Summary
Winter Feeding Programme Summary
- Carry out an assessment to determine the potential shortfall in fodder on your farm.
- Analyse roughages to determine their feeding value and ensure that the best quality roughages are fed to dairy cows in peak lactation or finishing beef cattle.
- Increasing the amount of supplement will be more economic. Restricting the amount of good quality silage fed and increasing the amount of concentrate will be more economic than paying high prices for average quality silage.
- When feeding supplement and restricted silage ensure adequate trough space is available.
- Consult your DARD Development Adviser for help in formulating value for money diets.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
A Cushnahan, A Hopps, J Kennedy, J McIlmoyle, W McLauchlan and S Thompson, Greenmount Campus.
FJ Gordon, RWJ Steen, CS Mayne, RE Agnew, DC Patterson and AF Carson, Agricultural Research Institute of Northern Ireland (ARINI).
APPENDIX 1
| Type of stock | Silage/month (tonnes) |
No. of animals |
No. of months |
Total silage required (tonnes) |
Quality of silage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dairy cow | 1.5 |
Silo 1 L x B x H x 0.77 = tonnes | |||
| Suckler cow | 1.2 |
Silo 2 L x B x H x 0.77 = tonnes | |||
| 200-250 KG store |
0.7 |
Silo 2 L x B x H x 0.77 = tonnes | |||
| 250-350 KG store |
0.8 |
Silo 4 L x B x H x 0.77 = tonnes | |||
| More than 350 KG store |
1 |
No. of big bales @ tonnes/bale = tonnes | |||
| Ewe | 0.15 |
Total quantity of silage = tonnes |
HAY/FEEDING STRAW REQUIREMENT
| Type of stock | Silage/month (tonnes) |
No. of animals |
No. of months |
Total silage required (tonnes) |
Quality of hay/feeding straw |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dairy cow | 17 |
Total no. of bales of hay saved and/or purchased = | |||
| Suckler cow | 14 |
Total no. of bales of feeding straw saved and/or purchased = | |||
| 200-250 KG store |
7 |
||||
| 250-350 KG store |
8.5 |
||||
| More than 350 KG store |
10 |
||||
| Ewe | 2 |
