Finishing 18month old cattle outside in winter on Fodder Beet?

[Pilatus]

Do any of you practice the above system successfully?
I only ask as a retired farmer, who has recently heard of the above system. If cattle are out in the cold wet uk winter using a lot of energy to survive as well as put weight on seems to be a very tall order to me.

 

[DrWazzock]

Madness in my view. Really asking for it.

 

[gone up the hill]

Do any of you practice the above system successfully?
I only ask as a retired farmer, who has recently heard of the above system. If cattle are out in the cold wet uk winter using a lot of energy to survive as well as put weight on seems to be a very tall order to me.

Complete BS

 

[Al R]

Having sold a lot of FB in a previous work I can’t say any customers ever did it. It is fantastic for heifers etc for fertility and putting a shine on them and introducing them to new diets, new feed - especially silage which wasn’t the best the sweet fodder beet would help them eat it. I don’t think anyone ever used it as a fattening method. When all grass was frozen farmers would feed it to store lambs and pregnant ewes to keep them alive, in lambers definitely did ok on it but never heard reports that they actually fattened on it..

@RmfJ might know someone fattening on it?

 

[deleted user 837354]

What is a surefire and economic way to finish beef animals?

 

[Al R]

What is a surefire and economic way to finish beef animals?

Barley, failing that barley and maize

 

[tinsheet]

What is a surefire and economic way to finish beef animals?

Grass.

 

[tinsheet]

What is a surefire and economic way to finish beef animals?

Winter months, kale with red clover silage, natives, good growth rates 1kg a day last winter, wouldn't know if continentals would handle it though.

 

[Kiwi Pete]

What is a surefire and economic way to finish beef animals?

Anything but fodderbeet, it's too low in protein and fibre, too high in yield, and thus too expensive.

 

[kiwi pom]

What is a surefire and economic way to finish beef animals?

UK Beef is all grass fed, have you not read all the posts on here saying how planet friendly the industry is?

 

[Pilatus]

Thanks for all your comments.

 

[scholland]

Anything but fodderbeet, it's too low in protein and fibre, too high in yield, and thus too expensive.

Good agronomy and plenty leaf retained (31% cp here last year in the leaf) can balance the protein well.

 

[scholland]

There are people out there fattening cattle successfully on beet.
I think its use to grow weaned cattle is perhaps a better option.

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

Good agronomy and plenty leaf retained (31% cp here last year in the leaf) can balance the protein well.

That's now the problem going forward, with the ban on seed treatments there is no defence against virus , the tops in most beet fields around here look yellow instead of green and rank as they should do with this weather . That must effect protein in the tops and definitely yield.

 

[Haydn Lloyd]

Yea as above growing weaned stock. Was a trial done for fattening cattle locally and it didn't work on beet. Winters to wet. Using all they eat just to survive unless on some free draining dry land. I find it useful for keeping spring cows and calves out for a month or 2 longer using rape and kale, with bales in lines

 

[scholland]

 

[Treg]

Do any of you practice the above system successfully?
I only ask as a retired farmer, who has recently heard of the above system. If cattle are out in the cold wet uk winter using a lot of energy to survive as well as put weight on seems to be a very tall order to me.

I think it probably depends where you are and your farm, I didn't realise so much cattle were finished in doors until I joined TFF .
I thought out wintering cattle and finishing them at 18 months was the norm but I think Cornwall probably has a bit of a micro climate compared to the rest of the country.

 

[multi power]

Do any of you practice the above system successfully?
I only ask as a retired farmer, who has recently heard of the above system. If cattle are out in the cold wet uk winter using a lot of energy to survive as well as put weight on seems to be a very tall order to me.

That would be out wintering store cattle, and does the job well, but definitely not a fattening diet

 

[Timbo]

Store cattle yes , something semi hardy. Fattening no, no way.

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Just store them over the winter and fatten off grass in the summer