Wheat Distillers pellets/Provergo.

[neilo]

Anybody used these for sheep? Any problems?

In my quest for a high protein feed to floor feed alongside fodder beet to housed, lactating sheep, I came across these again. 30% protein, 13 ME in a 6mm nut and high in bypass protein. High in digestible fibre too, so a good rumen buffer and has a bit of yeast left in too. Sounds like a perfect feed.
Last time I looked them up, availability was an issue, but perhaps more about now when cereals must be cheap enough to go into bio-ethanol again.

I see Trident are now selling them in a 50% blend with SBP, calling it Wheatbeet.

 

[scholland]

Anybody used these for sheep? Any problems?

In my quest for a high protein feed to floor feed alongside fodder beet to housed, lactating sheep, I came across these again. 30% protein, 13 ME in a 6mm nut and high in bypass protein. High in digestible fibre too, so a good rumen buffer and has a bit of yeast left in too. Sounds like a perfect feed.
Last time I looked them up, availability was an issue, but perhaps more about now when cereals must be cheap enough to go into bio-ethanol again.

I see Trident are now selling them in a 50% blend with SBP, calling it Wheatbeet.

Oops! I meant to reply to the thread the other day where you were looking to boost protein in your ewe feed. We feed distillers grains, invercrombies, to pregnant ewes made up with beet pulp and barley for a homemade blend. Imo they are a very good feed sometimes more expensive than soya per protein % but they have a good bit of energy in them too. Some distillers have copper vats which can lead to problems for sheep but most are ok nowadays I think just something to check. We have fed them inside in the bedding which I think was one of your requirements?

 

[neilo]

Oops! I meant to reply to the thread the other day where you were looking to boost protein in your ewe feed. We feed distillers grains, invercrombies, to pregnant ewes made up with beet pulp and barley for a homemade blend. Imo they are a very good feed sometimes more expensive than soya per protein % but they have a good bit of energy in them too. Some distillers have copper vats which can lead to problems for sheep but most are ok nowadays I think just something to check. We have fed them inside in the bedding which I think was one of your requirements?

Thanks. The wheat distillers I was looking at are a by-product from the ethanol industry, so no copper. We've always struggled to get distillers dark grains down here, due to haulage distance.

 

[Jackson4]

The bioethanol products look cheap for energy and protein... its just getting hold of it. I was looking at the liquid byproduct for spraying on haylage before baling. How much is fodderbeet going for Neil now the grain price is £100 (oats are £68/ton here)

 

[andybk]

The bioethanol products look cheap for energy and protein... its just getting hold of it. I was looking at the liquid byproduct for spraying on haylage before baling. How much is fodderbeet going for Neil now the grain price is £100 (oats are £68/ton here)

blimey oats at £68 , get them bought , easily as good as sugar beet pulp with a decent bushel weight ,

 

[neilo]

The bioethanol products look cheap for energy and protein... its just getting hold of it. I was looking at the liquid byproduct for spraying on haylage before baling. How much is fodderbeet going for Neil now the grain price is £100 (oats are £68/ton here)

Bumper crop of fodder beet is growing in the field. It was back in price last year, so would have to be down some more this year unless we get a hard winter.

I don't intend going in with 100 pedigree Charollais ewes and their lambs to try to pour cereal grain into a trough. Half of it would end up wasted on the floor anyway, along with the shepherd.

 

[Jonny_2]

How much wheat distillers can you feed to ewes? Thinking of using them after lambing to balance grass out a bit and up protein, 300g a day?

 

[yellowbelly]

How much wheat distillers can you feed to ewes? Thinking of using them after lambing to balance grass out a bit and up protein, 300g a day?

KW Alternative feeds page gives you the low down...............
https://www.kwalternativefeeds.co.uk/products/view-products/british-wheat-distillers/
Says up to 1kg/day

 

[neilo]

How much wheat distillers can you feed to ewes? Thinking of using them after lambing to balance grass out a bit and up protein, 300g a day?

I can't think that a 30% protein product is going to balance Spring grass very well at all. That grass will be very high in protein already, to the extent that extra energy should be given to help them utilise that protein (& stop them squitting so much on it).

 

[landslave the 2nd]

Google " glw-feeds.co.uk/index,php/straights/ " they do customer mix aswell

 

[Nithsdale]

We normally feed distillers maize grains...

But thanks to bio-energy plants taking as much maize as they can, we sometimes take a load of these dark wheat grains if maize is short.

Get on fine with it feeding ewes, lambs or cattle... IMO the Maize grains are better, but there's not much between them.

 

[Gwyn]

KW Alternative feeds page gives you the low down...............
https://www.kwalternativefeeds.co.uk/products/view-products/british-wheat-distillers/
Says up to 1kg/day

What are these per tonne generally? What size nut/roll?

 

[yellowbelly]

What size nut/roll?

IIRC about 6mm pellets

What are these per tonne generally?

No idea at the moment, you'd need to ring your local KW rep or blending plant.
This may be the same stuff to give you an idea......
https://cereals.ahdb.org.uk/market-data-centre/feed-ingredients/feed-ingredients.aspx

 

[Jonny_2]

I can't think that a 30% protein product is going to balance Spring grass very well at all. That grass will be very high in protein already, to the extent that extra energy should be given to help them utilise that protein (& stop them squitting so much on it).

Take it you think the Graze DUP blocks are a waste of time then (which they are as mine wouldn't eat them). Maybe mix 50/50 with sugar beet nuts?

 

[Pistonbroke]

Did a feed trial for Bibby's when I was in college using 16,18 and 20%cakes and the 20% had to be taken off because the ewes were losing too much condition.I would be very wary of throwing a straight 30% feed.Trident have spent the last 5 years advertising wheatbeet but supply is dodgy

 

[Nithsdale]

Did a feed trial for Bibby's when I was in college using 16,18 and 20%cakes and the 20% had to be taken off because the ewes were losing too much condition.I would be very wary of throwing a straight 30% feed.Trident have spent the last 5 years advertising wheatbeet but supply is dodgy

It's a straight... but nobody suggests feeding it alone. Most commonly mixed with BP to whichever protein % you desire.

We mixed it 3t distillers to 5t BP for 18%. Collecting ourselves (trailer will hold more, but you work into fractions of tonnes to get the balance)

 

[Adam@Rumen]

How much wheat distillers can you feed to ewes? Thinking of using them after lambing to balance grass out a bit and up protein, 300g a day?

I'd look for an energy source rather than a protein source

 

[neilo]

Take it you think the Graze DUP blocks are a waste of time then (which they are as mine wouldn't eat them). Maybe mix 50/50 with sugar beet nuts?

My ewes ate them fast enough, like toffees in fact. I didn’t try them for long tbh, as the intakes were too high, even when on fresh Spring grass. Just using the last up on some ewe lambs pre-tupping, which have been scoffing them whilst on good grass too. I don’t think i’ll Be having any more.

Those GrazeDUP blocks are only 20% protein IIRC, which is an awful long way behind the 30% of wheat distillers pellets. I did look into the Wheatbeet a couple of years ago, but supply was apparently non-existent into Newtown as they had no demand (if the can’t sell it there, they are in trouble!).

I’d be more inclined to feed beet pulp or 18% ewe rolls (for simplicity) with Spring grass tbh. It’s only really short of energy and fibre. Or feed blocks for convenience, at a price of course.