A culmination of a wet summer and an early winter have left some farmers under pressure with fodder supplies this spring. The wet summer has also meant silage quality isn’t as high as many farmers would have liked, with many second and third cuts struggling. As a result of this many farmers will have to investigate ways to stretch their silage this spring which should also include making a feed plan specific to the animals being fed. Note: dairy cows will consume 12 kg DM / day.
When feeding meal to cows to stretch silage, it’s important to make sure that silage is restricted. If silage is available ad lib along with some meal, then this will have little impact on reducing silage usage. When feeding the silage, you should know how many kgs DM is being fed per bale /grab and feed the required amount (as per feed plan) along with some meal. This should keep the cows full and happy. Drummonds have numerous different products that are ideal for stretching out rations. Our Drummonds Barley Beef ration is a low protein (9%) ration made up of 50% barley. This ration proves to be a cost-effective ration for stretching feed. Other rations such as our 15% protein ration (Beef 15) are options for stretching fodder with younger stock. If you are considering any of these options don’t hesitate to contact your local Drummonds representative.
The following table from Teagasc outlines the quantities of silage and meals to feed with 50% and 75% of forage requirements available on farm.
