choline vs kexxtone

[Jdunn55]

Is anyone on here feeding choline to their cows instead of kexxtone bolusing them?
Anyone doing it after calving too, and if so for how long?
How are/have you found it?
Thanks

 

[Jdunn55]

Should say before anyone says anything about keeping it simple, I can have it added to my dry cow rolls so will cause me absolutely zero extra hassle. I run a fresh cow group through the winter so again can feed it to them with very little hassle if it is worth doing.

Cost wise, kexxtone's cost £35-£40 each
choline would cost £6 per cow for the dry period

 

[Will Blackburn]

I like Kexxtone because they are targeted, and seem very effective.

 

[Jdunn55]

I like Kexxtone because they are targeted, and seem very effective.

Yes that's my thoughts as well, only issue being I could make an excuse to give everything one of them, especially with them being fat Friesians, and that becomes expensive..

 

[Will Blackburn]

We've been bolusing after calving some on a risk basis some after showing ketosis. The ketotic ones responded much faster than expected, not requiring much propylene glycol at all.

 

[Jdunn55]

Are yours holsteins? I've been speaking to a couple of different friesian breeders who are achieving the yields I want to be at and both of them have said they aren't afraid of bolusing them, always find those that have been bolused milk much better than those that dont, but it doesn't take long before the choline becomes cheaper assuming it works...

 

[Will Blackburn]

Are yours holsteins? I've been speaking to a couple of different friesian breeders who are achieving the yields I want to be at and both of them have said they aren't afraid of bolusing them, always find those that have been bolused milk much better than those that dont, but it doesn't take long before the choline becomes cheaper assuming it works...

Some HOX, mostly FRX grazing types.

 

[Jdunn55]

Some HOX, mostly FRX grazing types.

Do you mind me asking what sort of yields and what percentage you would be bplusing?

 

[Farmer Fin]

Most of the work on choline shows it should be fed for the first 50 odd days of lactation as well to get its full effects.

Stick to kexxtone on at risk cows. They work a treat.

 

[Jdunn55]

So if I do stock with kexxtones what's everyone policy for using them?
My thoughts are:
Anything 2.75 BCS or below
Anything 3.5 or above
Anything that calves with twins,
Anything over 5th lactation

 

[TheRanger]

Must be a lot of plastic waste going onto the fields of some of the heavy kextone users. I've used about 15 in the last year and have found at least half of them lying in a cubicle or scrape passage. And yes, we are putting them in correctly. There's also a big metal spring inside every one. I know one place that every cow gets one, and they're milking 500 cows.

Edit to add: I think they're absolutely brilliant other than that

 

[In the pit]

I did some of the trial work for kexxtones
Boluses and the targeting of at risk cows is impossible to do ,because you’d think that over / under weight cows were the ones to target but it showed a lot of perfect condition score cows could have a problem

 

[the gCuan]

Most of the work on choline shows it should be fed for the first 50 odd days of lactation as well to get its full effects.

are you sure about that?

 

[In the pit]

Rather than looking for the magic pill ,I would be doing two things ,drying thin cows off earlier and getting weight on them and the fat cows would have there cake cut to nothing and maybe milk them abit longer ( shorter dry period )

 

[Farmer Fin]

are you sure about that?

Last time I looked, which was several years ago. You get a benefit from dry feeding, but the majority of the studies fed out into lactation in the fresh group and got a far larger benefit. Makes sense really as it’s aiding liver function which struggles most in fresh calvers. If you search the Journal of Dairy Science there are loads of papers on it.

 

[FarmerWasty]

Found a lot of success with feeding HJ LEA OAKES transition rolls combined with 50g a head of mag flakes to 21 day close up group. Never used a kexxstone never will.

 

[Fergieman]

Found a lot of success with feeding HJ LEA OAKES transition rolls combined with 50g a head of mag flakes to 21 day close up group. Never used a kexxstone never will.

This is what we do except its MVF rolls at the minute.

 

[Will Blackburn]

Found a lot of success with feeding HJ LEA OAKES transition rolls combined with 50g a head of mag flakes to 21 day close up group. Never used a kexxstone never will.

Just a tool in the tool box for us, maximum of 3% usage.

 

[goldtop]

Do the kexxtone bolus work with cows that already have ketosis?

 

[TheRanger]

Do the kexxtone bolus work with cows that already have ketosis?

No, too late