Highly undigestable feed, silage replacer may be ok, but better quality feed available, we had tipped tons in to feed trailers in NZ and wouldn't be able to do it with any other feed.
Cake Price Tracker
- Thread starter Beef farmer
- Start date
- Location
- God's side of the border.
That is exactly how we use it and feed it, self regulating as the cows don't find palatable but works well on the shoulders of the season.
Shouldn't be in cattle cake but as has been mentioned it very often is.
Raises butterfat % nicely too.
Do you still get that much BF increases these days? Processing has improved and less goodies in it now than was, bit like sugar beet pellets of yester years
- Location
- God's side of the border.
0.5% in a week after starting to feed it this Autumn.
Litres change much or just a lift in solids? What % is your BF in total, we're around 6% now.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
6.37% Holds litres maybe rather than lift, especially in the Autumn and we are OAD so volume definitely not our thing.
We're still on TAD, with too much grass on platform(but should aloud us to keep cows out for longer) , not feeding any thing other that 4.5 kg of maize meal and wheatfeed through shed.
- Location
- God's side of the border.
2kg PK, 2kg silage and rest grass, down to just over 10 litres now.
Helpinghand
Member
exept PKE come from Hundred and hundreds of miles away and brewers grains are on your door step and much better quality protein
frederick
Member
- Location
- south west
And one is moved at 85%dm and the other at20%dm.
The carbon footprint of the move to some farms maybe in favour of the pk
Far better to landfill it?!
Did you persevere? Auger here so would worry about blocking
Hill Dairy
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Just about to give up I think we just can't seem to get them to consistently finish the blend even with a very hi spec molassed one. Makes getting them to flow out the parlour challenging.
happycows
Member
- Location
- North Devon Cornwall border
How many kgs are you looking for them to eat?
lazy farmer
Member
- Location
- som/dor border
We never feed more than 2.5 a feed here tops here. Probably 10% don’t eat the summer blend.
doesnt really matter here as we have a herd not individuals so as long as the DM allocation is correct for the day then all good.
doesnt really matter here as we have a herd not individuals so as long as the DM allocation is correct for the day then all good.
Helpinghand
Member
but also what is in the cake ? palatability can be a huge factor, you can buy something called high spec but what products are in it... can you share ? just another angle to consider. ive worked with some cases where couldn't get the visits in the robots or similar as your case and most cases it has been because of the cake ingredients
Hill Dairy
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
This is the current blend which I think is good having 1/2 wet 1st cut and 1/2 reasonable 2nd cut at night both over 11 ME and grass in day. Were feeding 1.8kg a milking.
We March April block calve so treated as a herd not individual's. Should we be feeding a 13me hdf cake as first is under 20%dm?
Helpinghand
Member
that is a very good quality blend, id be extremely happy with that. would of thought there would be any palatability issues or even issues with dust, unless the wheatfeed and the wheat were particularly rubbish as in floor sweepings which i doubt.
to answer your question, for me, it very much depends on the protein content of you silages and NDF. At this stage of lactation, assuming you have enough protein in your silage, i think you should be ok. For me id only swap onto an HDF if the total ration was seriously lacking fibre. Without looking at the whole ration its hard to exact like.
Hill Dairy
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Here's 1st and 2nd they should still be getting a fair amount if protein from grass over 20% its good quality still. Just seem down on ltrs compared with last yr but then silage was vgood last yr which probably explains it.
Hill Dairy
Member
- Location
- Pembrokeshire
Do you have straight or indervidual troughs ours just stop when exiting if anys left as we have separate troughs and then it slows it up alot.