Is anyone feeding biscuit meal?

[miniconnect]

We've started feeding a mix of biscuit meal and maize distillers grains to cattle we are attempting to fatten. Since we've started, theyr eating a lot less grass silage, Maybe only half as much as they were. does the biscuit meal suppress their appetite?

We're spreading it on top of their silage mainly because it's a PITA to make another mix just for them.

Anyone have any experience? Is it something we should worry about it just carry on?

 

[Plain steer]

If they are gettting say5kg of biscuit meal they will eat roughly 15kg less silage

 

[harperfarmer]

We feed a lot of biscuit meal. It's around 90% DM so they're obviously going to eat a lot less silage ( at say 35-45% DM ) if you've started including it in their ration. If you want them fattened you want them eating more biscuit meal rather than silage anyway.

 

[miniconnect]

Theyr getting roughly 3kg biscuit, 3kg distillers grains, and 2kg barley in with the silage.

Going to a mixture of dairy and Shorthorn X Bullocks.

No experience of fattening or biscuit meal.
That's grand then, I'll just give them as much or little silage as they want and let them get on with it.

 

[betweenthelines]

Biscuit meal for fattening cattle? It's to good for them, should be reserved for milkers.

 

[wellingtonfarmer]

Biscuit meal for fattening cattle? It's to good for them, should be reserved for milkers.

Why? I feed a lot