Winter dry cow rations. Have I been wasting my money

[delilah]

Stewardship ground fodder - I can't pay it the compliment of saying whether it is hay, haylage or silage - plus a hi-iodine bolus at pd'ing and salt lick.

 

[Ashtree]

I always think if you can graze a cow and calf per acre april -november and feed the cow all winter on an acres worth of fodder your doing ok

What a very sensible approach. If I have minerals either thrown on the silage or in a lick bucket, I doubt they would know what to do…
Middling silage, clean water and a fluke dose should see and spring calving suckler back out to grass with calf at foot. Stick a heat detector pad on them 40 days post calving if doing AI. I find they come in around 50 to 56 days post calving. Average 75% hold to first AI service.

 

[Samcowman]

So I have always tried to feed dry beef cows in winter well being careful to meet all of their dm requirements, best minerals, correct protein etc.
then i visit friends who basically give them silage and minerals and free access straw. Their cows look grand and I feel stupid. Am I a victim of the sales patter? If I went to just silage, good minerals and a bit of straw would they do as well as when on silage, straw, barley, molasses through the wagon?
I certainly don’t over feed they get the minimum but if you go by the books they get what’s required.
What are you lot feeding beef cows kept inside both pre and post weaning?
calves come in on cows atm and are crept in to other shed with ad lib good silage and nuts then weaned at turn of year.
If I go all silage how many kg would 600kg cows to firstly maintain themselves and do a gallon of milk then just maintain after

How many assists do you have feeding them this way?
Ours get as lib autumn cut silage from weaning at housing untill the new year then restricted silage from about a month pre calving untill Calves then ad lib first cut once Calved. Pre calver mins from about a couple of weeks pre calving.
Pre calving silage is either dropped in a feed bunker with the shear grab or pushed along feedfront with the loader.
Have about a 5% assist rate