Angora (Mohair) Goat Basics: Feeding

Farming, animal husbandry, goats, Angora, Mohair, feeding, nutrition, behaviour

By Dr Clive Dalton


Feeding
Feeding behaviour

• Goats don’t have a split upper lip like sheep so don’t graze as close to the ground.
• They are classical browsers and are used successfully by farmers to graze out weeds and avoid chemical sprays. Offering goats a wide choice of feed can cause problems as they may for example take a liking to feeds of low nutritional value when you want them to put on weight.
• They are effective ruminants relying completely on pasture by about 15 weeks of age when feral goats synchronise their grazing behaviour with their dam.
• Goats seem to be less concerned about eating prickly plants suggesting their lips are different to sheep.
• They eat a lot of roughage that includes weeds, woody shrubs, leaves and bark. They are well known for ring barking trees.
• They eat plants from tip down to base which explains why they are so good at killing gorse and thistles and stopping them seeding.
• Goats will stand on their hind legs to reach up high to browse and will use their front legs to hold branches down. They'll even climb trees to get at leaves. This has a major reason why they have been involved in turning farmland into deserts aided by humans.
• They do not relish clover so goat pastures end up being very clover dominant.
  

Nutrition

• The key principle of nutrition is that feed intake by the animal must meet its nutritional needs in terms of energy, protein, minerals and trace elements and vitamins.
• Water is important and although it’s not classed as a nutrient, it’s essential for body function. Water must come from a clean source and not from stagnant dams, swamps or dirty troughs.
• The animal’s feeding needs are divided into “Maintenance”, and “Production. Maintenance feed keeps body systems functioning when the animal is standing still in a warm temperature.
  
• Nutrients for Production are needed over and above Maintenance and are used for movement, grazing, bodyweight, fibre growth and reproduction. More nutrients are also needed if the animal is stressed by cold or disease.
• Goats have a greater level of voluntary feed intake that sheep relative to their metabolic body weight so when fed hay, goats ate more than sheep.
• As ruminants, goats can digest cellulose in plants more efficiently than by any other ruminant. Lignin is plant cellulose that normally cannot be digested.
• As well as feed intake, the digestibility of what they eat is important. Lush pasture is highly digestible but has low Dry Matter, and feeds high in plant fibre have low digestibility and high bulk. All these components have to be taken into account when working out feeding levels.
• In calculating feed requirements, an Angora or feral goat is taken as 0.7 stock units. A stock unit is the feed needed to maintain a 50kg ewe with a single lamb for a year.
• A goat equivalent is another measure used and is a 40kg goat. One goat equivalent equals 0.25 stock units. Note that these values are very crude measures but have been used for years to describe “carrying capacity” of farms.
• Kids are less efficient than calves or lambs when fed milk diets. Kids fed at the same concentration, goat milk, cow milk or milk replacer resulted in similar growth rates.
• Minerals, trace elements and vitamins are important but a balanced diet based on pasture should meet these needs.
  
• However as New Zealand soils are “recent’ in geological terms, mineral deficiencies such as copper, selenium and Iodine can occur. There are also situations where there can be too much, so for peace of mind consult your veterinarian to have blood and liver tests done on animals at critical times of year such as in mind pregnancy, as their body stores may need to be built up over time like charging a battery.
• With any ruminant, changes in diet should be made gradually to allow the rumen micro-organisms to adapt to any changes. Allow from 4-7 days for complete diet changes, and when starting off on concentrates, feed very small quantities(e.g. <40g/head/day).>

Feed intake
A goat doesn’t eat knowing its nutritional needs. Seeking out fibrous plants or salt may prove this statement wrong, but generally they are mainly interested in feeds that are palatable and to continue eating until they are satiated.

At certain times such as when they are suckling kids we want them to eat as much high quality digestible feed as possible and in winter when pregnant we provide feed for maintenance only so they may be hungry for parts of the day and be looking for a chance to escape to get more feed


Factors affecting feed intake are:

• Type and quality of feed. They will eat more high quality than low quality feed.
• Amount of feed on offer. If you see goats lying contented and cudding after grazing and clearly full, if you open the gate they will generally run to the new feed and start grazing again. Give them more and they will usually eat more.
• Frequency of feeding: If you offer feed many times a day in small amounts goats will eat more than if they are fed in fewer larger feeds. They also waste less when fed more frequently.
• Liveweight. Maintenance feeding needs is related to liveweight so bigger heavier animals will eat more than smaller animals.
• Stage of lactation: A milking animal milking has a high appetite to cope with the nutrient drain from its body.
• Pregnancy: In the last 2-3 weeks of pregnancy rapid foetal growth causes an increase in nutrient needs, but it’s at this time that appetite often drops. This is partly because the rumen is affected by the enlarged uterus and contents but there are also hormonal reasons involved in this appetite drop.
• Activity: It’s a rule of thumb that you should add 25% more to feed allowances for animals that have to graze actively.
  

Key times for good nutrition
Pre-mating

• It’s important to have does in good condition when the bucks are joined with them. It’s been a traditional practice with sheep to “flush” them for about three weeks before joining, and this practice has been applied to goats to ensure good fertility and twinning.
• It’s always difficult (if not impossible) in dry summers leading into autumn to build up quality green feed for mating, so a far better practice is to make sure your goats never get into a skinny state as good body weight is critical in stimulating cycling (as well as declining day length) to start cycling and stimulating good ovulation rates.
• Where good pasture feed is not available, then good quality silage or balage can be used and if finances allow, concentrate feeds at around 50g/goat/day.
• Concentrates should only be needed if goats were in low body condition. Hay has too low a feeding value for this and weeds won’t meet their needs either.
• Coming up to mating, goats should be in as good condition as possible. It’s hard to Condition Score goats compared to sheep, as goats don’t lay down fat as easily as sheep.
  
• This is especially the case with milking goats that always look thin. But skinny goats are very obvious, and healthy well fed goats should have some fat cover on them.
  

Liveweight
Liveweight has a very important impact on fertility as the following table for Angora goats shows;

Post-mating

• Good feeding should continue for at least 4-6 weeks after the bucks go out hoping that few animals return to oestrus.
• This is a very critical period for the implantation of the embryo and the establishment of the placenta which has been shown in sheep to be very important in embryo survival later in pregnancy and birth weight and hence survival.
• There’s no reason to assume that goats will be any different. Whether your feeding regime is working is best judged by liveweight and BCS.
  

Pre- and post-kidding

• These are very important times. In the last 2-3 weeks of gestation the foetus grows rapidly so needs extra nutrients to ensure it has a good birth weight which is critical in survival, but this coincides with a drop in appetite by the dam.
• Then after kidding there is a massive surge of nutrients into milk and this cannot be met from the doe’s feed intake. The doe is described as being in “negative nutritional balance” for at least the first six weeks after birth and it’s a time when feeding concentrates is most cost effective.
• Her needs are often described as 2.5 times Maintenance.
• You cannot overfeed milking does, and do everything possible to get them to eat more and keep on eating such as offering new grazing twice a day.
• Goats cannot be made to eat soiled pasture to graze it out like you can with sheep and cattle.
  
• Aim to feed pasture of 2500kg DM/ha (700mm high) made up of 70% green content. Don’t make them graze below 500-600mm high so they are getting the most palatable and digestible parts.
• Nibbling weeds won’t do any harm as long as it’s only the very tips which have good feeding value in spring.
• If does were not shorn before kidding, this massive nutritional stress on their system will cause thinning of the fibre, weakness and break.
  

Post-shearing

• Good feeding for at least the first 2-3 days after shearing is a good insurance against any losses due to stress if the weather is cold and wet.

Growing kids – weaners & yearlings

• There is plenty or research is all ruminants to show that feeding and hence growth in early life (pre and post weaning) will affect subsequent weight and production during the rest of the animal’s life. So it’s vital to keep young goats growing well.
• When using milk replacers, it’s never wise to use a cheap product. Feed the best quality product you can find and follow the instructions on the bag to the letter.
• There are plenty of figures for the feed needs of growing milking goats and an example is the table below showing the maximum Dry Matter intakes needed at different weights.
  

Weaning

• This is a critical time as from this time, young animals are “on their own” with no more milk supplementation so they should be eating well.
• Kids can be weaned from 5 weeks old but normally weaning is around 2 months of age. Weaning weight should be based on weight and not age.
• A guide is for weaning weight to be at least 3.5 times birth weight and eating concentrates (around 40g/head/day).
• Young goats after weaning need around 1kg of DM/day (pasture plus concentrates) to keep them growing to reach a good weight for mating.
  

Angora (Mohair) Goat Basics: Feeds available for goats

Agriculture, animal husbandry, goats, Mohair, Angora, feeds, feeding, nutrition

By Dr Clive Dalton

Feeds available to goats

Pasture

• Future goat farming in New Zealand is based on pasture feeding, and as world grain prices have gone crazy less of it will be fed, and it will be fed more carefully.
• The problem with “pasture“ as a feed is that it varies in quality and quantity every day of the year. It goes from low DM, low fibre, high protein and high digestibility in spring and autumn, to low protein, high DM, high fibre and low digestibility in the summer.
• Balancing all this to meet the nutritional needs of the stock at different times of the year is often described as more art than science.
• The other key to good pasture management is the balance between roots and shoots. The shoots generate nutrients through photosynthesis so are the factory of the plant. If you keep them grazed off hard, then it takes longer for them to recover and made food to be stored in the roots.
• This is why rotational grazing is successful as it allows time for shoots to recover before being grazed again.
• The aim of all plants is to mature quickly and go to seed so the key to grazing management is all about “controlled defoliation” to prevent them doing this.
• Remember of course that with goats, they will prefer the seed heads over lush green leaves and clover.
• It’s not economic in New Zealand to use machinery and diesel to control pasture, so the animal is used instead. So the animals control the pasture and the pasture feeds the animals.
• Again it’s a question of keeping a balance and making decisions well ahead of time e.g. When stock should be moved and when pastures will start going to seed.
• When you can see 10-15% of seed heads in a pasture, it’s time to make silage and this will be good quality. If the seed heads have gone beyond this – then it’s a hay crop.
  

Supplementary feeds

Hay
Good things about hay

• Cattle of all ages will eat hay with relish unless it’s really old, mouldy or full of thistles or docks.
• Hay has high DM (86%) and the high fibre content is good for rumen digestion which generates heat in the animal.
• It’s easy to make hay as long as the sun shines.
• It’s easy to handle when baled in the paddock, in storage and when feeding out – provided you have small bales or equipment to handle big bales which seem to get bigger every year.
• Hay keeps well for a couple of years and is easy to buy and sell.
  

Bad things about hay

• It can vary greatly in quality depending on the pasture it was made from and how mature the crop was when it was cut, also how badly it was weathered before baling.
• You lose about 80% of the feeding value of the original grass crop when you make hay of it.
• The protein content in good hay is only around 4%.
• Hay will catch fire, and if baled or put in a shed slightly damp it will heat up and self-combust.
  

Pasture Silage Good things about silage

• In good silage you only lose about 20% of the original nutrients from the pasture if cut at the 10-15% seed head stage.
• Good leafy silage is a high protein feed at around 17-20% protein in the DM.
• Really good silage is around 25% Dry Matter.
• After cutting a silage crop the paddock will return to regrow quicker than with hay.
  

Bad things about silage

• Silage smells and many people say it stinks, regardless of whether it was made well or badly. On small farms this regularly causes problems with non-rural neighbours.
• You must get everything right in the ensiling process or you’ll end up with an inferior product which can cause animal and human health problems - especially if it goes mouldy.
• You cannot make good silage from short, lush spring pasture as it is hard to get a good fermentation, and the end product will be only 20% DM or less. This will restrict the nutrient intake of the stock.
• Likewise, pasture that is well on the way to hay makes poor silage.
• Silage is hard to cart around and feed out as bales are 500-700 kg, and too many folk have been injured by them. A bale on a small trailer pulled by an ATV can jack-knife and kill you.
• If you open a bale in the paddock and let stock help themselves, the acid in the silage will burn the grass and the stock will pug the area. Burning can also happen if you dump it in great forkfuls and stock don’t clean it up that day.
• The juice that can leak out of bales or pits is an extremely bad environmental hazard as if it gets into streams it eats up large quantities of oxygen.
• Old silage wrap is an environmental hazard too. It can cause serious digestive problems in stock if they eat it and it blocks open drains. It is supposed to be disposed of in “an approved land fill” – which could cost you dollars.
• Wrapped bales need care in handling and protection from stock, rats and magpies to prevent punctures, air entry and mould.
  

Balage and haylage

• There is no difference between these supplements and balage seems to be most commonly used! Both are made from a very mature crop that ends up around 40% DM.
• But beware especially when buying it as it could be a hay crop that became wet, or a silage crop that went too far to seed.
• Get a sample analysed to be sure what’s in it before you buy it. And pick the sample from a range of bales.
  

A buyer’s guide to silage

• When you buy silage, get the vendor to open a bale and dig deep inside to see what it’s like.
• Check the bales for tiny holes as mould forms quickly if air leaks in. You can also do a squeeze test. Take a handful and squeeze it hard and if juice comes out between your clinched fingers – it’s too wet and certainly below 20% Dry Matter.
• Or take a sample and twist it to see if juice appears. It’s easy to squeeze juice from wet silage lower than 20% DM. Do a “sniff and feel” test using Table 16.
  

Silage quality check list

Send a good representative sample of the silage to a laboratory for feed analysis to get DM%, Protein% and ME.

Other crops
Look in any seed company’s catalogue and you’ll see a wide range of crops that can be grown to feed goats. The term “crop” covers such things as subtropical grasses and a wide range of brassicas and pulses. The catalogue information is comprehensive and well presented and companies have specialist agronomists who will help you. The key things to look out for are:

• When do you need the extra feed the crop will provide?
• What yield of Dry Matter can you expect per hectare?
• What climate limitations does the crop have? Will it grow in your area?
• What soil type limitations does it have?
• What fertiliser requirements does the crop have?
• How will you control weeds? These are always a major threat.
• How will you harvest the crop – do you need a machine or can it be grazed?
• Are there any animal health risks from grazing the crop?
• What are the costs of establishment?
• How long will the pasture be out of production while the crop is growing?
• How do you treat the paddock after the crop?
• There are probably many more questions so that’s why you need to talk to an agronomist.
  

Maize silage

• Maize silage is high in carbohydrates and low in protein.
• It’s a good winter feed when animals are dry or during spring to supplement lush green pasture.
• It’s a bulky feed so make sure milking does are fed any high-energy grain feed first.
• Maize silage needs to be kept well covered at the pit face as moulds grow very quickly.
  

Concentrates

• These feeds are based on grains (barley and maize) and hence are very expensive per kg of DM. A kg of DM in spring pasture may cost 10cents, in silage 20c, and 80-90c in commercial meals. So they need to be confined to times of clearly defined need.
• The are “supplements” and not “substitutes“ for their pasture diet, as this will eat up any profits in the enterprise.
• The full nutritional content of the meal must be shown on the bag.
• Goats soon learn to eat meal but start at 40-50gm/head/day for 7-10 days, and don’t exceed 0.200g/head/day for adults. Dams will soon teach their kids to relish grain-based feeds.
• For lactating goats, check their mineral needs. Some farmers add 1% of ground limestone or cement if feeding for longer than two months. Check this with your veterinarian.
• Coccidiostats can be added to grain feeds but discuss this need with your veterinarian.
  

Weeds

• Goats are not miracle workers able to produce quality mohair fibre from scrub and weeds. Good fibre comes from good nutrient intake.
• Feral but also Angoras have been used for weed and scrub control, and there have been some spectacular results. In trials, as well as pasture weeds, they dealt successfully with gorse, sweet briar, manuka, kanuka and tutu.
• When new shoots on weeds and shrubs are growing rapidly, they are high in protein and energy and will meet the full nutritional needs of mohair goats, but in winter when bark is eaten because there is nothing else, nutritional needs will not be met.
  
• Ringbarking is certainly an effective way to kill woody weeds and may be a planned management practices.
• Stocking rates to achieve these results need to be around six goats/ha.
• However, it would not be good practice to use Angora goats farmed to produce high quality fibre to break down scrub although they’d be well able to deal with pasture weeds.
• If you want to leave selected trees in areas where goats are eating scrub, then they need to be protected from bark damage as the goats do not discriminate.
  

Feeding levels

• It’s important to remember that the fibre processor wants a fibre that is even along its length, and feeding levels control this. Synthetic fibres don’t have this problem and that’s why they have been such a success.
  
• There is a genetic limit to how thick the fibre will grow but the environment (feeding) can certainly dictate how thin it can grow and in times of starvation the fibre will be so thin that it will break. In Merino sheep this is called “hunger fine”.
• Little work has been done on the precise feeding levels for pasture fed Angora goats in New Zealand, and even if we did know these, it would be difficult to work out how to provide them because of the way goats graze and browse.
  
• Feeding an even pasture sward of 2300kg DM/ha, rotationally grazed on a 40day rotation would be easy to work out what they were getting, but this is not the way goats are fed.
• A good New Zealand pasture made up of 70% grass and 30% clover will provide feed that has protein and energy levels, as well as minerals and trace elements for most of the year to meet the needs of mohair goats.
  

Target liveweights
A “target” weight is not an average weight. It’s a minimum weight and should be reached or exceeded by all animals in the group.



Nutrient values of feeds
This table shows the Dry Matter (DM%), the Energy Value measured in Metabolisable Energy (ME) and Crude Protein (CP%).

Cattle farm husbandry – monthly management diary

Cattle, farming, husbandry, monthly management tasks, livestock, feeding/pasture management, animal health, fertiliser, general & business management tasks

By Dr Clive Dalton



All farms are different
Every NZ farm is different and there are enormous differences between regions and districts in the timing of farm operations. Generally farming activities in the NZ South Island are at least a month later than on North Island farms. So use this calendar as a memory jogger, and get advice from local farmers or consultants who have many years of experience in your area.

JUNE
Livestock

• All non-productive stock should be off the farm to reduce feed demand.
• Check cow weight and condition score targets.
• Make early plans for calving – check you have all the gear.
• Finalise the calf rearing programme and check you have all gear needed.
• Check that disposal methods for dead stock are in order.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Feed will be getting short so carry out a full feed budget, and check feeding levels for stock, especially those needing special care like pregnant cows and young stock.
• Avoid pugging pastures in wet weather.
• Check management of new grass paddocks sown in autumn.
  

Animal health

• Discuss a detailed animal health programme for next season with your vet.
• Ask your vet to arrange blood profiles for minerals and trace elements.
• Start supplementation with magnesium if needed.
• Palpate dry cows’ udders regularly (weekly) for possible mastitis.
• Watch out for early abortions – and get all cases checked by your vet.
• Update animal health records.
  

Fertiliser

• Plan for some nitrogen fertiliser when soil temperatures are above 6-10°C, provided soils are not too wet.
• Check progress of new pastures sown in autumn – they may need nitrogen at 25-30 kg N/ha.
  

General & business

• Check the farm maintenance programme.
• Depending on balance date, book the date for your annual formal review of the business with accountant, banker and farm consultant.
• Contact banker/accountant to check GST payments and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

JULY
Livestock

• Cows should have reached condition score 5 and heifers condition score 5.5 for calving.
• Separate cows about to calve (springers) and watch for mastitis.
• Make sure early-calved cows get full attention – dairy cows to be milked out fully, and check all calvers are free from udder problems.
• Fully feed all calved cows.
• Get calf tags, rearing pens, bedding and feeding equipment ready.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Have regular farm walks to assess pastures and update feed budgets.
• Check on feed and mineral supplement use.
• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Lactating cows to be fed on rising plane of nutrition.
  

Animal health

• Continue magnesium supplementation.
• Watch for abortions.
• Watch for bloat.
• Note all cows that are likely to have delayed oestrus – e.g. difficult calvings, have twins, downer cows and cows with metabolic diseases. These may need treatment before mating.
• Vaccinate calves for blackleg when 6-8 weeks old.
• Check calves for lice.
• Update animal health records.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen at 30 – 50 kg N/ha to provide feed post-calving.

General & business

• Do regular checks of electric fence, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

AUGUST
Livestock

• Give special attention to feeding newly-calved cows and especially heifers.
• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Milk out all cows as soon as possible after calving and check for mastitis.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Feed budgets to be updated.
• Have regular farm walks to assess pastures.
• Checks on supplement use.
• Grazing rotation should be around 20-30 days.
• Grazing residuals should be around 1600-2000kg DM/ha with no clumps left.
  

Animal health

• Continue magnesium supplementation.
• Treat clinical cases of mastitis and keep records.
• Check cows that have not calved by due dates and discuss with your vet what to do with them.
• Tail paint to record when cycling activity starts in dairy stock. This is not so important with beef cows mated later.
• Watch for bloat.
• Update animal health records.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen at rates similar to July which will provide feed in the second and third grazing round after calving.
• Plan and carry out your soil and pasture testing programme
  

General and business

• Do regular checks of electric fence, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

SEPTEMBER
Livestock

• Cow live weight and condition score targets to be checked.
• Check planning and facilities for AI programme with dairy stock next month.
• Check you have beef bulls organised.
• Get the vet to check non-cycling cows.
• Tail paint and start recording pre-mating heats. Some farmers like to start this earlier (August).
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Fully feed all lactating cows.
• Feed budgets to be updated.
• Do regular farm walks to assess pastures.
• Check on supplement use.
  

Animal health

• Vet check non-cycling cows.
• Maintain tail paint and record pre-mating heats if going to use AI.
• Day 42 of calving – check all late calving cows.
• Check that all service bulls have been arranged.
• Watch for bloat.
• Ensure all calf dehorning is being done effectively (with anaesthetic).
• Castrate any calves not left as bulls before they are 6 weeks old.
• Update animal health records.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen at rates as for July and August.
• Consider applying your maintenance fertiliser nutrients, including P, K, S and Mg if and as required, based on soil and pasture test results and farm production.
• Trace element additives, such as Se, Cu or Co can be applied with the maintenance fertiliser if required.
  

General and business

• Do regular checks of electric fence, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
• Finalise cash book.
  

OCTOBER
Livestock

• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Check calf growth progress.
• Start AI programme or turn the bulls out.
• Monitor heat detection progress.
• Organise bulls to follow up after AB programme. Have reserve bulls in case of accidents.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Fully feed all lactating cows.
• Have regular farm walks to assess feed.
  

Animal health

• Check on calf weaning strategy.
• Check need for clostridial vaccinations.
• Review drench programme.
• Get vet to check late cycling cows.
• Vet check all bulls that come on to the farm (especially for Tb, EBL and BVD). Watch for bloat.
• Update animal health records.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen at 20 to 30 kg N/ha to increase silage production and make sure cows are fully fed.
• Apply any capital fertiliser recommended if the objective is to lift soil fertility levels.
• Apply maintenance fertiliser as for September if you haven’t already done so.
  

General and business

• Check electric fences, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

NOVEMBER
Livestock

• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Analyse and check progress of AI programme and how bulls have been working.
• Check bulls are actually serving the cows – and watch for injuries.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Fully feed all lactating cows.
• Do regular farm walks to assess feed.
• Start identifying true pasture surpluses for silage or hay.
• Make silage from surpluses.
  

Animal health

• Check calves for any weaning checks in growth.
• Watch for bloat.
• Update animal health records.
• Make plans for pregnancy testing.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen to build up a feed surplus for summer.
• Lime can be applied any time from now until late April if needed.
  

General and business

• Checks electric fences, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

DECEMBER
Livestock

• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Finish AI programme and analyse results. Take appropriate action if needed.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Fully feed lactating cows.
• Do regular farm walks to assess feed.
• Make silage or hay from surplus pasture.
  

Animal health

• Check growth and health of calves.
• Carry our early pregnancy testing of dairy stock.
• Examine and treat repeat breeders.
• Plan to start zinc drenching for Facial Eczema (FE) next month (in prone areas).
• Update animal health records.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen provided there is adequate soil moisture and the pasture is still growing.
• Apply lime if required from soil test results.
  

General and business

• Check electric fences, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

JANUARY
Livestock

• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Remove bulls and decide on their fate.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Fully feed lactating cows.
• Feed supplements when needed.
• Do regular farm walks to assess feed.
• Make hay and late silage (balage).
• Start increasing the grazing round if pastures get dry.
  

Animal health

• Start FE protection and check that dose rates are delivering the correct level of zinc.
• Update animal health records.
  

Fertiliser

• Probably too dry and hot to apply nitrogen, unless irrigation is available.

General and business

• Check electric fences, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

FEBRUARY

Livestock

• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Get rid of early culls (unproductive or barren stock) and fully feed productive stock.
• If pastures are drying up rapidly, feed out supplements.
  

Animal health

• Continue FE protection in prone areas.
• Start calf leptospirosis vaccinations for dairy stock.
• Watch for ryegrass staggers when pastures start to dry up.
• Update animal health records.
• Start pregnancy testing.
  

Fertiliser

• Probably too dry and hot to apply nitrogen, unless irrigation is available.
• Lime and maintenance fertiliser may be applied if required.
  

General and business

• Check electric fences, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

MARCH
Livestock

• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Fully feed all lactating cows.
• Dry off early any cows that are not producing or losing condition.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Update feed budgets.
• Make regular farm walks to assess pastures.
• Check on supplement use.
• Feed supplements if needed to maintain lactation and body condition.
• Identify pastures that may need to be renewed.
  

Animal health

• Continue FE protection in prone areas.
• Check on calf growth and health.
• Update animal health records.
• Use liver samples from culled cows to check for trace element status through your vet.
• Carry out pregnancy testing.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen at 20-30kg N/ha to start and build up autumn feed.
• Carry out soil tests and review fertiliser programme with consultant.
• Apply any autumn fertiliser needed.
  

General and business

• Check electric fences, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
• If 31 March is balance date – lodge books with accountant by 1 May.
  

APRIL
Livestock

• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Consider fate of non-productive cows – dry off or cull them.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Fully feed any lactating cows.
• Feed supplements to maintain productive stock.
• Do regular farm walks to assess pastures and update feed budgets.
• Check on supplement use.
• Start pasture renewal programme.
  

Animal health

• Finish FE zinc prevention if not required. Could continue into May.
  
• Do liver tests for trace elements through your vet.
• Check growth and health of any young stock on the farm.
• Update animal health records.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen at 20-30 kg N/ha to build up late autumn/early winter feed.

General and business

• Check electric fences, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
  

MAY
Livestock

• Check cow live weight and condition score targets.
• Dry off any cows still milking.
  

Feeding/Pasture management

• Do regular farm walks to assess pastures and update feed budgets.
• Check on feed supplement use.
• Make plans to avoid pugging during winter.
  

Animal health

• Use appropriate dry cow treatment in consultation with vet.
• Arrange liver tests for trace elements.
• Check new pastures and crop for high nitrate levels.
• Review animal health programme with your vet (for the past and future season).
• Update animal health records.
• Check growth and health of young stock on the farm.
  

Fertiliser

• Consider strategic use of nitrogen as for April.

General and business

• Check electric fences, farm vehicles and water supply.
• Check financial budget and cash flow and pay accounts monthly.
• Input data to PC to estimate cash position and bank requirements for payment of creditors and finalise cash book.
• If 31 May is balance date – lodge books with accountant by 1 July.
  

Disclaimer This material is provided in good faith for information purposes only, and the author does not accept any liability to any person for actions taken as a result of the information or advice (or the use of such information or advice) provided in these pages.

Cattle farm husbandry – feeding principles

Cattle, farming, husbandry, feeding, nutrition, maintenance & production, dry matter, energy, protein, fats, water, digestibility, feed conversion efficiency, negative nutritional balance, feeding milking & beef cows.


By Dr Clive Dalton

A well fed Angus cow

Feed stock well
If you keep feeding your stock well and they are healthy and producing well, you’ll probably not need any of this blog.

Cattle eat and drink a lot compared to other species on the farm. For example a newly-calved dairy cow will eat up to 17kg of dry matter each day which is about 85kg of wet grass, so if you haven’t got that amount of feed on the farm, then you’ll have to make some important decisions to keep her milking which is the concept of “feed budgeting” or balancing feed demand with feed supply.

Don’t forget water. A milking cow will drink about 70 litres of water each day and more if it’s hot. So there are plenty of issues to consider as feeding is a major part of profit. Here are some basic principles – some of them a bit academic but they are important.

Troughs should be clean enough for you to drink out of!

Dry Matter (DM) – what is it?

This is feed with all the water removed, and using DM is an easy concept as you can measure it yourself. Here’s how to do it:

• Put a weighed sample of feed into an oven at about 100°C for about an hour, or microwave on defrost for 5 minutes or until it stops losing weight.
• Then calculate the (Dry weight/Wet weight) x (100/1). This is DM%.
• It’s useful when you want to compare feeds and especially when you are buying them.
• For example if you are offered surplus kiwi fruit at 30cents/kg in the orchard, and the DM is only 10%, is this a good buy or not? It’s maybe better to buy meal at 80cents/kg which has 86% DM. You could be buying very expensive water- even if you get free delivery.
  

The concept of maintenance and production

• A cattle beast uses part of its feed for “maintenance” which is to keep its basic functions working like a stationary car, parked with the handbrake on and the engine ticking over.
• So a beast needs nutrients like protein, carbohydrates, minerals and trace elements to maintain its basic body function such as body temperature, digestion, blood flow, organ function and minimal movement.
• Then there are the feed nutrients needed for “production” which is over and above maintenance. This is needed when the animal starts to grow, become pregnant, lactates or walks long distances each day to find feed, water or to be milked. It’s the car now moving with your foot down on the accelerator.
• How much an animal needs for maintenance is based mainly on its live weight.
• Now this is not a specialist book on dairy cows, but the milking cow is a good subject to understand the principles so bear with her for a while (see below).
• To maintain a dairy cow in the late months of pregnancy when she is dry, she’ll need about 1.2% to 1.3% of her live weight in DM. After calving this needs to be increased to 1.5% – 1.6% of live weight.
• So it’s very important to appreciate this concept as if you provide bare maintenance feed for any stock that should be fed for production - a familiar problem on farms in spring. You’ll end up with skinny stock and an animal welfare problem.
  

Feeding a milking cow
Look at the table below to see how much DM a cow needs based on its liveweight at different stages. See the key points from the table.

• It sets it all out showing the months before and after calving when the cow is dry then milking, and what an average Friesian, Jersey and a Crossbred will need in terms of DM/head/day.
• Note that after calving the cow has lost the weight of the calf and fluids it was carrying
  

Key points from the table

• See how the cow’s weight dictates her feed needs.
• Note that after calving the cow has lost the weight of the calf and fluids (conceptus).
• The DM values in the table are the minimum worked out for a cow, standing indoors in a stall at an experimental station.
• So when the cow is outside in a cold wind and has to walk long distances to find feed, then these maintenance values will be far too low, and the cow will use its own body reserves to meet the deficiency and lose weight and condition.
• When a cow starts to lactate, then her DM needs rocket up and she will be limited by her appetite, especially on pasture which is a bulky feed.
  
• Some very large cows can eat up to 4% of their live weight in DM, but that’s the limit on a pasture diet which is our New Zealand system where no high-energy feeds such as grain are fed because it kills the profit.
• A cow that satisfies her appetite long before her nutritional needs are met ends up in negative nutritional balance which can have serious implications.
  

Negative nutritional balance

• This is a fancy term to describe the state of a cow after calving. It simply means that she is pouring out more energy in milk than she is taking in by feed, so she makes up for the deficiency by using up her body reserves of fat, and if things worsen, her muscles.
• She’s in “negative nutritional balance: for about 6-8 weeks after calving, but big heavy-milking modern Holstein Friesians can be in negative balance for much longer – up to 20 weeks, losing body condition much faster. They have been selected for a high metabolic rate so keeping body condition on them is a major challenge.
• Is this anything to worry about? Yes it is, because six weeks after calving when the cow is pouring out energy in her milk, she’s expected to start cycling and become pregnant again after only one mating or insemination. She often fails to do this, requiring money to be spent on hormone stimulation and veterinarian visits.
  

Feeding a beef cow
Feeding a beef cow is a much simpler challenge. The table below shows general figures for beef cows for different periods before and after calving down the side, and for three different average weights along the top.


Key points from the table:

• After weaning and before the next calving - increase DM by 15% for lean cows and reduce it by 15% for fat ones.
• 3 months before calving - Add 0.9kg DM/day to the cow’s needs for pasture eaten by the calf.
• 5 months after calving – Add 2.7kg of DM/day to the cow’s needs for pasture eaten by the calf.
• If you want to put condition back on a cow, a mature cows needs about 6.5kg of DM for every 1Kg of live weight above what it needs for maintenance.
  

Feeding young growing cattle

• With young stock it’s very important that they are always fed above maintenance as their future performance is dictated by how well they are reared.
  
• The effects of poor rearing last right through the animal’s life.
  
• The table below shows the feeding levels for animals of different starting weights down the side, and for different growth rates along the top.

Key points from the table

• These are general values and they’ve been around a long time. So be generous when you use them and increase rather than decrease the values.
• Over winter or when feed is short, stock should grow at a minimum of 0.25kg/head/day.
• In the spring flush of pasture, aim for growth close to 1kg/head/day.
  

Target weights

• The table below for dairy stock and the table for beef stock show some currently accepted target weights for stock of different ages.
• Note that target weights are not “average” weights.
• A “target” weight is the weight every animal in the group should have reached by the defined age.
• Again realise they are general values used as a guide.
  

Digestibility

• When a cattle beast eats feed, only some of the nutrients are digested and end up in the bloodstream to be used for maintenance and production.
  
• What’s left passes out in the faeces so the “digested” nutrients are the most important bits.
• Here’s the full definition of digestibility written as an equation.

Digestibility % = [(Feed Eaten – Feed excreted) / [Feed eaten] x [100 / 1]

• So it’s important to know the digestibility of the DM, the protein, and the energy (see later) in the feed, as these are what cost money.
  
• It’s not surprising that feeds vary greatly in their digestibility (Table 9), as it’s controlled a lot by the maturity of the plants which make up the feed.
  
• As crops mature, fibre content increases (which is harder to digest) and protein decreases (which is easy to digest).

Key points from the table

• Milk is a highly nutritious feed. Nature got it right!
• Young grass is a good feed but it declines in value with maturity.
• Note the importance of always feeding good quality hay and good silage.
• Straw has very little feeding value but it’s useful if you want to make the animal feel full.
• Root crops have good feeding values but are very high in water which restricts how much the animal can eat. They are very bulky feeds.
  

Feed conversion efficiency (FCE)

• This is also called Feed Conversion Ratio (FCR) and is used to measure how much live-weight gain (LWG) you get for the feed eaten.
• It’s the basis of profit and is expressed as kg DM/kg LWG.
• The general principle is that the faster an animal grows, the better the FCE. See Table 10 for a 300 kg steer.
• Again realise these are general figures and measuring FCE with pasture-fed stock is difficult and nothing near as precise as when cattle are fed grain in a feedlot.
  

Important nutrients in a diet

Proteins

• These are needed for growth and muscle so are important for young stock such as young calves that need 13-14% protein of their total DM intake.
• Lactating animals need about the same with finishing animals slightly less at 10-11%. Mature stock on a maintenance diet only need 8.5% protein.
• Once animals get on to good green pasture – a protein deficiency is not very likely. Indeed in the spring flush there is too much protein and it is wasted, just passing through the animal.
• Clovers have three times the amount of protein found in grasses.
• It’s a good idea to have some carbohydrate rich feed like maize silage or good hay to help balance up the excess protein in the diet. Even feeding some barley straw is a good idea.
  

Carbohydrates

• Carbohydrates in feed provide energy and meeting the animal’s energy needs will be your main concern.
• Good short green pasture is rich in energy as well as protein, but the problem is to provide this all year round.
• Silage made from a crop when it was short and green and hence highly digestible is an ideal source of energy and protein, especially when pasture is in short supply as in winter and droughts.
• Cereal grains are the highest source of energy but it’s an awful waste and costly in New Zealand to feed grain to ruminants that were designed to digest fibrous plants.
  

Fats

• Fats are similar to carbohydrates but supply more energy and you’ll see they are included in diets for calves or high producing dairy cows.
• Fat is nature’s way of storing large amounts of energy in concentrated form in the body. People trying to slim and use it up know all about this.
  

Vitamins, minerals and trace elements

• There’s a wide range of these each with a specific function, and it’s easy to be concerned about possible deficiencies in your stock. Copper, selenium and cobalt are the main ones.
• The key is to provide a balanced diet containing high-quality green pasture and you need not worry too much about deficiencies.
• Seek veterinary advice if your stock are not performing well to check if it’s a vitamin or mineral deficiency.
  

Water

• Water is not a nutrient but don’t forget about it. It’s essential to life and good health.
• It must be good quality (potable) so it’s important to have it tested if you suspect it may have problems – and there are plenty of them.
• Examples are bacteria (coliforms and faecal coliforms) algae, and toxic minerals like manganese and iron, as well as chemicals like nitrates that can cause disease. These are not good for humans and they are not good for animals either.
• There is also the problem of dead birds and vermin in water supplies which risk both animal and human health from salmonella and the like.
  

More about ways to compare feeds
You regularly need to compare feeds on the basis of nutrient content, especially when looking at value for money if they have to buy them, or what you should charge when selling feed.


Pasture Equivalent Dry Matter (PEDM)

• This very old and crude concept is used to compare the DM in feeds using a “standard” which is taken as “good leafy pasture of 70% digestibility” – like spring pasture.
• This is given a value of 1.0 so you compare the DM in any other feed and express it as a “Pasture Equivalents”.
• Clearly, it can only be a very crude measure to express overall feeding value, and it has been used for many years in farm management. Table 11 shows some values used.
  

• The way it works in a feed budget is that you measure or estimate all the feed on the farm and convert it into PEDM units.

• Then you see what the animals need in terms of DM and calculate if you have enough, too much or too little. See later.
  

Energy Values

• Thinking about energy levels in feed is a big leap forward, but is a bit more complicated.
• Energy is what animals are most often short of for most of the year, and it’s what you’ll have to buy when things get difficult.
• So here you go a step further than measuring just the DM%; you find out from a laboratory feed analysis how much energy there is in the DM – expressed as “Energy Units”, and this will cost you money as you cannot do it yourself in the kitchen.
• When broken down the term Energy Unit is a bit of a mouthful. It’s the “Megajoules of Metabolisable Energy per Kg of Dry Matter” in the feed.
• It’s abbreviated to “MJ/ME/Kg DM” and then to “ME units” which avoids the need to pronounce “metabolisable” (met-a-bol-iz-able) which is a bonus!
• So farmers now can get ME values done on their hay or silage before they start feeding out, and certainly on any feed before they buy it.
  

What is ME?

• If you take a feed and explode and burn it in a special chamber in the laboratory, you can measure the total heat (energy) produced from it measured in joules. This is called Gross Energy.
• But the animal doesn’t use all that, as energy is lost in faeces and urine and methane belched from the rumen.
• So what’s left after those three parts have been removed is the energy that can be “metabolised” for maintenance and production – called Net Energy.
• A part of Metabolisable Energy is used to provide heat to keep the system going, so when you see the letters ME – it’s the energy in the feed that the beast can put to full use to earn income.
• This is a big advance from just thinking about DM – you now can find out how much energy is in each Kg of the DM of different feeds as shown in the table below. But be warned about the limitations of these general figures and get a proper analysis done on a representative sample of feed from a registered laboratory (see the Yellow pages in the telephone directory) or through your veterinarian.
  

Energy for mature beef cattle
The table below shows the ME requirements for mature beef cattle of different live weights down the side, at different stages of pregnancy along the top.


The cow live weights are minus the weight of calf and fluids (conceptus). Average figures used for conceptus are 20kg at 190 days, 36kg at 240 days and 55kg at 265 days.

Energy for growing cattle
The table below shows how much energy growing cattle need. It is presented for different starting live weights down the side, and the different daily weight gains required along the top.


Disclaimer This material is provided in good faith for information purposes only, and the author does not accept any liability to any person for actions taken as a result of the information or advice (or the use of such information or advice) provided in these pages.

Cattle farm husbandry – feeds for cattle

Cattle, farming, husbandry, feeding, feeds available, pasture, silage, balage, hay, good and bad features of feeds, stocking rate, stock units

By Dr Clive Dalton

Pasture
“Pasture” is what grows in a paddock, and if you mark out a square metre to make close inspection easier, you’ll see different species of grasses, some of good feed value and others not. Then there will be different species of clover all of which are excellent feed. There will probably be a range of weeds most of which cattle will eat but they won’t be ideal feed for production. There will also be bare ground and dung patches.

Good things about pasture

Pasture has highest feeding value when it's kept at a vegetative state

• Pasture grows well in New Zealand’s temperate climate, so it’s comparatively cheap to grow and feed to stock compared with cereal grains.
• All stock will eat grass and clover with relish – until it becomes very mature and stalky.
• You don’t need expensive machinery to control pasture –all you need is an electric fence.
• It’s a simple system so pastures feed your stock and your stock control your pastures.
  

Bad things about pasture

• The main aim of a pasture plant (grass or clover) is to mature as quickly as possible and produce seed.
• Pasture feeding value varies in both quality and quantity every day of the year.
• It may be deficient in copper, selenium or cobalt depending on the soil type.
• Good pasture management is as much art as science.
• Regular water is needed for good growth – rainfall or irrigation.
• There is no free lunch. You must replace the nutrients removed from what goes off the land.

This is the worst thing you can do to a pasture.
Pugging destroys the delicate crumb structure of the soil
and delays recover for months if not longer

How feeding value changes over time
The table below shows how feeding value of pasture at different stages of growth changes over time


Key points from the table

• As pasture matures, DM and fibre content go up rapidly.
• And as pasture matures, protein, minerals, digestibility and energy (ME) go down.
• So try to keep pastures at the vegetative green stage for as long as possible during the year – and the best and cheapest machines you have to do this are your animals.
• Your pastures feed your animals, and your animals keep the pasture under control preventing it seeding. As stated above – it’s a very simple system, but not always easy to get it right all the time.
• At the first sign of the stock losing this contest, then take the paddock out of the grazing rotation and make silage or hay to be fed back to them in summer droughts or winter feed deficits.
  

Hay
Good things about hay

• Cattle of all ages will eat hay with relish unless it’s really old, mouldy or full of thistles or docks.
• Hay has high DM and the high fibre content is good for rumen digestion which generates heat in the animal.
• It’s easy to make hay as long as the sun shines.
• It’s easy to handle when baled in the paddock, in storage and when feeding out – provided you have small bales or equipment to handle big bales which seem to get bigger every year.
  
• Hay keeps well for a couple of years and is easy to buy and sell.
  

Bad things about hay

• It can vary greatly in quality depending on the pasture it was made from and how mature the crop was when it was cut, also how badly it was weathered before baling.
• You lose about 80% of the feeding value of the original grass crop when you make hay of it.
• The protein content in good hay is only around 4%.
• Hay will catch fire, and if baled or put in a shed slightly damp it will heat up and self combust.
  

Silage Good things about silage

Big silage bales need good protection from stock - a single hot wire is not enough

• In good silage you only lose about 20% of the original nutrients from the pasture if cut at the 10-15% seed head stage.
• Good leafy silage is a high protein feed at around 17-20% protein in the DM.
• Really good silage is around 25% Dry Matter.
• After cutting a silage crop the paddock will return to regrow quicker than with hay.
  

Bad things about silage

Mouldy silage is dangerous to stock and humans

• Silage smells and many people say it stinks, regardless of whether it was made well or badly. On small farms this regularly causes problems with non-rural neighbours.
• You must get everything right in the ensiling process or you’ll end up with an inferior product which can cause animal and human health problems - especially if it goes mouldy.
• You cannot make good silage from short, lush spring pasture as it is hard to get a good fermentation, and the end product will be only 20% DM or less. This will restrict the nutrient intake of the stock.
• Likewise, pasture that is well on the way to hay makes poor silage.
• Silage is hard to cart around and feed out as bales are 500-700 kg, and too many folk have been injured by them. A bale on a small trailer pulled by an ATV can jack-knife and kill you.
• If you open a bale in the paddock and let stock help themselves, the acid in the silage will burn the grass and the stock will pug the area. Burning can also happen if you dump it in great forkfuls and stock don’t clean it up that day.
• The juice that can leak out of bales or pits is an extremely bad environmental hazard as if it gets into streams it eats up large quantities of oxygen.
• Old silage wrap is an environmental hazard too. It can cause serious digestive problems in stock if they eat it and it blocks open drains. It is supposed to be disposed of in “an approved land fill” – which could cost you dollars.
• Wrapped bales need care in handling and protection from stock, rats and magpies to prevent punctures, air entry and mould.
  

Balage and haylage – what’s the difference?

• There is no difference and balage seems to be most commonly used! Both are made from a very mature crop that ends up around 40% DM.
  
• But beware especially when buying it as it could be a hay crop that became wet, or a silage crop that went too far to seed.
• Get a sample analysed to be sure what’s in it before you buy it. And pick the sample from a range of bales.

This is 'balage' made from a mature crop which had gone too far for top silage and was cut too early for hay. Fermentation was good and the beef stock relished it.

A buyer’s guide to silage

• When you buy silage, get the vendor to open a bale and dig deep inside to see what it’s like.
  
• Check the bales for tiny holes as mould forms quickly if air leaks in. You can also do a squeeze test. Take a handful and squeeze it hard and if juice comes out between your clinched fingers – it’s too wet and certainly below 20% Dry Matter.
• Or take a sample and twist it to see if juice appears. It’s easy to squeeze juice from wet silage lower than 20% DM. Do a “sniff and feel” test using the Table below.
  

Again, send a good representative sample of the silage to a laboratory for feed analysis to get DM%, Protein% and ME.

Other crops

Maize is now a very popular crop to provide large amount of Dry
Matter when chopped and made into silage

• Look in any seed company’s catalogue and you’ll see a wide range of crops that can be grown to feed cattle. The term “crop” covers such things as subtropical grasses and a wide range of brassicas and pulses.
  
• The catalogue information is comprehensive and well presented and companies have specialist agronomists who will help you.

Soft turnips are a popular feed for cattle, but work out the cost of growing them.
The tops may look good but most feed is in the bulbs

Key things to look out for are

• ٱWhen do you need the extra feed the crop will provide?
• What yield of Dry Matter can you expect per hectare?
• What climate limitations does the crop have? Will it grow in your area?
• What soil type limitations does it have?
• What fertiliser requirements does the crop have?
• How will you control weeds? These are always a major threat.
• How will you harvest the crop – do you need a machine or can it be grazed?
• Are there any animal health risks from grazing the crop?
• What are the costs of establishment?
• How long will the pasture be out of production while the crop is growing?
• How do you treat the paddock after the crop?
  

There are probably many more questions so that’s why you need to talk to an agronomist.

Concentrate feeds

Feeding dairy cows maize silage.
It's not economic to feed it to beef cattle in New Zealand

It's not economic to feed high energy concentrate feeds to beef cattle, and it's only dairy cows where feeding them is justified - and that's not in all conditions.

Fodder trees
There are a wide range of willows and poplars which are very good feed for cattle, being rich in minerals. They can be especially farmed for this purpose. They are a great insurance for drought conditions.

Willow being relished by beef cattle
It has good feeding value and should be used more on
cattle farms for both feed and shade

Have you got too many stock?
This question is always a concern and can keep nagging away at you and it’s like how long is a piece of string? If you are constantly running out of feed, even in the spring flush, then the chances very high are that you have too many stock.

You are “overstocked” or have too high a “stocking rate”. These are all farming terms to describe the situation that needs fixing before you run into problems. So it’s a good idea to see what your stocking rate is, and to do this you can use the old, if not ancient, system of Stock Units or SUs.

Stock Units

• The idea behind Stock Units is to compare all the stock on a similar basis so that you can get some overall measure of the feed requirements.
  
• The theory is sound enough, but it’s an old if not ancient system and is of little if any value on today’s farms.
  
• But it’s still used for beef and sheep farms by vendor’s and land agents where the farm is described as carrying or wintering a given number of stock units. Farm workers and managers’ jobs are also described using stock units.
• A SU is also called a Ewe Equivalent (EE) as the base used is one 55kg breeding ewe rearing a single lamb needing approximately 520 - 550kg DM from good quality pasture, which includes what the lamb will eat up to weaning at 3½ months.
• You may also see the term LSU or Livestock Units used.
• A farm’s carrying capacity or stocking rate (SR) is expressed as the number of SUs carried on 1 July so is the number of stock that will be wintered.
• If you can farm your stock through the winter, then the rest of the year should be no problem.
  
• The table below shows you the Stock Unit conversion values. Remember these general values have great limitations and can only be a very crude guide.
  

So where do you go from here?

• The honest answer is probably - not very far! When you ask someone who is supposed to know the answer – they invariably start off by saying - “Well it all depends!”
  
• Here’s what you are supposed to do. After converting all stock on the farm into SUs, and then dividing by the number of hectares, then you’ll know your SU/ha.
  
• But how do you know if it’s too high or too low, or what’s the ideal for your farm? This is when you should talk to local farmers, neighbours or farm consultants – but don’t be surprised if they are scared to commit themselves and fudge the answer.
  
• If you hear of a farm successfully running 12 SU/ha then it must be a good farm as this is at the high end.
• To make some sense of the fudged answers you’ll get, go back and analyse what happened in the dead of winter. If you were in deep trouble then, reduce your overall stocking rate. Don’t judge your stocking rate in the spring flush!
• Smart operators know what live weight of stock they carry per hectare and this makes a lot more sense if you can work it out. This will be a lot more help when you do a feed budget.
  

Disclaimer
This material is provided in good faith for information purposes only, and the author does not accept any liability to any person for actions taken as a result of the information or advice (or the use of such information or advice) provided in these pages.