Balancing a maize heavy ration

[Werzle]

Who knew milk production had got so complicated .Just grass silage and 16%cake .Simples .Never seen a case of acidosis.

Feed one thing then another to balance it and before you know it its all got complicated and expensive. Still it keeps alot of people in work !

 

[lazy farmer]

Firstly are they getting In calf?
What is cow condition are they gaining?
Lastly are they genetically/ large enough to eat what is required?
So glad I calf in the spring

 

[Headless chicken]

Firstly are they getting In calf?
What is cow condition are they gaining?
Lastly are they genetically/ large enough to eat what is required?
So glad I calf in the spring

Will let you know next week if they are getting Incalf. Return rates are sensible currently. Could be a bit better. Heats are strong or not showing. Nothing in between. , no cystic cows seen yet.
condition probably the best it’s ever been. Normally have cows too fat.

intakes haven’t been correct for a while as in we’ve expected them to eat too much throwing the ration out this has now been changed but guessing we need 2 weeks to see the difference here.

odd one we have is cows rumen fill has declined over the past 4/5 days. Feed available and they’re eating it just rumens look very empty

 

[Beef farmer]

How many litres you sending per cow? F&P?
I know your feeding for 36 but..

 

[Farmer Keith]

Who knew milk production had got so complicated .Just grass silage and 16%cake .Simples .Never seen a case of acidosis.

Let them be, complication keeps the price up. We’d be screwed down pretty hard if we were all keeping it simple.

 

[Jdunn55]

Your feeding that the frisians? The whole point of the breed is to be breed quality calf’s, give a respectable yield and last forever, ours would go bang on that diet or be big bag of fat🫣

Yep, the friesian needs to progress if it's to stay alive. It needs to be able to compete with jerseys and holsteins in terms of producing kg of solids.
If it doesn't people will not use the semen on holsteins which means bulls will not be brought into stud and in turn means herds like yourself will have an even smaller sample pool to use semen from.

Friesians can milk like holsteins if they're fed like holsteins. Look up 90% of the friesian cows at inch or Aintree for example where they're fed tmr diets in a herd of holsteins and they're yields are up 8,000-12,000 litres at extortionate butterfat and protein levels. I'm trying to do the same.

My top 3 cows yesterday:
Zara 51 litres (95% british friesian)
Billy 48 litres (50% holstein 50% friesian)
Sylvia 45 litres (95% british friesian - dam of Newbarton so-it-goes on test)

Top heifers
Daisy 36 litres (50:50 holstein friesian)
Elegance 33 litres (holstein)
Then several doing 30-32 litres (mostly holsteins tbf)

For the past 3 lactations
Zara has done 5500 litres (she's halfway there already and has only been in milk for 60 days)
Billy has done 6000
Sylvia has done 6000
I reckon they'll all be 9,000-10,000 litre cows this time

When fed correctly they can compete. My aim is to increase kg of solids without reducing lifespan or calf value. It will not happen overnight.

For the first time iN 3 years I'm doing things and feeding the cows the way I want to, not the way anyone else wants me to. I'm ignoring sales reps and straight up telling them they're wrong or no. For the first time in 3 years I feel like I'm in control of the cows not the other way round and it's actually working.

 

[Martyn]

Yep, the friesian needs to progress if it's to stay alive. It needs to be able to compete with jerseys and holsteins in terms of producing kg of solids.
If it doesn't people will not use the semen on holsteins which means bulls will not be brought into stud and in turn means herds like yourself will have an even smaller sample pool to use semen from.

Friesians can milk like holsteins if they're fed like holsteins. Look up 90% of the friesian cows at inch or Aintree for example where they're fed tmr diets in a herd of holsteins and they're yields are up 8,000-12,000 litres at extortionate butterfat and protein levels. I'm trying to do the same.

My top 3 cows yesterday:
Zara 51 litres (95% british friesian)
Billy 48 litres (50% holstein 50% friesian)
Sylvia 45 litres (95% british friesian - dam of Newbarton so-it-goes on test)

Top heifers
Daisy 36 litres (50:50 holstein friesian)
Elegance 33 litres (holstein)
Then several doing 30-32 litres (mostly holsteins tbf)

For the past 3 lactations
Zara has done 5500 litres (she's halfway there already and has only been in milk for 60 days)
Billy has done 6000
Sylvia has done 6000
I reckon they'll all be 9,000-10,000 litre cows this time

When fed correctly they can compete. My aim is to increase kg of solids without reducing lifespan or calf value. It will not happen overnight.

For the first time iN 3 years I'm doing things and feeding the cows the way I want to, not the way anyone else wants me to. I'm ignoring sales reps and straight up telling them they're wrong or no. For the first time in 3 years I feel like I'm in control of the cows not the other way round and it's actually working.

The exact reason we are using less British Friesian going forward, I don’t want a concrete yard feeding cow, figures total waste of time if data from the system above are used to try and sell grass grazing types.

 

[buffalo_soldier]

Im not a fan of internet rationing,

However,

The vet is thinking along the correct line,
A dense wet tmr is less palatable. The addition of short chopped straw opens it up.
It also spoils quickly, increasing feed frequency may be an idea.

Im not at all sure a big slug of middling cake is the way.
Introduction of molasses can help, both with starch:sugar ratio and palatability.

There are a lot of unknowns here that your nutrition/vet/whoever else can be looking at.
Cudding rate,
respiration rate,
rumen fill
submission rate
pd rate
locomotion

The list goes on really and is part of the full picture, which takes me back to my opening sentence

 

[Jdunn55]

The exact reason we are using less British Friesian going forward, I don’t want a concrete yard feeding cow, figures total waste of time if data from the system above are used to try and sell grass grazing types.

I'm breeding cows to do both.

The exact same 3 cows did 6000 litres from grass.
The same 3 cows are doing 9000 with feeding better.

I will not be sacrificing calf quality or longevity, they need to be a main selling point if the friesian.

I need to breed cows who represent 95% of the market, unfortunately your way of thinking represents less than 5% of the market and I'd bet probably more like 1-2% as even most pure friesian breeders want more than 5-6000 litres from cows.

I want 8000-9000 litres at 8.5-9% solids with grazed graze doing a third of that, a calving interval of under 400 days and an average lactation average of 6-8 which produce strong beef calves.

 

[jondear]

Let them be, complication keeps the price up. We’d be screwed down pretty hard if we were all keeping it simple.

Complication keeps the yield up .That's what keeps the end price low!

 

[More to life]

Quick run the vegans have arrived sorry I mean block calvers.

 

[Walwyn]

The exact reason we are using less British Friesian going forward, I don’t want a concrete yard feeding cow, figures total waste of time if data from the system above are used to try and sell grass grazing types.

I 'm still aiming to breed the type of animal you require so don't write off all British Friesians, do feel that a separate form of marketing than the big AI companies maybe required though.

I'm breeding cows to do both.

The exact same 3 cows did 6000 litres from grass.
The same 3 cows are doing 9000 with feeding better.

I will not be sacrificing calf quality or longevity, they need to be a main selling point if the friesian.

I need to breed cows who represent 95% of the market, unfortunately your way of thinking represents less than 5% of the market and I'd bet probably more like 1-2% as even most pure friesian breeders want more than 5-6000 litres from cows.

I want 8000-9000 litres at 8.5-9% solids with grazed graze doing a third of that, a calving interval of under 400 days and an average lactation average of 6-8 which produce strong beef calves.

I'm a firm believer in everyone doing what suits them but just keep in mind that you don't get something for nothing. Those ambitions will result in a larger animal and thus energy demand, be careful not to fall in the trap many Holstein breeders did and end up losing inherent fertility along the way. Not dairy specific but I would encourage you to read up the work of Jan Bonsma and Johann Zietsman.

Sorry @Headless chicken gone off topic. All I can add to the discussion is observe the cow not the computer.

 

[supercow]

10kgs of blend sounds quite unhealthy.

 

[supercow]

Interesting….,, we had a blip when we got rid of the starlings and the dung became very stiff. I put this down to the starlings pinching all the starch from the mix. Thus getting rid of them meaning more available and stiff dung.

How did u get rid of the starlings?

 

[livestock 1]

What I didn’t explain was if the Maize silage is warming up a bit or getting secondary fermentation it will loose the bypass starch hence what you are experiencing

 

[ollie989898]

10kgs of blend sounds quite unhealthy.

Depends on how it is fed. In a TMR would be kinder than two hits in an OOPF.

 

[DairyGrazing]

Who knew milk production had got so complicated .Just grass silage and 16%cake .Simples .Never seen a case of acidosis.

Still milking the cows by hand?

 

[DairyGrazing]

I'm breeding cows to do both.

The exact same 3 cows did 6000 litres from grass.
The same 3 cows are doing 9000 with feeding better.

I will not be sacrificing calf quality or longevity, they need to be a main selling point if the friesian.

I need to breed cows who represent 95% of the market, unfortunately your way of thinking represents less than 5% of the market and I'd bet probably more like 1-2% as even most pure friesian breeders want more than 5-6000 litres from cows.

I want 8000-9000 litres at 8.5-9% solids with grazed graze doing a third of that, a calving interval of under 400 days and an average lactation average of 6-8 which produce strong beef calves.

Same people banging on about low cost this low cost that harping on about calf price.

 

[betweenthelines]

Who knew milk production had got so complicated .Just grass silage and 16%cake .Simples .Never seen a case of acidosis.

Grass silage? To new fangled for some on here who would rather just feed hay!

 

[Mc115reed]

does the man who did your analysis/ ration also sell you your blends/ straights? 🫣 would always use somebody independent if possible they’ll advise you on what’s gonna suit they’re pocket not yours