TMR feed setup

[shumungus]

Going TMR for next winter and am sorting out feed storage for wagon. Am in the notion of 3 high level 12 ton bins for blends, beef finisher, cow/general store and ewe. Also going to put in molasses tank overhead as well.
First question is molasses hard on tanks as have feed merchant telling me stainless is the way to go but it costs three times the price of mild steel. Also any ideas on setups for storage and experiences or inputs much appreciated.
Setup needs to be handy for a one man band. 100 sucklers to beef and 600 ewes to finished lambs.

 

[meath suckler man]

Going TMR for next winter and am sorting out feed storage for wagon. Am in the notion of 3 high level 12 ton bins for blends, beef finisher, cow/general store and ewe. Also going to put in molasses tank overhead as well.
First question is molasses hard on tanks as have feed merchant telling me stainless is the way to go but it costs three times the price of mild steel. Also any ideas on setups for storage and experiences or inputs much appreciated.
Setup needs to be handy for a one man band. 100 sucklers to beef and 600 ewes to finished lambs.

We have been using tmr for the last few years, its a fairly simple set up. I use it to finish cattle and to feed a balanced diet to sucklers and weanlings.
What we did was to build a shed beside the silage pits and all straights and feed are tipped in them and stored with movable concrete walls. We have three roller doors on the front so it secure from pests. We feed high dm bales and maize silage.
The shed means we have great flexibility as the shed can be used to store stuff, and we also use it as a calving shed in spring. another benefit of the she dis you can smaller quantities of products as an when needed. I fed a nice bit of palm kernel last summer as our ground is very dry and we didnt have a blade of grass for 10 weeks.

Your right on molasses, stainless would be better, but there are lots of mild steel tanks also. I bought a used milk tanker chassis and tank for 1500 quid, I removed the tank and have it mounted on a steel frame under which I store the agri diesel tank. A good friend of mine has molasses in a 3000l potable water tank on an earthen bank with a 3" hose.

Key to the whole operation in my opinion is using a grab bucket, so i never have to change implements. We dont have fancy machinery, main tractor is a 100hp deutz with loader with a jd 3040 on the wagon. The feeder wagon is on its last legs and i have been offered a 12 cube abbey from a neighbour that sin great nick.

 

[M-J-G]

Personally I wouldn't bother with bins, I'd just tip loose in bays on the shed floor, that way you can use whatever you want and aren't tied to blower lorries or feed that will run out of a bin.

We have s 22yo mild steel molasses tank and it's given no problems yet.

 

[pauld]

I would not spend too much to start with as you will probably want to fine tune your system with experience. We have used TMR for 1300 ewes for two years now and there are definite benefits with less twin lamb and prolapses.

To get the best price we buy arctic loads (25 tonne +) of blend tipped into a shed and 10 tonne loads of molasses stored in ibcs.

Try to keep it simple with not to many ingredients , a single quality high protein high energy blend can be added to the mix in different proportions to suit all classes of stock.

 

[smallholder99]

We have been using tmr for the last few years, its a fairly simple set up. I use it to finish cattle and to feed a balanced diet to sucklers and weanlings.
What we did was to build a shed beside the silage pits and all straights and feed are tipped in them and stored with movable concrete walls. We have three roller doors on the front so it secure from pests. We feed high dm bales and maize silage.
The shed means we have great flexibility as the shed can be used to store stuff, and we also use it as a calving shed in spring. another benefit of the she dis you can smaller quantities of products as an when needed. I fed a nice bit of palm kernel last summer as our ground is very dry and we didnt have a blade of grass for 10 weeks.

Your right on molasses, stainless would be better, but there are lots of mild steel tanks also. I bought a used milk tanker chassis and tank for 1500 quid, I removed the tank and have it mounted on a steel frame under which I store the agri diesel tank. A good friend of mine has molasses in a 3000l potable water tank on an earthen bank with a 3" hose.

Key to the whole operation in my opinion is using a grab bucket, so i never have to change implements. We dont have fancy machinery, main tractor is a 100hp deutz with loader with a jd 3040 on the wagon. The feeder wagon is on its last legs and i have been offered a 12 cube abbey from a neighbour that sin great nick.

how do you get them to eat the palm kernel,would it need a ton of molasses with every 2 ton of pk

 

[aangus]

I would not spend too much to start with as you will probably want to fine tune your system with experience. We have used TMR for 1300 ewes for two years now and there are definite benefits with less twin lamb and prolapses.

To get the best price we buy arctic loads (25 tonne +) of blend tipped into a shed and 10 tonne loads of molasses stored in ibcs.

Try to keep it simple with not to many ingredients , a single quality high protein high energy blend can be added to the mix in different proportions to suit all classes of stock.

Thinking about going TMR next year, how much molasses/head are you using and what do you do when the ewe is in the mothering up pen?

 

[ollie989898]

I'd avoid bins if possible. Tipped loads are cheaper for starters.

 

[pauld]

Molasses mainly used to bind ration and prevent sorting, about 100 litres to a tonne of silage and 300 kg of blend . This will feed about 400 ewes for a day.

Once ewes are penned up with lambs just feed TMR in an old mineral bucket.

 

[basford]

Just replaced a 45 year old steel tank with one from Peddars Tanks .Exellent to deal with and will make you whatever you want.