Changing the way I feed.

[happycows]

So for nearly 10 years I’ve fed the same blend and ingredients with just an alteration in inclusion to get desired protein from one bin through robot and oopf. It worked well and did 9200/9300
Just 6/7 good quality ingredients. No extras.
I did used to feed regumaize 44 ad lib in winter which I really liked as it drove some milk from late lactation cows but be last few years I think it is way overpriced and not used it.

This winter fed same blend through parlour and as I felt it was pricey enough I’ve been putting wheat gluten through oopf at a £70t saving. It has worked well

Now looking to the summer wondering if I should be feeding something like wheat gluten, corex etc through the parlour and then top up fresh cows with good blend or cake through oopf. Basically target the expensive stuff to the ones needing/deserving it.

any suggestions of a good straight or maybe mix of 2 to complement grass in the parlour.

Wheatfeed has never really appealed to me, but maybe I should not write it off?

Blend will remain probably 15% maize based with good fibre and bypass protein source.

Also butterfats always been a challenge on grass (zerograzed) in the summer. Going to try a bale or two a day this year which is going to add some cost but quality milk pays!

Tempted to try some pk in a trough in the yard. Stupid idea?

Should add no tmr or feeder wagon but storage not a problem, would like to do 8500l or over without complicating things.

Any suggestions appreciated,

I have a feeling the feed prices for 2024 aren’t going to drop where they should.

 

[Jdunn55]

So for nearly 10 years I’ve fed the same blend and ingredients with just an alteration in inclusion to get desired protein from one bin through robot and oopf. It worked well and did 9200/9300
Just 6/7 good quality ingredients. No extras.
I did used to feed regumaize 44 ad lib in winter which I really liked as it drove some milk from late lactation cows but be last few years I think it is way overpriced and not used it.

This winter fed same blend through parlour and as I felt it was pricey enough I’ve been putting wheat gluten through oopf at a £70t saving. It has worked well

Now looking to the summer wondering if I should be feeding something like wheat gluten, corex etc through the parlour and then top up fresh cows with good blend or cake through oopf. Basically target the expensive stuff to the ones needing/deserving it.

any suggestions of a good straight or maybe mix of 2 to complement grass in the parlour.

Wheatfeed has never really appealed to me, but maybe I should not write it off?

Blend will remain probably 15% maize based with good fibre and bypass protein source.

Also butterfats always been a challenge on grass (zerograzed) in the summer. Going to try a bale or two a day this year which is going to add some cost but quality milk pays!

Tempted to try some pk in a trough in the yard. Stupid idea?

Should add no tmr or feeder wagon but storage not a problem, would like to do 8500l or over without complicating things.

Any suggestions appreciated,

I have a feeling the feed prices for 2024 aren’t going to drop where they should.

Sounds pretty identical to where I want to be and what I want to do.

Would be interested in knowing what you decide, how much is wheat gluten out if interest?

I'm wanting something high energy and high fibre in the parlour and then something powerful in the oopf and wanting to do 8000+ litres so pretty identical. I'm thinking rolled maize in the parlour and either palm kernel, wheat feed or soya hulls but haven't decided, I don't think I'll go soya hulls as I would like the final blend to be around 14-16% protein and they're lower in protein so want something a bit higher to bring the maize up

Apologies for the ramble I've had a cidre or two

 

[dinderleat]

Buy a wagon

 

[Bangoverthebar]

I feed a nice bit of pk at grass. Its perfectly compliments it. Drives butterfats. I will feed rolled barley with minersls and rumen buff through the parlour. Cheap and cheerful.

I currently feed maize meal through the parlour, its fine but the feeders dont like it

 

[happycows]

£248 for wheat gluten pellets.
Corex maybe looks better suited?. All plenty high enough on protein for summer but maybe if they are having a bale to help bf it might not be such a big issue. You’d just drop the protein level on the second feed to compensate on high yielders.

Can you pellet ground maize I wonder? Corex and maize at 60/40 would be a really nice base to work from and go through any feeder.

I’m thinking anout6kgs of one of these in parlour.

Has anyone contracted for the summer much yet? What sort of prices are being bandied about?

 

[happycows]

Even straights direct don’t want to put too many prices on.

 

[Jdunn55]

Even straights direct don’t want to put too many prices on.View attachment 1159014

Looking at that list 50:50 blend of ground maize and palm kernel would be £217.5/t + transport and mixing. So about £250? in total?
That would make a 14% protein blend with 13.65me so seems decent to me and palm kernel has an ndf of 68% so should sort the maize out...

 

[Jdunn55]

Current thinking:

8kgdm grazed grass (more if they'll eat it but working in realistic rather than optimistic)
4kgdm maize silage
At 12me that gives 144mj for every cow

6kg of the 50:50 palm kernal/rolled maize blend at 12.285me (dry matter) gives 73.71mj which covers maintenance

So the 144mj from forage at 5.5mj/litre gives 26 litres by my maths?

Then for fresh cows or high yielders, 3kg supaflow sugar beet and 3kg maize distillers in the oopf gives a further 73.71mj which is another 13 litres

So the diet should be rationed for about 39 litres which sounds good to me as 39 x 220 = 8580 litres...

Edit: Total feed cost for 39 litres would then be just shy of £3.40/cow/day which I make to be 9p/litre? I think? Please check my maths

 

[Purbeck]

See below for MVF prices from last week. You can get this emailed to you each week which I find extremely useful.

I get on well feeding Wheat gluten pellets through the parlour year round. This summer it's your proximity to Plymouth that determines the delivered price, as I think that's the only port it's coming into currently, so haulage costs mount up if you're too far away.

 

[happycows]

See below for MVF prices from last week. You can get this emailed to you each week which I find extremely useful.

I get on well feeding Wheat gluten pellets through the parlour year round. This summer it's your proximity to Plymouth that determines the delivered price, as I think that's the only port it's coming into currently, so haulage costs mount up if you're too far away.

View attachment 1159034

thanks that’s very interesting reading! I’ll get signed up to that.
That wheat gluten is probably going to be £14/15 more to the other side of Devon that still makes it excellent value for money.

 

[Headless chicken]

thanks that’s very interesting reading! I’ll get signed up to that.
That wheat gluten is probably going to be £14/15 more to the other side of Devon that still makes it excellent value for money.

How do you sign up?

 

[Purbeck]

How do you sign up?

I believe you email-

[email protected]

to sign up.

I think you can sign up for daily pricing text messages too, although I've not done this, as I think it'd cause me daily panic attacks when in a rising market and you've no cover!

 

[Purbeck]

They used to publish it online, but it seems to be a bit out of date -

Straights Report | Mole Valley Farmers | Mole Online

MoleOnline.com is the new website of Mole Valley Farmers the Agricultural Supplies and Equipment Merchants

www.moleonline.com