Is it worth fattening store lambs on forage rape?

[aangus]

Just grass it down after Winter Barley , you can put half a kg of rape in that if you have some stock yourself , I've tried growing to tack out , be supprised if it gets any where near covering your costs

What rate do you sow rape at?

 

[aangus]

Been growing May sown stubble turnip/rape mix for lambs past few years.
Have never found them to do that well on it. Takes them a good 2-3 weeks to start ”doing” on it by which time they’ve eaten a fair bit with most needing finishing pellets in addition to the rape to get them fat.

Someone told me that they need at least 50 units of N/acre

 

[Derrick Hughes]

What rate do you sow rape at?

3kg acre , Hybrids will yield better and only a few quid more, graze lighty at 10,weeks and they grow back , work well with Italian Ryegass , to be honest I prefer stubble turnips , get less waste , I found lambs bite the leaves off in rape and trample on them , I putting a fair bit of Vetch in , not grown it here before so be interested to see how it does on our land

 

[aangus]

3kg acre , Hybrids will yield better and only a few quid more, graze lighty at 10,weeks and they grow back , work well with Italian Ryegass , to be honest I prefer stubble turnips , get less waste , I found lambs bite the leaves off in rape and trample on them , I putting a fair bit of Vetch in , not grown it here before so be interested to see how it does on our land

I have been advised to put in a Hybrid at 3kg, sowen early to mid July grazing from late Oct

 

[Derrick Hughes]

I have been advised to put in a Hybrid at 3kg, sowen early to mid July grazing from late Oct

I have been advised to put in a Hybrid at 3kg, sowen early to mid July grazing from late Oct

Thats it , if you want it to regrow don't leave it to get to strong , around 10weeks and don't graze it low or it won't grow back

 

[Al R]

3kg acre , Hybrids will yield better and only a few quid more, graze lighty at 10,weeks and they grow back , work well with Italian Ryegass , to be honest I prefer stubble turnips , get less waste , I found lambs bite the leaves off in rape and trample on them , I putting a fair bit of Vetch in , not grown it here before so be interested to see how it does on our land

Selling seed are we? 2kg/acre is ample with forage rape or turnips. We had someone do 2lb/acre years ago and you could hardly tell the difference between the 2lb/acre and 2kg/acre

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Selling seed are we? 2kg/acre is ample with forage rape or turnips. We had someone do 2lb/acre years ago and you could hardly tell the difference between the 2lb/acre and 2kg/acre

Where have I mentioned selling seed , grown rape for 50 years if you sow it to thin you get axlot if stalk that you will end up ploughing in , get a lot more leaf if you sow a bit thicker , but as I said prefer stubble turnips every time
Dad used sow Rape @ 10lb acre ,got a massive amount of leaf and very thin stalks , cows used to bloat on it if he wasn't carefull

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Selling seed are we? 2kg/acre is ample with forage rape or turnips. We had someone do 2lb/acre years ago and you could hardly tell the difference between the 2lb/acre and 2kg/acre

These are selling it lol Cotswold Seeds
Turnips I would never sow over 1.5 kg as you want the roots

 

[neilo]

Been growing May sown stubble turnip/rape mix for lambs past few years.
Have never found them to do that well on it. Takes them a good 2-3 weeks to start ”doing” on it by which time they’ve eaten a fair bit with most needing finishing pellets in addition to the rape to get them fat.

I changed to mixes including a fast growing ryegrass (IRG or Westerwolds) when growing for Autumn keep and lambs transition onto it a lot faster. Seed is obviously a bit dearer, but lambs don't get a check at all and it's a better balanced diet for them, so you soon save the extra on feed saving/extra growth.

 

[Woolless]

I’m going too get you a picture of what’s left… that will shut you lot up. A lot of shite that all takes the profit off the good ones.

Out of interest (and OT) but what do you do with them? Just run them on until they're saleable? What sort of %?

You could maybe do what the bloke on the next dock to me at St Boswells on Monday did. Just mix them in with some decent stuff then leave them on the dock for the mart staff to sort out

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Out of interest (and OT) but what do you do with them? Just run them on until they're saleable? What sort of %?

You could maybe do what the bloke on the next dock to me at St Boswells on Monday did. Just mix them in with some decent stuff then leave them on the dock for the mart staff to sort out

all dipped and turned out now. leave them until Quirbani and then send the lot in. hopefully make what i paid for them. I can't be doing with mixing crap with good hoggs. does the reputation no good at all

 

[Woolless]

all dipped and turned out now. leave them until Quirbani and then send the lot in. hopefully make what i paid for them. I can't be doing with mixing crap with good hoggs. does the reputation no good at all

Ha ha, yes I might have a handful fit that job too!

 

[Anymulewilldo]

Out of interest (and OT) but what do you do with them? Just run them on until they're saleable? What sort of %?

You could maybe do what the bloke on the next dock to me at St Boswells on Monday did. Just mix them in with some decent stuff then leave them on the dock for the mart staff to sort out

of the 140 i've got left, looking at them id say there will be 15% of them that will never make hoggs. got that gone out look in their eyes. they will just rumble along eating grass but never growing. still the same size as they were in october. taken the hoppers away now. numbers are low enough that the grass will get going in front of them now

 

[Woolless]

of the 140 i've got left, looking at them id say there will be 15% of them that will never make hoggs. got that gone out look in their eyes. they will just rumble along eating grass but never growing. still the same size as they were in october. taken the hoppers away now. numbers are low enough that the grass will get going in front of them now

So maybe 20 also rans but that's only about 1% of what you buy. Could be worse!

 

[Anymulewilldo]

So maybe 20 also rans but that's only about 1% of what you buy. Could be worse!

it could, but those 20 will run a £40 dead loss (thats assuming they actually make what i paid for them.) Last year I dropped the last 60 at Bentham and didn't wait too see them sold. they went through after 1am and the buyers just divvied them up between them between £20-35. they were meaty hoggs. bloody stolen. I sent the also rans direct to a ethnic customer and he paid £45 a head for the total shite!! so the dealers had my trousers down and didnt even use vaseline that time.

 

[Mc115reed]

it could, but those 20 will run a £40 dead loss (thats assuming they actually make what i paid for them.) Last year I dropped the last 60 at Bentham and didn't wait too see them sold. they went through after 1am and the buyers just divvied them up between them between £20-35. they were meaty hoggs. bloody stolen. I sent the also rans direct to a ethnic customer and he paid £45 a head for the total shite!! so the dealers had my trousers down and didnt even use vaseline that time.

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