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Author Topic: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?  (Read 14789 times)

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #15 on: November 27, 2011, 11:48:18 am »
feed your cows what ever way suits you at the time
when they calve with huge calves that die at birth cows raxed to bits with huge calves  over supply of milk weeded teats ill calves because of the weeded milk   cesarian births   well you get the picture
far better with a small calve and a living and  healthy cow both can put on condition with feeding after birth
your choice your cattle your losses not mine :farmer:

princesspiggy

  • Guest
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #16 on: November 27, 2011, 01:48:34 pm »
our shetland heifers wintered last year on haylage and copper salt licks only. at the moment they are both on the fat side so they wont be getting much different this year. our grazing is very rough also. they had free access to a stable where they chose to sleep at night.

landroverroy

  • Joined Oct 2010
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #17 on: November 27, 2011, 07:59:51 pm »
feed your cows what ever way suits you at the time
when they calve with huge calves that die at birth cows raxed to bits with huge calves  over supply of milk weeded teats ill calves because of the weeded milk   cesarian births   well you get the picture
far better with a small calve and a living and  healthy cow both can put on condition with feeding after birth
your choice your cattle your losses not mine :farmer:

Genuine question Robert, but what's "weeded"? :dunce:
Rules are made:
  for the guidance of wise men
  and the obedience of fools.

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #18 on: November 27, 2011, 08:02:38 pm »
to much milk  it rots in the vessel :farmer:

landroverroy

  • Joined Oct 2010
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #19 on: November 27, 2011, 08:32:41 pm »
Ok. Thanks.
Rules are made:
  for the guidance of wise men
  and the obedience of fools.

Dougal

  • Joined Jul 2011
  • Port O' Menteith, Stirlingshire
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #20 on: December 16, 2011, 04:23:17 pm »
The whole concept of a feed block is to boost rumen function and efficiency so allowing poorer grade forage to be utilised while allowing ease of management therefore postponing the use of higher quality feed stuffs. If your animals, cattle or sheep, usually need concentrate feeding the chances are that the feed blocks will cut the amount of feed needed and the length of time it's needed but in most cases hard feed will still be required where the animals are under a lot of metabolic stress, peak lactation and just before giving birth. Blocks rarely work out much cheaper than giving a concentrate suppliment that would achieve the same effect but the ease of management makes them much more popular

In this particular instance i'd try and go for a medium grade block or bucket, they tend to be more reasonable on the price. If you are buying just a few as when thry are being needed then as the winter progresses you can buy higher energy blocks to counter the general degredation of the forage available and the increased metabolic tole on the beasts as the third trimester kicks in. If you are selenium deficieint the chances are there will be other minerals lacking as well so I would make sure the blocks are mineralised. It's a real easy way to make sure the cows are in good shape for the early period of lactaion. If you do start feeding concentrates it is still a good idea to leave buckets out, they will still help.

Your cows, being young, are less likely to suffer from grass staggers or milk fever beause they can mobilise their bone mineral reserves really well but with older cows (and sometimes ewes) high magnesium buckets in the early spring, just before the grass begins to really shoot, is always a good idea. Point of caution though with magnesium. High levels of magnesium in feed stuffs can make it taste bitter to the animals so it's a good idea to start the animals of a different feed first until they are into the swing of eating before introducing the high mag.

You aked what type to use. I'd say to phone three or four of your local suppliers and go for the best priced one. Unless you are using a branded product (crystalix or Bridicome etc) The blocks are usually all made in the same factory to the same sort of recipie and then put in different wrappers!

Hope this is of some use to you all.
It's always worse for someone else, so get your moaning done before they start using up all the available symathy!

princesspiggy

  • Guest
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #21 on: December 22, 2011, 07:50:52 pm »
il def be getting magnesium licks as iv heard of 2 shetland cows have have died recently due to mag deficiency. that would be heart breaking.

Rosemary

  • Joined Oct 2007
  • Barry, Angus, Scotland
    • The Accidental Smallholder
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #22 on: December 22, 2011, 08:27:58 pm »
I've changed mine to red Rockies and I'll be leaving the mag Crystalyx in.

The two died were in milk - our heifers will be far less susceptible.

princesspiggy

  • Guest
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #23 on: December 24, 2011, 07:48:44 pm »
i thought they had to be in milk to get mag def too but i researched it and i think they can get it from deficiency in grass? the ones that died also had a lick  :-[ :-[
anyway iv bought the triple mag lick for them, then realised sheep arent allowed access, so im gona have to fix the fence to keep the sheep out before i can give it to them. im not really wanting to give hard feed as they are already fat and will be having mid-summer calves as it is.

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #24 on: December 24, 2011, 09:48:41 pm »
grass staggers is caused by a lack of magnesium  as far as i was aware it only occurs in Autumn and to lactating cows that are producing a lot of milk    it is easy cured by administering a solution of magnesium into the animal by a flutter valve :farmer:

Dougal

  • Joined Jul 2011
  • Port O' Menteith, Stirlingshire
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #25 on: December 26, 2011, 03:36:45 pm »
grass staggers is caused by a lack of magnesium  as far as i was aware it only occurs in Autumn and to lactating cows that are producing a lot of milk    it is easy cured by administering a solution of magnesium into the animal by a flutter valve :farmer:

I've always found that grass staggers is worst while grass is lush during peak growth so spring and autumn. spring is normally worst due to the fact that normally this is when the animal is under the most metabolic stress through  peak lactation (second to sixth week after giving birth). Also during the spring the animal has just come through a long winter so then their own body reserves are at their lowest. If you haven't used a flutter valve before then get the vet, get it wrong and you'll kill the beast.
It's always worse for someone else, so get your moaning done before they start using up all the available symathy!

landroverroy

  • Joined Oct 2010
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #26 on: January 01, 2012, 11:21:38 pm »
 You don't actually need to use a flutter valve, as like you say, it's a specialist's job - being through a vein.
 For the lay person, a large 50ml syringe will do, intermusclary.
Rules are made:
  for the guidance of wise men
  and the obedience of fools.

Dougal

  • Joined Jul 2011
  • Port O' Menteith, Stirlingshire
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #27 on: January 02, 2012, 01:06:17 am »
You don't actually need to use a flutter valve, as like you say, it's a specialist's job - being through a vein.
 For the lay person, a large 50ml syringe will do, intermusclary.

The syringe works really very well but is a far slower release of the mag or calcium into the system. The flutter valve is needed once the animal is 'down' because once she's off her legs the beast needs a far faster hit of the magnesium than can be achieved by any other means apart from intraveinous. Like everything with stock prevention is always easier (and usually cheaper) than cure.
It's always worse for someone else, so get your moaning done before they start using up all the available symathy!

robert waddell

  • Guest
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #28 on: January 02, 2012, 09:42:07 am »
with a downer cow speed is of the essance   sorry it has to give that hit right away :farmer:

harepits

  • Joined Oct 2011
Re: Feed Blocks for Shetland Cattle?
« Reply #29 on: July 22, 2014, 10:57:33 am »
Linda will have the experience thats for sure. I have only had Shetlands for about 10 yrs. I feed Crystalix blocks, feed blocks in Winter just mineral in Spring. The Chap at Market advises what I need and when. Stock have Hay when grass finishes, I dont use Silage, last Winter I gave some Oat Straw as well because it was cheap. The only time I would worry about weight would be when I was going to get them in Calf, only had the problem once and the Cow could have got fat on a square foot of grass.

 

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