Suckler cows, feeding mixer?

[Alcatraz87]

Hi guys,

Are there people who feed tmr during wi ter with a feeding mixer? I got about 70 suckler cows + heifers and calves, about 160 in total. Because of the weather we are forced to take them inside the sheds from november till late mars. I was thinking of feeding a tmr with silage and straw plus minerals and a bit cereals. Calving season is from november-january

 

[Formatted]

TMR to suckler cows? Do they produce gold plated calves?

 

[Skintagain]

another machine to buy, run and mend - me - no thanks

 

[Alcatraz87]

No i have a machine as we did dairy until 3 years

 

[Weasel]

I feed mine silage and straw out a mixer wagon. Pour a bag of cake along the top of the silage. Minerals in buckets each end of barrier

 

[Norfolk Hill Farmer]

I feed mine silage and straw out a mixer wagon. Pour a bag of cake along the top of the silage. Minerals in buckets each end of barrier

Why don't you put the whole lot in the mixer wagon ?

 

[som farmer]

as you were dairy, with a mixer, I presume the buildings are laid out for tmr, in which case it may be easier than pushing up straw/silage/hay bales to feed front. The downside, you have to run another tractor, diesil, etc, the feeder will require maintance , etc, will there be enough in the sucklers to justify that expense ? The growing cattle will do better on a tmr though.

 

[Weasel]

Why don't you put the whole lot in the mixer wagon ?

Spring calvers in one shed. Autumn calvers in another. The spring ones don't get cake.

 

[Andrew1983]

We use a mixer for our cows. Not ideal for the costing experts but the way we are set up with some cows in a shed with a narrow feed pass, feed getting hauled from clamp at one farm a mile along road to another set of buildings, making one or 2 clamps of high quality silage for stores and then diluting it with straw for dry cows and adding Draff and tatties for cows rearing calves the mixer is useful and versatile.
The stores get a tmr in bunkers, this has saved feeding every morning and night going to feeding every 3rd day. There’s definitely positives to having a wagon, home mixing a blend of cereal/beet pulp and protein with minerals, rumen buffer and adding liquid to it dampen dust and aid palatability.
It’s not cheap to buy or run but there has been labour savings, stock are content on a tmr, if cows are loose in dung add more straw, silage is low in energy add grain. It gives options.

But If I was setting up from scratch I would try to design a system where you dont need one! As much as I like clamp silage, bales and ring feeders is about as cheap as it gets for indoor wintered cows.

 

[milkloss]

All the while your mixer wagon is good you need to work out how to cope without it. Suckers won't pay for a new one, better yet, work it out sooner and sell it before it's shagged.

 

[Alcatraz87]

as you were dairy, with a mixer, I presume the buildings are laid out for tmr, in which case it may be easier than pushing up straw/silage/hay bales to feed front. The downside, you have to run another tractor, diesil, etc, the feeder will require maintance , etc, will there be enough in the sucklers to justify that expense ? The growing cattle will do better on a tmr though.

Yes. I got a building where we have 4,5m space between. I could ran 1 tractor and one small charger to fill the wagon

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Yes. I got a building where we have 4,5m space between. I could ran 1 tractor and one small charger to fill the wagon

Are they French cows?

 

[Skintagain]

I would reckon up how much the feeder is worth how much the tractor to power it is worth, how much it costs to run, maintain how much time it will take to load, mix and spew out vs how much time it will save and how much performance will be enhanced on the cattle.

Tipping silage in front of cattle couldnt be much easier and sucklers don’t really pay for any better imo.

Longer term could you make some drier longer Silage so you don’t have to add straw etc.

 

[aled1590]

I often think about getting a mixer. Have 75 sucklers and fatten all progeny. Currently mix maize and grass silage on floor then carrying to shed. Feed barley and mins on top every morning. Downsides are feed waste because we give enough to last a few days because it’s a pita to do it and also dropping a lot on floor because it’s loosened. Does anyone on here run one just for around 70 fattening cattle plus younger stores? Probably also for half the cows as they are autumn calvers and they get a dribble of maize and some barley in their diet.

 

[unlacedgecko]

I often think about getting a mixer. Have 75 sucklers and fatten all progeny. Currently mix maize and grass silage on floor then carrying to shed. Feed barley and mins on top every morning. Downsides are feed waste because we give enough to last a few days because it’s a pita to do it and also dropping a lot on floor because it’s loosened. Does anyone on here run one just for around 70 fattening cattle plus younger stores? Probably also for half the cows as they are autumn calvers and they get a dribble of maize and some barley in their diet.

Why do you have a split calving pattern?

 

[aled1590]

Why do you have a split calving pattern?

It started 5-6 years ago when we had a defunct bull (unbeknown to us at the time) so mid summer we noticed all cows were still bulling. So instead of throwing a bull in and calving late spring we decided to leave until autumn. It works well to be fair as it’s less pressure as we’re lambing same time as spring calving and also helps cash flow selling in 2 blocks.

 

[Hilly]

Yes. I got a building where we have 4,5m space between. I could ran 1 tractor and one small charger to fill the wagon

Is that ridge open ? Can you close it ?

 

[Limcrazy]

Yes go for it.
Cheap tractor and mixer makes feeding quicker and tidier. Fill it up when you've time and ready for a quick feed out when needed. Wheel or blade for pushing up on 2nd day. Looks a great set up and nice cattle btw.

 

[tr250]

We feed with mixer as always have done since dairy days but bought 3 new ones since then. We find it gives us options to tweek feeding. We use it for finishing cattle and sheep and mixing dry blends. We don’t buy in feed and find it cheap in comparison to putting dozens of gold plated black plastic bales out every day. And a bonus we come home at night without stinking hands

 

[tr250]

TMR to suckler cows? Do they produce gold plated calves?

https://thefarmingforum.co.uk/index.php?threads/feeding-baled-silage.304630/#post-6646200
At your wastage with the amount of cattle we have adds up to 17 grand a winter