What are people feeding sucklers over winter?

[Weasel]

Ours in cubicles too. But we house them as they calve. Usually inside about a week after calving. Start calving the cows on Oct 1st.

Do you put sawdust or anything in the cubicles?

 

[Pan mixer]

Just haylage, wean March born calves in Februaury, no creep as we are totally grass fed beef producers -

The breeding bulls have a bit of brewers grains because some micro brewery brings them to us for nothing.

That is it really, cows are too fat most of the time, they are bedded on straw which they eat quite a lot of.

 

[Northeastfarmer]

Hay one day silage the next....ad lib minerals

 

[Weasel]

Just haylage, wean March born calves in Februaury, no creep as we are totally grass fed beef producers -

The breeding bulls have a bit of brewers grains because some micro brewery brings them to us for nothing.

That is it really, cows are too fat most of the time, they are bedded on straw which they eat quite a lot of.

What breed of cows?

 

[Pan mixer]

What breed of cows?

Angus cross

 

[marshfarmer]

Know some farmers who never give their cows any minerals or bolus them, they never get any bother either

Rock salt is very good and crucial IMO

 

[Weasel]

Rock salt is very good and crucial IMO

Mine lick it to start with then get sick of it

 

[Weasel]

Rock salt is very good and crucial IMO

Actually on a similar subject does anyone know why some cows start licking pee off the ground? Lacking something? Altho they have access to minerals

 

[Sharpy]

Actually on a similar subject does anyone know why some cows start licking pee off the ground? Lacking something? Altho they have access to minerals

Lack of salt I am told.

 

[Alicecow]

Actually on a similar subject does anyone know why some cows start licking pee off the ground? Lacking something? Altho they have access to minerals

I think it's mainly to annoy us!

 

[hendrebc]

Mine get hay or haylage or silage. Usually poorer stuff so stores and heifers and sheep can have better stuff. Used to give a bale of barley straw every other or every 3 days when we grew our own. Thry eat some of the wheat straw i put under them too some seem to prefer it to anything else. If the stores haveny cleared their wholecrop because its gone stale in front of them ill fork that over to the cows too save wasting it.

 

[milkloss]

Know some farmers who never give their cows any minerals or bolus them, they never get any bother either

Yep, but if they have trouble it'll be big trouble. Best safe than sorry imo.

 

[Weasel]

Lack of salt I am told.

Heard that but mine get Rock salt and still do it

 

[Weasel]

I think it's mainly to annoy us!

Did wonder that

 

[Sharpy]

Heard that but mine get Rock salt and still do it

Ours stop when they have salt.

 

[choochter]

Mine get dry silage inside and mineral buckets and they can eat their straw beds if they like, and they can go outside if they want a bit of sunbathing. They'll lose weight over winter, which is fine.

Only thing is, last winter the cows that calved in Dec and Jan got back in calf in good time but the heifers that calved in Dec and Jan took an extra 2-3 months to get back in calf. So, wont do that again and the next lot of heifers will calve in May/June.

 

[willie waver]

ad-lib silage, sprinkle of minerals in march/april before calving

 

[Bopeep1981]

@TT. Yes, it probably is. We just get on better with the buckets, so we keep using them. Had a bit of a shed shuffle for this year, so may have another look at mineral provision.

 

[exmoor dave]

Heather

 

[Top Tip.]

Heather

What about her?