Feed to yield instead of batch feeders

Blue.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Young cows (1st lactation) get 8 weeks dry period, older cows get 7 weeks.
When dry, they get about 12 kg DM/day, 5 of them straw.

To me a cow is not "over fat" as long as she doesn't give me any problems.
We have problems with less than 5% of cows around calving.
But i do try to get cows pregnant fast, as low yield for too long equals problems.
But it does anyway, because i can't afford to have low yielders in my herd period.
I have a high debt, high input system, so i need a high output.

They do change some in weight over the lactation and skinny dry cows don't peak as high of for as long as the ones who can milk from their body. They can't eat enough with the TMR we feed them, to give 50 liter/day.
We feed about 21 kg DM/cow/day, of which about 8-9 kg is soda wheat, sugar beet pellets, osr cake and soybean meal. The rest is mostly maize silage and then a little grass.

Similar system to me:)

What about transition diet?
 

Serup

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Denmark
Similar system to me:)

What about transition diet?

Due to my grouping capabilities, i only have 2 mixes, one for dry cows and one for milkers. We have dry cows in 2 groups, they start the dry period in one and the last 2 weeks before calving they go to the other one, and there we top up the dry cow mix with 0,2 liter propylenglucol/cow/day.
When my new barn i finished, i will have a group with the last 25 cows who calved, so there i will be able to do something different after calving also.
 

Durry cows

Member
Location
Derbyshire
Interesting thread I ripped out all feeders in parlour couple years ago (they were completely shot holes in them couldn't calibrate right cows pinching each other's you name it!) had a new mixer wagon and told dad they were coming out and going all straights through mixer. Now all cows recieve same diet but fresh calved eat more stales not as much so self regulate somewhat. Currently 7kg/head day @More to life if you're feeding 19kg @ £0.20/kg that's £3.80 a day in concs alone? We're averaging 27 litres nothing fancy but feed cost (corn) running at 4p/litre?
 

Blue.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Due to my grouping capabilities, i only have 2 mixes, one for dry cows and one for milkers. We have dry cows in 2 groups, they start the dry period in one and the last 2 weeks before calving they go to the other one, and there we top up the dry cow mix with 0,2 liter propylenglucol/cow/day.
When my new barn i finished, i will have a group with the last 25 cows who calved, so there i will be able to do something different after calving also.

I'd like to find a source of powdered glycol,it would be easier to feed through my out of parlour feeders.
 

Blue.

Member
Livestock Farmer
Interesting thread I ripped out all feeders in parlour couple years ago (they were completely shot holes in them couldn't calibrate right cows pinching each other's you name it!) had a new mixer wagon and told dad they were coming out and going all straights through mixer. Now all cows recieve same diet but fresh calved eat more stales not as much so self regulate somewhat. Currently 7kg/head day @More to life if you're feeding 19kg @ £0.20/kg that's £3.80 a day in concs alone? We're averaging 27 litres nothing fancy but feed cost (corn) running at 4p/litre?

A cow getting 19kg would be givin £14 worth of milk though.
 

Serup

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Denmark
I'd like to find a source of powdered glycol,it would be easier to feed through my out of parlour feeders.

I will probably try to use it to my fresh cows when they are in a separate group. We use it on late dry cows because we can't manage it after calving due to cows being in one big group. They will be in this fresh group for about 3-4 weeks average depending on calving flow.
 

Durry cows

Member
Location
Derbyshire
Thats the fun of high input:D.

I try and mitigate it a bit by block calving.
Haha yes I'm still learning! Pushing autumn block too all beef calves due from now on been serving flat out past fortnight done 5 tonight! Bf running at 4.4 pro 3.5 so bulling well hoping they hold well too. Used to have an advisor tell us always push corn but in my eyes you get displacement they then don't eat as much forage and it's a downward spiral, can get away with feeding less concs too. Not saying there's right or wrong just interesting to hear others ideas
 

alan6430

Member
Location
cornwall
We are looking at a secondhand parlour with auto id and feeding to yield. We only have batch feeders in our old parlour and stale cows are eating way to much cake.

With forfarmers cake being in excess of 230 per ton, we can't afford to waste it.

Our theory is instead of saving cake we will feed it to higher yielders and probably get a bit extra milk?
 

More to life

Member
Location
Somerset
Interesting thread I ripped out all feeders in parlour couple years ago (they were completely shot holes in them couldn't calibrate right cows pinching each other's you name it!) had a new mixer wagon and told dad they were coming out and going all straights through mixer. Now all cows recieve same diet but fresh calved eat more stales not as much so self regulate somewhat. Currently 7kg/head day @More to life if you're feeding 19kg @ £0.20/kg that's £3.80 a day in concs alone? We're averaging 27 litres nothing fancy but feed cost (corn) running at 4p/litre?
My current feed cost is 7ppl calving and extra milk should take this to 6ppl buy xmas don't forget forage costs £100+ per kg dm. I'm high Input so it's all about extra liters over fixed costs.
 

More to life

Member
Location
Somerset
We are looking at a secondhand parlour with auto id and feeding to yield. We only have batch feeders in our old parlour and stale cows are eating way to much cake.

With forfarmers cake being in excess of 230 per ton, we can't afford to waste it.

Our theory is instead of saving cake we will feed it to higher yielders and probably get a bit extra milk?
Join a buying group (y)
 

Serup

Member
Mixed Farmer
Location
Denmark
What level of yields are cows at on these farms who feed to yield and expect to get more milk and smaller cows from the same feed?
And at what yield do people stop milking them?

I feed all the same, and cows who give less than 17-18 liters are either on the way to the dry group or the lorry.
 

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Red Tractor drops launch of green farming scheme amid anger from farmers

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As reported in Independent


quote: “Red Tractor has confirmed it is dropping plans to launch its green farming assurance standard in April“

read the TFF thread here: https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/gfc-was-to-go-ahead-now-not-going-ahead.405234/
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