the Rumenco buckets last longer - is it harder, or do the ewes just prefer the Crystalix and go to it much more?...

What? No, no I'm not an over thinker at all

way i look at it , im buying the urea / sugar to breakdown the old fibrous material ,so i can leave ewes / lambs on it a bit longer to get it eaten down tight tidy (and for better quality next spring) so i want enough to do the job but not to much that will make them scour , dont want them to eat it in preference to grass if its reasonable quality , delicate balance

 

[yellowbelly]

I'm going to get one Crystalyx tub and put it out next to a Maxx tub and take a picture every day. Could be interesting - watch this space.

I lied ??? - I haven't taken a pic every day, but here's a few. Doesn't prove anything at all, but it's interesting to see how they compare. I was quite surprised..........

Rumevite Maxx on left Crystalyx on right. Mob of 65 twin bearing Tex X ewes on sparse PP with access to round bale hay.

Day two (at the risk of sounding like that bloke off Big Brother )

Day six

Day eight

Say about 1kg left in each??? - maybe a bit more, but we'll say 2kg left.
Weight eaten =(22.5kg x 2)-2kg=43kg=5.625kg/day=86.5g/hd/day.
The leaflet says "35/75g/hd/day dependent on breed/weather/other feeds", so we're on the upper range but the PP is pretty sparse

 

[Nithsdale]

I lied ??? - I haven't taken a pic every day, but here's a few. Doesn't prove anything at all, but it's interesting to see how they compare. I was quite surprised..........

Rumevite Maxx on left Crystalyx on right. Mob of 65 twin bearing Tex X ewes on sparse PP with access to round bale hay.

Day two (at the risk of sounding like that bloke off Big Brother )

Day six

Day eight

Say about 1kg left in each??? - maybe a bit more, but we'll say 2kg left.
Weight eaten =(22.5kg x 2)-2kg=43kg=5.625kg/day=86.5g/hd/day.
The leaflet says "35/75g/hd/day dependent on breed/weather/other feeds", so we're on the upper range but the PP is pretty sparse

So... is it a draw??


Go on price, like I'm sure I said at the start

 

[yellowbelly]

Go on price, like I'm sure I said at the start

That's what we did too - it's reassuring to know that they're not chomping through them willy-nilly though