Tub diet feeder or mix it up against a wall

supermajor

We're going maize here for the first time. In the past we feed the milkers beet extra during the winter. This year however we will need to feed maize silage beet and some straw. Not rations really as we can feed straights through the parlour to bring protein up.

This meant buying a diet feeder or Following some replies on another thread some people jus mix with a bucket and feed it out then.
Just wondering what are peoples experiences of this.. Have ye tried both and once tried a diet feeder never looked back. Or do you find mixing with a bucket to suit your system??

We can feed the beet the way we always did down on top and a scales fitted to the loader will weight in the rights amounts of maize/silage.

Thanks for taking time to read and any comments:)

dar31

just wondering why you brought maize into the diet, when it is going to add additional costs to your system, in the form of diet/tub feeders.

could you not leave off your feed 3-4 ft out from feed barrier, and then just push it all in on top of each other against the barrier

you should only need to mix the feed if you have a limited feed space per cow and heifers get bullied out of a choice pick.
the only other plus for a feeder is if you have to haul feed a long distance to the cows feed area.

F.D

why not look out for one of them old forage boxes, seen loads of them in the uk years ago, and seen an article in profi magazine lately where a dairy farmer in the uk was after buying a new one and found it a cheaper option it has a moving floor that pushes the silage through beaters on the front and out the side you sort of mix it as you load one tractor required,hitch up whe you have it filled and feed it out this is the only pic i could find of one

seen a few second hand for a few k a few months a go, if you wanted you could out a weighscales on your loader to give the right amounts

John_F

done the mixing against the wall craic, loader wasnt up to it, had to do it cos cows just left the grass at the barrier and wanted more maize. then we fed the maize in the collecting yard so only milkers got it, but still not ideal as 1st row out would get more than the last row..milking taking 2.5 hours! bought an abbey tub in 09 and never looked back, dry cow diet now means no retained cleanings, milk fever or tetany, had one LDA alright last year and this year the milkers are getting a consistent feed (no matter what keenan says) feeding maize, soya, 3 way mix, straw and silage to milkers in winter, by right we should have different groups, ie close up to calving, close up to the milker diet. All in all we think she is paying her way. not feeding beet, but remember beet costs around the same as maize on a cost per tonne dry matter and on a cost per tonne of energy

jeff greene

John_F wrote: »

done the mixing against the wall craic, loader wasnt up to it, had to do it cos cows just left the grass at the barrier and wanted more maize. then we fed the maize in the collecting yard so only milkers got it, but still not ideal as 1st row out would get more than the last row..milking taking 2.5 hours! bought an abbey tub in 09 and never looked back, dry cow diet now means no retained cleanings, milk fever or tetany, had one LDA alright last year and this year the milkers are getting a consistent feed (no matter what keenan says) feeding maize, soya, 3 way mix, straw and silage to milkers in winter, by right we should have different groups, ie close up to calving, close up to the milker diet. All in all we think she is paying her way. not feeding beet, but remember beet costs around the same as maize on a cost per tonne dry matter and on a cost per tonne of energy

I agree with what your saying but diet feeder alone gives you nothing, it takes a careful operator to fill it correctly etc.

Back to the OP, I would agree with Dar, do you need it. What system are you running, milk yield etc. Like I said, a feeder is only a machine at the end of the day, not magic

I would forget beet, too much trouble washing it, risk of soil and choking too. If your silage is pit, get a second hand Keenan, rather than giving €20k plus for a tub, to see if the system suits your farm. I have a tub now but started with a cheap keenan easifeeder.

John_F

jeff greene wrote: »

I agree with what your saying but diet feeder alone gives you nothing, it takes a careful operator to fill it correctly etc.

Back to the OP, I would agree with Dar, do you need it. What system are you running, milk yield etc. Like I said, a feeder is only a machine at the end of the day, not magic

I would forget beet, too much trouble washing it, risk of soil and choking too. If your silage is pit, get a second hand Keenan, rather than giving €20k plus for a tub, to see if the system suits your farm. I have a tub now but started with a cheap keenan easifeeder.

true it depends on the system, waste of time if herd potential is too low. we didnt go for a keenan as think they are overrated, trouble feeding bales, chains, shear bolts. plus it was around 10k extra for a new one cos had to have to conveyor on back.

just off topic jeff did you say you are buffer feeding most of the year? if twas you, what are you using?