Rolled barley

[letsgoforit]

I am considering swooping every other 20ton load of 70%barley blend with just rolled barley for my 7month charx store cattle, what do you think? Likely price of rolled barley delivered?

 

[Woody j]

£12 to £15 more than whole barley

 

[Party Pete]

Worth considering maxxamon or similar to lift the protein and stabilise ph level

 

[Derrick Hughes]

You be short of protein for growing cattle unless your silage is very good

 

[letsgoforit]

You be short of protein for growing cattle unless your silage is very good

Silo is very good this year, my thinking is the blend I us will alternate with the rolled barley every fortnight so as to still giving a balanced feed? but like everyone else looking for savings

 

[Derrick Hughes]

Silo is very good this year, my thinking is the blend I us will alternate with the rolled barley every fortnight so as to still giving a balanced feed? but like everyone else looking for savings

Can't yiu mix it half and half ,or just feed minralised barley if the silage is good

 

[letsgoforit]

Can't yiu mix it half and half ,or just feed minralised barley if the silage is good

We blow 16 ton straight into the creep feeders so mixing isn't possible, the system is one man (my son) feeds four hundred cattle (calving 200 sucklers) and lambs 550 sheep with no assistance...so his feeding system has to be very simple

 

[neilo]

We blow 16 ton straight into the creep feeders so mixing isn't possible, the system is one man (my son) feeds four hundred cattle (calving 200 sucklers) and lambs 550 sheep with no assistance...so his feeding system has to be very simple

Can you not just change your barley blend to a lower protein one, rather than see-sawing up & down?

 

[letsgoforit]

It's "blend" that is adding to the cost, it maybe the saving I'm hoping for isn't actually there.?
We are amateurs at feeding and finishing our own suckler calves but are finding it profitable last year our charx bulls at 15 months averaged £1830

 

[Derrick Hughes]

We blow 16 ton straight into the creep feeders so mixing isn't possible, the system is one man (my son) feeds four hundred cattle (calving 200 sucklers) and lambs 550 sheep with no assistance...so his feeding system has to be very simple

I would stick with the blend then ,especially if its add lib creep , changing diet of and on will upset their digestion

 

[Holsteinfriesian90]

If it’s not broke why fix it?

 

[letsgoforit]

I might be getting good advice here

 

[letsgoforit]

Blend is £342 delivered....is making my eyes water a bit!

 

[neilo]

It's "blend" that is adding to the cost, it maybe the saving I'm hoping for isn't actually there.?
We are amateurs at feeding and finishing our own suckler calves but are finding it profitable last year our charx bulls at 15 months averaged £1830

You are lowering the protein by swapping out alternate loads for barley, so just swapping to a lower protein (cheaper) blend will achieve the same while keeping the ration consistent.

If you don't think a lower spec blend will balance your forage well enough, then neither will swapping barley in.