Feeding my dairy cows

[Dairyfarmer2016]

Good morning I’m really struggling with my dairy cow intakes, one day they lick the trough clean the next day there’s half of it left. I feel like my nutritionist is only out to sell tons of feed, I have a rep in the yard nearly every week with only just 6 months into my tenancy. They all inform me they can do better and there feed is better and I’m getting sick of them all there like vultures! Am I mad at thinking I should have a go at putting a ration together myself they are on TMR fed to yield in the parlour on auto id and in two groups high and low any help will be gratefully recieved!!

 

[Fergieman]

Listen to too many feed reps and you'll go round in circles! You can not deal with them all. Either find an independent nutritionist or a nutritionist working for one company. A lot of feed sales people are not nutritionists and as you say only interested in selling tonnes of feed. Where about in the country are you?

 

[Dairyfarmer2016]

Cumbria it’s a nightmare with reps

 

[stablegirl]

Put a sign up, saying Visitors by appointment only, find a independent nutritionist.

 

[Plain steer]

I hate it when reps just turn up in the yard I don’t mind when they ring you up first as you can tell them your busy if you don’t want to see them

 

[Farmer Fin]

Good morning I’m really struggling with my dairy cow intakes, one day they lick the trough clean the next day there’s half of it left. I feel like my nutritionist is only out to sell tons of feed, I have a rep in the yard nearly every week with only just 6 months into my tenancy. They all inform me they can do better and there feed is better and I’m getting sick of them all there like vultures! Am I mad at thinking I should have a go at putting a ration together myself they are on TMR fed to yield in the parlour on auto id and in two groups high and low any help will be gratefully recieved!!

Are you changing how much you are feeding on a day to day basis? If you alter are you altering by cow portion or just reducing silage? What is yield / constituents like? Are they eating their parlour cake? What is the dung like? Agree with some of the other comments about reps. Might be worth speaking to EBVC who are in your neck of the woods and may get you settled and sorted.

 

[farmboy]

Just be a grumpy fecker then no one will bother calling in

 

[Repeat]

you could join a buying group, feed 8 kg flat rate in the parlour and watch your problems disappear.

 

[jimmer]

Check your variables
Assuming weighers on mixer, are they working OK?
Is person filling mixer being consistent?
Are feeding times consistent?
Are you or your vet concerned about acidosis?

 

[jimmer]

you could join a buying group, feed 8 kg flat rate in the parlour and watch your problems disappear.

Depends on your expectations, we fed 10kg last year and messed cows up
At 8kg we weren't getting the performance we wanted

 

[Farmer Keith]

Check your variables
Assuming weighers on mixer, are they working OK?
Is person filling mixer being consistent?
Are feeding times consistent?
Are you or your vet concerned about acidosis?

don’t forget parlour feeders? have they been calibrated recently is the auto ID working as it should.

 

[upnortheast]

Start from the KISS concept. Far to many rations are far more complex & expensive than they need to be IMO

Again IMO, in Cumbria. Andrew at Aspatria Farmers is a genuine bloke

How good is your silage & what yields are you aiming for ?

 

[Cows 'n grass]

Just be a grumpy fecker then no one will bother calling in

Being a mean fecker also works. When reps turn up and see 500 cows still out in December and a yard without many shiny things in it they soon get the picture.

 

[upnortheast]

Reps come in here & cannot work out how we get milk from cows without a TMR feeder .

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

I don’t know what reps you’ve all got but our Harper’s rep is brilliant. They are not just out to sell feed but there for back up and support too.

 

[sidjon]

Being a mean fecker also works. When reps turn up and see 500 cows still out in December and a yard without many shiny things in it they soon get the picture.

We had a rep turn up yesterday, never seen self fed silage or cows the same size as sheep, all he was interested in was how big the bin was

 

[Dairyfarmer2016]

I have checked and re checked weigher they get fed twice a day both at milking time the highs are averaging 30 litres but I feel they are milking of their backs as they arnt eating enough forage there dung is a bit loose butterfat at 4.3 protein is at 3.4 there on a blend/fodder beet/maize and silage

 

[Dairyfarmer2016]

One rep turned up last week and claimed moving to there blend they would eat 15 kg more of silage so he was reminded about the lockdown and turned away

 

[Beef farmer]

Just be a grumpy fecker then no one will bother calling in

That or point blank rude. I'm good at both

 

[buffalo_soldier]

26kg silage @30%Dm
26kg maize@33%Dm
8kg roots
4kg dairy spec cake or straights.
.15 minerals.

Gets you M+ upper 20's. Possibly 30 with a 20kg dmi. Fty in parlour.

How close are they to that?

Looks to move to a single ration fed once daily.