[FiBob]

Hey guys,

On-going debate here so can i just have a yes/no (more detail is more than welcome) answer - have you had to use additional feed this winter to supplement your cattles' grazing requirements?

Thanks in advance!!

Fi

[SallyintNorth]

All our cattle get forage - silage and hay - in the winter.

We always cake our young stock that are outwintering - 2nd winter - off their mothers.  Youngsters on their mothers get forage only, not cake. 

This year we have not caked the majority of the young stock wintering indoors off their mothers but they have had a blue Crystalyx to go at most of the time.  Some of that batch who were not doing so well have been brought round to where the very young stock, still on their mums, have a creep area to learn to eat cake.

None of our suckler cows routinely get cake except the Jerseys (in milk or late on in pregnancy) and some of the in-calf heifers.


As a general rule, we have felt that 2012 has been a hard year for all livestock, and have fed all of them more than we would normally do over the winter.  In particular, we've caked the ewes from tupping right through, whereas normally they wouldn't get any cake until after Christmas (unless there's snow on the ground, or the ground is frozen solid.)

[shep53]

Highlander bullocks running on 500ac hill getting  1kg day conc's

[colliewoman]

My friends beef herd graze the Glastonbury levels, hence they are yarded/brought in for the winter as they don't do well underwater
They are split into groups, age/condition/in calf/ suckling etc and all fed to requirement. Some that means just forage, some means forage, cake and a licky bucket

[TheCaptain]

Betty Boobies gets haylage and concentrate, either cow nuts or sugar beet just to make sure her milkiness is as milky as possible for her rapid growing calf!