James Kenneally, Co Cork
My 43 steers are being finished on a diet of 18kg of 69 DMD silage, 20kg beet, 0.5kg soya and 0.5kg straw. I will gradually introduce crimped barley into the diet from January and will build it up to 7kg per head. I am aiming to finish this group of stock around the end of March.
I have 79 weanling heifers being fed 14kg of 69 DMD silage, 10kg beet, 0.5kg soya and 0.5kg straw. The amount of beet being fed will be increased early in the New Year. I intend to slaughter these heifers out of the shed next May/June at a target carcase weight of 290kg.
Cows are on 27kg of 69 DMD silage, plus 4kg straw. As the protein content in my silage is low this year, I plan to introduce 0.5kg of soya as this will hopefully help increase the quality of the biestings when they start calving from the end of January.
Donie Ahern, Co Limerick
I have my autumn cows on ad-lib 72 DMD silage, plus 2kg of ration. Their calves have access to grass and are getting 1.5kg of a 16% calf nut. Spring-calving cows are dried off and are still grazing off heavy covers of grass. I am strip grazing them daily and plan to have them out until early January.
Spring weanlings are indoors and on 2kg of ration and almost 18kg of silage. I plan to increase the protein in the meal by adding soya to bring it to 16% soon. My finishing bulls are on 12kg of ration, 0.5kg straw, 8kg silage and 5kg water.
Finishing heifers are on 8kg of ration, 0.25kg straw, 4kg water and 12kg silage. All silage being fed at the moment is 72 DMD and from the pit. I had previously been feeding 76 DMD baled silage. The ration consists of 20% wheat, 20% barley, 25% maize, 20% citrus, 15% distillers and minerals.
Adrian Kelly, Co Offaly
I have 22 heifers grazing rape this winter and they are performing well on it. Rape is high in protein, so no concentrate supplementation is being provided. They have access to 69 DMD baled silage as a roughage source. They have access to minerals in the form of a lick and were given a copper bolus earlier in autumn as I have a copper deficiency on the farm. I have 31 heifers indoors being fed 69 DMD pit silage plus 2kg per day of a 16% protein ration, which cost €275/tonne. Finishing bulls are on ad-lib meal, plus straw. It is a three-way mix consisting of 57% barley, 20% maize distillers, 17% soya hulls along with 5% molasses and minerals.
The spring cows are on ad-lib second cut silage plus straw and dry cow minerals. Autumn cows are on ad-lib first cut silage and no meal. I am attempting to get the autumn and spring herds to join and calve in one group to facilitate easier management, so I will let their calving date move into the new year in 2015.
Patrick Drohan, Co Waterford
I make all silage as bales and I am happy with my silage analysis this year. My two silage samples indicate that from the bales sampled, the DMD is ranging from 72 to 78, protein from 13% to 14% and dry matter (DM) from 26.9 to 29.7. I body condition scored and penned my cows accordingly. The majority of my suckler cows are in good BCS (averaging 3.0 to 3.25) and are consequently fed restricted silage, whereby I am feeding a bale of silage per day supplemented with straw, hay, vitamins and minerals to 27 cows. However, I have picked out 13 of the thinnest and youngest cows and they are being fed silage ad-lib. I am feeding my newly purchased calved heifers silage ad-lib, plus 2kg of concentrates.
My weanlings are now housed full time since 11 December and are being fed 78 DMD silage ad-lib and are supplemented daily with 2kg of 16% crude protein beef nut. I have the seven smallest weanlings grouped in a separate pen and they are supplemented with 3kg of concentrates. The 16% protein beef nut is costing €279/tonne when collected by myself. I will gradually take them off the concentrates about four to six weeks before turnout to grass.
Sean Power, Co Kilkenny
We are feeding 310 cattle on the farm this winter. I have killed 50 heifers to date and have another 150 on a finishing diet. The remainder of the heifers consist of heavy and light stores. As room in the finishing sheds becomes available, I will draft in the heavier store cattle for finishing. I am buying in fodder beet this year as I find it a great feed, but you need to be set up to handle it. It is costing €40 to €45 per tonne delivered into the yard. We are chopping it with a tractor-powered beet chopper and then load it into the diet feeder to mix with the other ingredients. The finishing cattle are getting 12kg of fodder beet, 7kg of concentrates (which is 50% rolled barley, 25% distillers and 25% soya hulls), 8kg of pit silage (68 DMD and 11.7% crude protein), approximately 1.5kg to 2kg of straw and supplemented with hi-phosphate minerals.
The heavier store cattle are fed 15kg of baled silage (69 DMD and 12.1% crude protein), 2kg of concentrates, 6kg of fodder beet and 2kg to 3kg of straw and hi-phosphate minerals. The lighter store cattle that will be going back to grass are being fed baled silage ad-lib supplemented with 2kg of concentrates and vitamins and minerals daily. Tom Halpin, Co Meath
Silage is tight on the farm as we lost the rented land earlier in the year, so I am keeping a close eye on fodder stocks and trying to stretch out the silage. As my spring calving cows were in good BCS (3.0) at housing, I have decided to restrict them by feeding approximately 30kg of silage along with 1.5kg of oaten straw. My 10 maiden heifers are fed 30kg to 40kg of silage and oaten straw. As the summer calving cows are still lactating, they are being fed approximately 40kg of silage supplemented with 1kg of concentrates. Their calves have access to a straw-bedded creep area and are offered hay, water and 0.5kg of concentrates. I decided to keep my spring weanling heifers this year with the view of selling them off grass next summer. They are being fed silage ad-lib and 2kg of concentrates. I am feeding all stock the same 15% crude protein ration and I am buying it in bulk bags. It is costing €270/tonne delivered and comprises rolled barley, wheat gluten, citrus pulp, soya hulls, soya bean meal, wheat distillers and flaked maize.
Niall Patterson, Co Leitrim
The weanling heifers are being fed 20kg of silage and 3kg of concentrates. The ration comprises barley, distillers, maize meal and soya hulls with a crude protein of 16%. The weanling bulls are fed 4kg of the same ration and ad-lib silage. Cows were housed with a BCS of between 3.0 and 3.5. I am pleased with their condition this winter in comparison to previous years. They are being fed first-cut silage and straw ad-lib. The silage analysis came back with 65 DMD and a protein level of 13.4%.
The cows have started calving within the past three weeks. Calving is going well so far and the calves look promising. A pre-calving mineral mix was fed to the cows from six weeks prior to calving. After calving, the cows will get 2kg of the same ration as the weanlings and ad-lib first cut silage until they are settled back in calf. I plan on housing the ewes by the end of January, weather permitting.
Frank & Des Beirne, Co Longford
The breeding season finished on 28 December. Any cows that repeat after this date will be culled. The autumn calved cows are being fed a total mixed ration. The breakdown of the cows TMR consists of 26kg silage, 0.25kg straw, 1kg barley, 0.3kg soya and post-calving mineral mix. The cows are costing €1.05/head/day to feed. They will be taken off the concentrates now that breeding has finished and I plan on increasing the silage rate. The calves are being fed 1kg of an 18% protein home-mixed ration. This will be increased to 1.5kg in January as it will compensate for the reduced milk yield in the cows. The spring-born bull and heifer weanlings are on 10kg silage per head per day. They are fed a 16% protein ration consisting of 1.5kg barley, 0.6kg soya, 0.25kg straw and 0.1kg minerals per head per day. They cost, on average, 77c per head to feed daily.
The silage analysis result was 69 DMD, with a protein level of 11.7%. I weighed the weanlings last week and the average daily gain for the bulls was 0.88kg/day and the heifers 0.85kg/day. I am very pleased with their performance.
Charlie Crawford, Co Donegal
The cows have just started calving. I am extremely happy with how the calving season has gone so far. Prior to calving, the cows are fed ad-lib silage 71DMD and 100g pre-calving minerals. The cows are housed according to BCS. The calved cows are being fed ad-lib silage and 2kg of concentrates until they are settled back in calf. The replacement heifers and weanling heifers are on ad-lib silage, 0.5kg soya bean meal and 2kg of rolled barley. My aim is to get the heifers in store condition going to grass.
Soya helps to develop frame to the heifers without flesh. I weigh the heifers over the winter to monitor their progress. Last year, the flock of ewes was housed after Christmas for the first time. Traditionally, ewes would have grazed the farm until early March. I rested the entire farm and had early grass available for sheep and yearling cattle in the spring. I plan on doing the same in 2014.
James Kenneally, Co Cork
My 43 steers are being finished on a diet of 18kg of 69 DMD silage, 20kg beet, 0.5kg soya and 0.5kg straw. I will gradually introduce crimped barley into the diet from January and will build it up to 7kg per head. I am aiming to finish this group of stock around the end of March.
I have 79 weanling heifers being fed 14kg of 69 DMD silage, 10kg beet, 0.5kg soya and 0.5kg straw. The amount of beet being fed will be increased early in the New Year. I intend to slaughter these heifers out of the shed next May/June at a target carcase weight of 290kg.
Cows are on 27kg of 69 DMD silage, plus 4kg straw. As the protein content in my silage is low this year, I plan to introduce 0.5kg of soya as this will hopefully help increase the quality of the biestings when they start calving from the end of January.
Donie Ahern, Co Limerick
I have my autumn cows on ad-lib 72 DMD silage, plus 2kg of ration. Their calves have access to grass and are getting 1.5kg of a 16% calf nut. Spring-calving cows are dried off and are still grazing off heavy covers of grass. I am strip grazing them daily and plan to have them out until early January.
Spring weanlings are indoors and on 2kg of ration and almost 18kg of silage. I plan to increase the protein in the meal by adding soya to bring it to 16% soon. My finishing bulls are on 12kg of ration, 0.5kg straw, 8kg silage and 5kg water.
Finishing heifers are on 8kg of ration, 0.25kg straw, 4kg water and 12kg silage. All silage being fed at the moment is 72 DMD and from the pit. I had previously been feeding 76 DMD baled silage. The ration consists of 20% wheat, 20% barley, 25% maize, 20% citrus, 15% distillers and minerals.
Adrian Kelly, Co Offaly
I have 22 heifers grazing rape this winter and they are performing well on it. Rape is high in protein, so no concentrate supplementation is being provided. They have access to 69 DMD baled silage as a roughage source. They have access to minerals in the form of a lick and were given a copper bolus earlier in autumn as I have a copper deficiency on the farm. I have 31 heifers indoors being fed 69 DMD pit silage plus 2kg per day of a 16% protein ration, which cost €275/tonne. Finishing bulls are on ad-lib meal, plus straw. It is a three-way mix consisting of 57% barley, 20% maize distillers, 17% soya hulls along with 5% molasses and minerals.
The spring cows are on ad-lib second cut silage plus straw and dry cow minerals. Autumn cows are on ad-lib first cut silage and no meal. I am attempting to get the autumn and spring herds to join and calve in one group to facilitate easier management, so I will let their calving date move into the new year in 2015.
Patrick Drohan, Co Waterford
I make all silage as bales and I am happy with my silage analysis this year. My two silage samples indicate that from the bales sampled, the DMD is ranging from 72 to 78, protein from 13% to 14% and dry matter (DM) from 26.9 to 29.7. I body condition scored and penned my cows accordingly. The majority of my suckler cows are in good BCS (averaging 3.0 to 3.25) and are consequently fed restricted silage, whereby I am feeding a bale of silage per day supplemented with straw, hay, vitamins and minerals to 27 cows. However, I have picked out 13 of the thinnest and youngest cows and they are being fed silage ad-lib. I am feeding my newly purchased calved heifers silage ad-lib, plus 2kg of concentrates.
My weanlings are now housed full time since 11 December and are being fed 78 DMD silage ad-lib and are supplemented daily with 2kg of 16% crude protein beef nut. I have the seven smallest weanlings grouped in a separate pen and they are supplemented with 3kg of concentrates. The 16% protein beef nut is costing €279/tonne when collected by myself. I will gradually take them off the concentrates about four to six weeks before turnout to grass.
Sean Power, Co Kilkenny
We are feeding 310 cattle on the farm this winter. I have killed 50 heifers to date and have another 150 on a finishing diet. The remainder of the heifers consist of heavy and light stores. As room in the finishing sheds becomes available, I will draft in the heavier store cattle for finishing. I am buying in fodder beet this year as I find it a great feed, but you need to be set up to handle it. It is costing €40 to €45 per tonne delivered into the yard. We are chopping it with a tractor-powered beet chopper and then load it into the diet feeder to mix with the other ingredients. The finishing cattle are getting 12kg of fodder beet, 7kg of concentrates (which is 50% rolled barley, 25% distillers and 25% soya hulls), 8kg of pit silage (68 DMD and 11.7% crude protein), approximately 1.5kg to 2kg of straw and supplemented with hi-phosphate minerals.
The heavier store cattle are fed 15kg of baled silage (69 DMD and 12.1% crude protein), 2kg of concentrates, 6kg of fodder beet and 2kg to 3kg of straw and hi-phosphate minerals. The lighter store cattle that will be going back to grass are being fed baled silage ad-lib supplemented with 2kg of concentrates and vitamins and minerals daily. Tom Halpin, Co Meath
Silage is tight on the farm as we lost the rented land earlier in the year, so I am keeping a close eye on fodder stocks and trying to stretch out the silage. As my spring calving cows were in good BCS (3.0) at housing, I have decided to restrict them by feeding approximately 30kg of silage along with 1.5kg of oaten straw. My 10 maiden heifers are fed 30kg to 40kg of silage and oaten straw. As the summer calving cows are still lactating, they are being fed approximately 40kg of silage supplemented with 1kg of concentrates. Their calves have access to a straw-bedded creep area and are offered hay, water and 0.5kg of concentrates. I decided to keep my spring weanling heifers this year with the view of selling them off grass next summer. They are being fed silage ad-lib and 2kg of concentrates. I am feeding all stock the same 15% crude protein ration and I am buying it in bulk bags. It is costing €270/tonne delivered and comprises rolled barley, wheat gluten, citrus pulp, soya hulls, soya bean meal, wheat distillers and flaked maize.
Niall Patterson, Co Leitrim
The weanling heifers are being fed 20kg of silage and 3kg of concentrates. The ration comprises barley, distillers, maize meal and soya hulls with a crude protein of 16%. The weanling bulls are fed 4kg of the same ration and ad-lib silage. Cows were housed with a BCS of between 3.0 and 3.5. I am pleased with their condition this winter in comparison to previous years. They are being fed first-cut silage and straw ad-lib. The silage analysis came back with 65 DMD and a protein level of 13.4%.
The cows have started calving within the past three weeks. Calving is going well so far and the calves look promising. A pre-calving mineral mix was fed to the cows from six weeks prior to calving. After calving, the cows will get 2kg of the same ration as the weanlings and ad-lib first cut silage until they are settled back in calf. I plan on housing the ewes by the end of January, weather permitting.
Frank & Des Beirne, Co Longford
The breeding season finished on 28 December. Any cows that repeat after this date will be culled. The autumn calved cows are being fed a total mixed ration. The breakdown of the cows TMR consists of 26kg silage, 0.25kg straw, 1kg barley, 0.3kg soya and post-calving mineral mix. The cows are costing €1.05/head/day to feed. They will be taken off the concentrates now that breeding has finished and I plan on increasing the silage rate. The calves are being fed 1kg of an 18% protein home-mixed ration. This will be increased to 1.5kg in January as it will compensate for the reduced milk yield in the cows. The spring-born bull and heifer weanlings are on 10kg silage per head per day. They are fed a 16% protein ration consisting of 1.5kg barley, 0.6kg soya, 0.25kg straw and 0.1kg minerals per head per day. They cost, on average, 77c per head to feed daily.
The silage analysis result was 69 DMD, with a protein level of 11.7%. I weighed the weanlings last week and the average daily gain for the bulls was 0.88kg/day and the heifers 0.85kg/day. I am very pleased with their performance.
Charlie Crawford, Co Donegal
The cows have just started calving. I am extremely happy with how the calving season has gone so far. Prior to calving, the cows are fed ad-lib silage 71DMD and 100g pre-calving minerals. The cows are housed according to BCS. The calved cows are being fed ad-lib silage and 2kg of concentrates until they are settled back in calf. The replacement heifers and weanling heifers are on ad-lib silage, 0.5kg soya bean meal and 2kg of rolled barley. My aim is to get the heifers in store condition going to grass.
Soya helps to develop frame to the heifers without flesh. I weigh the heifers over the winter to monitor their progress. Last year, the flock of ewes was housed after Christmas for the first time. Traditionally, ewes would have grazed the farm until early March. I rested the entire farm and had early grass available for sheep and yearling cattle in the spring. I plan on doing the same in 2014.
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