Crimped Spring Barley

[Dog Bowl]

Never had anything to do with it. Always take spring barley as a wholecrop but looking at other options as feel I don't need the bulky nature of all that forage.
What is the process involved? How would I clamp it? How do folk feed it? What sort of feed rate would you feed it to weaned suckled calves alongside very good grass silage and lucerne silage? Could I bale the straw 'green', wrap it and feed it to dry cows?

 

[T7.wab]

Take mine slightly past cheesy stage as i want the straw for bedding. Add plenty of water on during crimping. Push up with handler and keep rolling. then sheet. Try to keep pit as high rather than wide as possible. Feed it 2.5 kilos per head with a protien blend for young stock

 

[ISCO]

We crimped spring barley last year as half germinated in April and the rest mid June giving a very uneven sample. I put photos on here and most said it would only wholecrop which we can't use.
Waiting for contractor meant it was a little dryer than is ideal.
Contractor crimped and stored in an ag bag. It was a good feed for ad lib bulls although a little bit of work getting it out of bag.
We would use again but would build a pit, although, we will be going back to usual system of combining dry and putting home and dry on it as we can do the whole operation ourselves.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I use to put brewers grains on top , makes a good mix and the grains seel the top off

 

[deleted user 837354]

As above, crimp and put into an ag bag or small pit. Cut a bit earlier whilst the grains still have some soft in them. Home and dry, urea or alkali treatment all similar, all leave you with the straw to bale up later. Someone here will know how far you can push the moisture limits.

Some of the treatments are not that cheap on a £ per tonne basis but it's a good feed either way, virtually no dust when handling or feeding out and it is very palatable. Also, it requires no dry storage or bins making it easier to store than say, rolled barley.

 

[john432]

Rats are the problem with the wrapped straw.. excellent stuff, had no problems with the bales stacked on a remote hill 1000' up. But anywhere near any buildings they destroyed it.

 

[Zippy768]

Or cut at 16/7/18%, store as normal, bale as norm and crimp as and when u need it

 

[Martyn]

We cut at 25-30% and leave straw for a few weeks before baling, got forty acres to do this year.

 

[michael N123]

Treat it like a silage pit with side sheets and roll it in properly don’t just heap it up

 

[deere 6600]

Treat it like a silage pit with side sheets and roll it in properly don’t just heap it up

We did it for a few years and liked it so did the cattle sorer on combine but you get a longer day at it left straw for a few days an baled normally getting spring stuff off earlier meant we could reseed a field if we wanted to

 

[Chimera]

We do some every year, 150 acres this year. Never get into it very early, usually end up at 23 -25% sometimes 20%. 15' wide pits with handler rolling. Good job. Bale straw in a few days

 

[smallholder99]

what price will crimp barley be this harvest at say 25% moisture and how much per ton does the rolling and additive costs add up to