In this week’s Irish Farmers Journal, we take a look at what is on the menu on Tullamore Farm for stock this winter.

Farm manager Shaun Diver has completed a fodder budget to assess where we stand in terms of fodder supply and demand.

Without doing any calculation, we were confident that there is more than enough silage in the year for the months ahead.

However, we never know what spring will have in store or if we will be needing to feed cattle at grass at some stage during the next grazing season, as we have had to do at one stage or another for the past two years due to prolonged dry spells.

Cows

The cows are currently in great condition with an average body condition score of around 3.25. This has increased in recent weeks since weaning.

Shaun likes to have cows in good condition at this stage of the year, as it sets them up nicely for spring calving.

Cull cows

There are also currently nine cull cows being fed ad-lib second-cut silage alongside 6.5kg of a 12% crude protein ration.

These animals will be drafted for slaughter over the coming weeks, with the plan to have all gone prior to Christmas.

Young stock

The weanling bulls are currently eating 3kg of a 16% ration and this will be built up to 5kg in December. From mid-January onwards, the bulls will move to ad-lib concentrate.

The heifers are wintered away from the main yard and for this reason are fed baled silage for ease of transport of the fodder.

The aim for this batch of stock is to grow at around 0.65kg/day over the winter period. This will be achieved by feeding around 1.5kg of a 16% ration alongside silage ad lib.

For more information on the ration formulation and winter feeding plan, see this week’s Irish Farmers Journal.