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Author Topic: Overwinterings costs please?  (Read 2883 times)

Smee

  • Joined Oct 2014
Overwinterings costs please?
« on: May 28, 2017, 11:14:05 am »
Could anyone please advise what sort of cost per head per week it would be to shed cattle over winter? I have no idea as just exploring options. Thanks in anticipation.

landroverroy

  • Joined Oct 2010
Re: Overwinterings costs please?
« Reply #1 on: May 28, 2017, 06:58:54 pm »
It's a bit like "how long is a piece of string?"
Are you housing adult breeding stock, young fattening animals, stores, or a mixture? What are you planning to feed them on?
I used to house my breeding suckler herd of herefords, which constituted a mixture of adults both pregnant and suckling, and some yearlings. I used to feed them ad lib hay and some concentrates and/or roots as available; with lots of straw for bedding. I can't tell you how much they ate or how much straw we used as it was replenished as and well, but you can look up feeding rations for yourself and work out the rough costs. But we used to bale our own hay and straw which saved a lot. The labour involved with indoor cattle can be considerable , particularly with bedding down, if you don't have a good system. The buildings also need mucking out after.
Since then, I bought some sand land where I overwinter the cattle and life is a lot easier. We no longer make hay, so the cattle always have plenty of grass over summer. In fact we top it as soon as it starts to get stemmy, instead of shutting it up for hay, and the cattle keep condition a lot better on cheap grass so we no longer feed them concentrates over winter.
 Now they are just fed ad lib hay and Rumevite feed blocks in winter. Because the land is free draining we  don't have to bed them daily, although we tend to put several bales of straw down which gives them shelter and something nice to lie on. This rots down later so no mucking out.
 If you are considering housing cattle I would make sure that your system involves the minimum of labour. You will find this is more important than cost as you have to feed them anyway over winter. Ideally you at least need one side of feed barriers so you can feed without going in the pen. Also consider your watering system. If you haven't got automatic drinkers you will be for ever cleaning the troughs out.  A big trough holds a lot of water but takes some emptying out again when they've crapped in it moments after you've filled it.     
 
Rules are made:
  for the guidance of wise men
  and the obedience of fools.

farmers wife

  • Joined Jul 2009
  • SE Wales
Re: Overwinterings costs please?
« Reply #2 on: May 28, 2017, 08:42:28 pm »
Agree no answer because it depends on the size of the animal, the system you employ.  The feed, whether you do hand feeding or get the machinery out.  You can do basic figures with straw and hay but labour is dependant on efficiency.  For us the time element was the biggest cost.  We out wintered for 10.5 months this year. It saved on enormous labour, hay and of course straw.  But they were moved weekly and Rappa system used so labour was used there. Moving water system etc.  For us is the only way because we are commercial and organic so our outputs need to be kept low.


Keeping animals in is costly, worm burden, feed and straw, hierarchy but this is dependant on the breed and the numbers.

SallyintNorth

  • Joined Feb 2011
  • Cornwall
  • Rarely short of an opinion but I mean well
    • Trelay Cohousing Community
Re: Overwinterings costs please?
« Reply #3 on: May 28, 2017, 08:54:39 pm »
I've read the question as asking for the fees charged for wintering cattle.  So much per head per week to include all forage and bedding.

I'm afraid I can't remember what a local father was charging a few years ago.  Hopefully someone will come along with a current figure,
Don't listen to the money men - they know the price of everything and the value of nothing

Live in a cohousing community with small farm for our own use.  Dairy cows (rearing their own calves for beef), pigs, sheep for meat and fleece, ducks and hens for eggs, veg and fruit growing

Smee

  • Joined Oct 2014
Re: Overwinterings costs please?
« Reply #4 on: May 29, 2017, 05:45:26 pm »
Actually it was more of an enquiry on the lines as SallyintNorth said, but apologies for the confusion. What it is is that we have been offered some sizable sheds but don't really need them all ourselves so we were wondering if it would be an extra bit of income in using/renting some of them for wintering cattle, as they are already kitted out for this. We need to justify and balance the outlay on the sheds to provide some sort of income. However the previous responses (thank you  ;D) have been really useful in giving an overview of what might be involved in doing this. :-\ was just really looking for some ballpark figure per head per week that we could charge.
It is really tempting to have the sheds........ :eyelashes:

F.CUTHBERT

  • Joined Aug 2011
Re: Overwinterings costs please?
« Reply #5 on: June 15, 2017, 04:42:58 pm »
As everyone has said it will all depend on what type of animal and what the system is. A cow or large bullock or heifer could be eating well over £1 a day in food a small stirk would be half that. Are they needing to be pushed on say as dairy replacement heifers or are they just ticking over till you can get them to the grass?
is it Straw bedded or slats? Here straw is worth about £50 a tonne over on the west coast it could be £120/t.

farmers wife

  • Joined Jul 2009
  • SE Wales
Re: Overwinterings costs please?
« Reply #6 on: June 18, 2017, 09:46:00 pm »
There is no set price on sheds it would depend on whether there is a demand in your area and the size of the barns.  Big outfits need huge barns and prob want to use machinery there. 


You could ask your local land agent to see if there is any demand and size requirements but I would say there is little income from it.


Be weary of rental make sure you set up a contract and rules.  There are risks with bio security too.  Have done rent and tack in the past and seen some terrible management.  Dont forget cattle come with TB risk and shut down.

 

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