Getting rid of the diet feeder?

I am involved in 3 dairy units, one is NZ type spring calving, the second is autumn calving on self-feed silage, the third is fed with a diet feeder. In all cases we want to get as much as we can from grazed grass

On the third farm we will be milking just over 400 cows this winter. The unit has expanded from 280 last year and was revamped just as I became involved. The diet feeder is a 22m Shelborne Reynolds. It is driven by a 140hp Claas and loaded with a JCB. All have been costing quite a lot to maintain it in the last year and I am finding very difficult to justify the cost. We have parlour feeders, so could feed our concentrate in the parlour and just put silage in the feed passages with a loader. We do have some rape on contract for this winter.

Our plan was to stop using the diet feeder next year if we could not get the performance to justify it this winter. We are now wondering whether to change much sooner to stop the costs associated with the wagon having just had another major breakdown today. Self feed is not really an option due to the farm lay out.

We are considering cutting out the maize and grass silage with a shear grab to put along the feed fence. 2 blocks of maize to one of grass.

Can we feed rape as a top dressing? Or should we bring the rape contract forward and mix it with the maize at harvest? If so what are others experiences of mixing in the rape and how did they do it?

Advice and thoughts welcome.
 
It's the running about that takes the time. If you do it, you will need to buy a big grab/bucket thingy and run it around with that. For 400 cows that is going to be a big volume and a lot of running around.

I am surprised you are still growing maize FOB. I suppose it is a very different proposition on your dirt though.

Buy your straights on contract and have them delivered in as required, buying the whole lot and mixing it will maize silage could probably be done but cashflow? As above, mix with bucket roughly at the clamp face?
 
We may reduce the proportion of maize going forward, but I think it is still very beneficial for the autumn calvers. We will need about 16t /day of silage for 400 cows which is 27 grabs of 600kg, not sure how much the bucket will hold once it is loose maize, could be quite a bit less.
 
Location
West Wales
We may reduce the proportion of maize going forward, but I think it is still very beneficial for the autumn calvers. We will need about 16t /day of silage for 400 cows which is 27 grabs of 600kg, not sure how much the bucket will hold once it is loose maize, could be quite a bit less.

That's a lot of running around. Could you pick up an old Keenan and basically just use them until they break? It's a lot of wear on a machine doing all that running back and forth
 
Location
West Wales
With a block calving situation you may only need it for 140 days. So I'd buy a 2 ton redrock shear grab, put the blocks out gently and go for every other day feeding

That's true I think it depends a lot on what is autumn calving. If you calve in august September can be a total wash out as we've seen meaning cows in far earlier than intended. If they were October calving for example then they can stand the weather a bit an hopefully shorten the winter
 
How would you feed concentrate in this system? With the rapid exit parlour, the cows are struggling to eat more than 3.5kg at a milking which will limit yields a fair bit.
Clamp your rape meal, then 7kgs a day with the parlour. You wouldn't feed more than 7kgs with your self feed cows, so are these new cows a bit holstiney?
 
That's true I think it depends a lot on what is autumn calving. If you calve in august September can be a total wash out as we've seen meaning cows in far earlier than intended. If they were October calving for example then they can stand the weather a bit an hopefully shorten the winter
That depends on the ground that the cows are on, @foab doesn't start feeding his autumns till quiet late if I remember correctly.
 

Gron-cow-ski

New Member
Clamp your rape meal, then 7kgs a day with the parlour. You wouldn't feed more than 7kgs with your self feed cows, so are these new cows a bit holstiney?

Yes, inherited Holstein genetics. The original Friesian cows from the old herd are quite good for a low input system but the herd had been bred to Holstein (and for type rather than anything sensible) for a few years before we were involved. Trying to prevent them from losing all condition is a bit of a battle.
 

pappuller

Member
Livestock Farmer
Location
M6 Hard shoulder
What are the aims and capabilities of the herd ? Is your milk contract liquid or solids based ? How far from the clamp is the feed passage ? Sounds like you want to feed more cake than you can in the parlour so you could go oopf for simplicity.
 

Stinker

Member
Yes, inherited Holstein genetics. The original Friesian cows from the old herd are quite good for a low input system but the herd had been bred to Holstein (and for type rather than anything sensible) for a few years before we were involved. Trying to prevent them from losing all condition is a bit of a battle.
Keeping protein on the low side to fresh calvers might help.
 

Gron-cow-ski

New Member
What are the aims and capabilities of the herd ? Is your milk contract liquid or solids based ? How far from the clamp is the feed passage ? Sounds like you want to feed more cake than you can in the parlour so you could go oopf for simplicity.

Arla solids contract. The clamps are only 10 yards from the buildings but the yard levels don't run in the right direction making self feed a lot of concreting work. The aim of the herd is to make money at most milk prices but we are still finding out exactly how to achieve that.

How much would OOPF cost and how many would be required for 420 cows? I would think the capital investment would be prohibitive. The aim is to change the feeding system without having to invest.
 

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