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Creep-feeders will be a common sight in fields as spring-born calves approach the weaning period.
With milk production tailing off and grass quality declining, supplementation with concentrates will maintain calf performance during autumn.
Suckler calves will gain 1kg of liveweight for every 5kg of meal consumed, which at a ration price of €260/t, costs €1.30/kg of liveweight gain.
When managed correctly, creep-feeding is economically worthwhile. But when poorly managed, calves will simply replace grass with higher-priced concentrates, eroding profitability.
Outlined are five tips to get the most from creep-feeding concentrates this autumn.
Split bull and heifers calves into separate groups
Bull calves are more efficient at converting feed to liveweight than heifers. Therefore, splitting the bull calves out as a separate group allows higher levels of creep-feed to be offered to these animals.
Leaving bulls and heifers together in one group means feed levels must be capped to prevent heifers becoming overfat.
Breeding should be over for the majority of spring herds, so separating calves should be less of an issue in the autumn.
Ration type
Blended rations tend to be cheaper than pelleted rations and it is easier to see the quality of ingredients used.
However, pellets offer a more consistent feed, as there is less sorting of ingredients. Performance will be similar on both, so it is a personal preference which ration you feed.
Avoid rations with a high dust content. Off the shelf rations work well, but there is the option to have a mix made up to suit your animals. In such cases, keep it simple, with three to four ingredients.
Protein levels should be 16% to 18%, depending on grass or silage quality, as well as the growth potential of calves. Soya should be the main source of protein, followed by maize distillers.
Including a product such as sugar beet or citrus pulp will make the ration more palatable, encouraging calves to eat.
Troughs or ad-lib feeders?
Ad-lib creep-feeders are less labour intensive, as calves feed when they want. However, some calves will eat as much as 5kg to 6kg/day, while others will consume very little.
With ad-lib feeders, bull and heifer calves should be separated for the aforementioned reasons, as heifers will become overfat.
With trough feeding, concentrates must be offered daily, which is time consuming. There is also the problem with keeping cows back from troughs to let calves feed.
Ideally, calves will be forward creep-grazing, with troughs set up to encourage them to come forward. Alternatively, a creep gate will allow calves on to a laneway to feed.
With trough feeding, there is less chance stronger calves will eat more than their daily allowance.
Troughs can be easily moved from field to field and in wet conditions, they can be moved to reduce ground damage.
Feed rates
With trough feeding, start calves on 1kg/day. Once calves are used to meal and leaving the trough clean, step up feed rates.
For bull calves, increase to 2kg/day as soon as possible, then 3kg/day as grass supplies start to dwindle, or cows look to be low in milk.
For heifers, limit traditional beef breeds to 1.5kg/day on good grass and 2kg/day for continental heifers.
Trough hygiene
Make sure troughs are always cleaned before use. With ad-lib feeders, clean out any meal that has gone soft, or clumped together when wet.
Make sure ad-lib feeders are vermin proof, particularly from birds. When birds get into feeders, they will increase the risk of coccidiosis.
With free-standing troughs, make sure cattle consume all meals before leaving the group. Rejected meal attracts birds and increases the risk of coccidiosis.
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