Lamb finisher

Green farmer

what if anything are lads feeding to get the lambs out the gate. Supplementing with some maze finisher here, but it ain't cheap at around €300 a tonne. Was thinking about switching ewe lambs to ewe and lamb nuts at 18 %, which would be cheaper. Would this have same effect ? Or what other ration could I consider ? Their all on good grass at the moment

J.O. Farmer

Green farmer wrote: »

what if anything are lads feeding to get the lambs out the gate. Supplementing with some maze finisher here, but it ain't cheap at around €300 a tonne. Was thinking about switching ewe lambs to ewe and lamb nuts at 18 %, which would be cheaper. Would this have same effect ? Or what other ration could I consider ? Their all on good grass at the moment

Maize finisher sounds as good as it gets. The ewe and lamb is too high in protein and in reality how much cheaper is it relative to what each lamb will eat.
Say it's €280 a tonne so €20 less. Let's say each lamb will eat 25kg before being finished that's 50c a head. Now suppose the performance is slightly lower the 50c is only going to get you less than 2kg more ration and your lambs there a couple of days longer. Beyond that you'd be losing money.
Once you move away from the finishing ration I suppose straights are the next option but maybe someone else can advise on those as it's easy to sickensheep with barley, not so sure about maize, oats are safer but probably not good enough.

Robson99

Green farmer wrote: »

what if anything are lads feeding to get the lambs out the gate. Supplementing with some maze finisher here, but it ain't cheap at around €300 a tonne. Was thinking about switching ewe lambs to ewe and lamb nuts at 18 %, which would be cheaper. Would this have same effect ? Or what other ration could I consider ? Their all on good grass at the moment

Working 2/3 rolled barley 1/3 finishing nut here. Barley at €175 tonne. Finishing nut at €300 tonne. Barley best value feed there is IMO

Green farmer

Robson99 wrote: »

Working 2/3 rolled barley 1/3 finishing nut here. Barley at €175 tonne. Finishing nut at €300 tonne. Barley best value feed there is IMO

Might give something like that a go. Hard to justify the finishing nut at today's lamb kg price.

rangler1

Green farmer wrote: »

Might give something like that a go. Hard to justify the finishing nut at today's lamb kg price.

Bought a 3 in 1 feeder this evening on the ploughing site so I'm going to try feeding 400grs on good grass.

razor8

Seen it at balmoral and the ploughing and have to say I'm very tempted. Do you know anyone with one and how they are getting on?

sea12

rangler1 wrote: »

Bought a 3 in 1 feeder this evening on the ploughing site so I'm going to try feeding 400grs on good grass.

Have u a pic. Didn't see them at the ploughing

rangler1

razor8 wrote: »

Seen it at balmoral and the ploughing and have to say I'm very tempted. Do you know anyone with one and how they are getting on?

Bought one of the cheaper ones, an 8ft, €1107, at least if it doesn't work, i can use it as an ad lib feeder

http://www.3in1feeders.co.uk/downloads/3IN1_500.pdf.

charolais0153

I seen that but I thought a ewe would be able to eat out of it nearly?

orm0nd

Did you try out the feeder yet?

rangler1 wrote:

Bought a 3 in 1 feeder this evening on the ploughing site so I'm going to try feeding 400grs on good grass.

rangler1

orm0nd wrote: »

Did you try out the feeder yet?

Started on sunday and they're eating about 400grs/ day at the moment........but then so are the other bunch of lambs that started on ordinary creep feeders on monday, so it's early yet to judge.
Wool buyer was here on monday, he's just started his lambs on whole barley in a 3 in 1 feeder.....it'd be cheap ration if it works, all lambs really need is energy

Green farmer

The year has flown around and back to feeding lambs again, how are lads getting on with lambs out the gate this year ?

charolais0153

Have only 5 left. Around 42 kgs. Dont know how the blacks came about but i dont like them

J.O. Farmer

charolais0153 wrote: »

Have only 5 left. Around 42 kgs. Dont know how the blacks came about but i dont like them

Your obviously 1 of those people who don't like the black ones but some people do.

Are they rams or ewes. If they're ewes you might just get a customer to give you a bit extra if you stick them on done deal.

sea12

J.O. Farmer wrote: »

Your obviously 1 of those people who don't like the black ones but some people do.

Are they rams or ewes. If they're ewes you might just get a customer to give you a bit extra if you stick them on done deal.

Don't think they are really suitable for breeding. A bit of meal and they will be kill out in s few weeks. Give them a good worm dose and cobalt aswell. If they haven't being on meal yet they will thrive very well for the first 6 weeks.

daviddenis

I have 80 ewe lambs. Ranging from 28kg to 42kg.

I have 2 ton of barley. Was thinking of feeding it sound.

Would you try finish them or sell them as stores.

Siamsa Sessions

daviddenis wrote: »

I have 80 ewe lambs. Ranging from 28kg to 42kg.

I have 2 ton of barley. Was thinking of feeding it sound.

Would you try finish them or sell them as stores.

Big range in weights so there'll be a big difference in what's needed to finish them.

What kinda breeding is in them? If they're fairly maternal there'll be harder to finish again compared to Charollais, Suffolk, Texel.

For what it's worth, we sold Llyen wethers (average 36kg) as stores back in July for €79. It was the best move we ever made - less hassle and work around the place plus we probably wouldn't have made any more if we tried to finish them given the meal we'd have had to give them.

daviddenis

Ah there mixed breed. Few scotches in them. Starting feeding them barely at lib. Last week. Seem to be doin well. Price has picked up also. Hope another 3 weeks and git rid of few.

Siamsa Sessions wrote: »

Big range in weights so there'll be a big difference in what's needed to finish them.

What kinda breeding is in them? If they're fairly maternal there'll be harder to finish again compared to Charollais, Suffolk, Texel.

For what it's worth, we sold Llyen wethers (average 36kg) as stores back in July for €79. It was the best move we ever made - less hassle and work around the place plus we probably wouldn't have made any more if we tried to finish them given the meal we'd have had to give them.

IH784man

I'd pick anything from 38kg up for finishing,anything lighter sell as stores

roosky

I see lads saying lambs only do a good thrive fro first 6 weeks of meal......i have ram lambs out and getting meal for last 6 weeks now in shed will they stop performing as they are so long on meal

tomwaterford

roosky wrote: »

I see lads saying lambs only do a good thrive fro first 6 weeks of meal......i have ram lambs out and getting meal for last 6 weeks now in shed will they stop performing as they are so long on meal

Keep em dosed and vitamined I guess.....

I wonder is there value to be got,if there close enough to finishing them,by moving to higher protein nuts,but your potentially gambling healthwise

as I'm not sure how long they can be fed high protein without running into issues...but maybe enough to get over the line??

Green farmer

tomwaterford wrote: »

Keep em dosed and vitamined I guess.....

I wonder is there value to be got,if there close enough to finishing them,by moving to higher protein nuts,but your potentially gambling healthwise

?

I'm wondering the opposite, feeding a high protein nut here at €296 a tonne, but their growing too much bone and not enough flesh. Going to swap over to a lower protein cheaper product from another supplier. Some mills just don't understand what's economically viable to feed lambs.

Westernrock

Green farmer wrote: »

I'm wondering the opposite, feeding a high protein nut here at €296 a tonne, but their growing too much bone and not enough flesh. Going to swap over to a lower protein cheaper product from another supplier. Some mills just don't understand what's economically viable to feed lambs.

+1 I'd be thinking along the lines of lower protein higher energy to flesh them up

daviddenis

Looking into feeding a type ration with whole Barley. What comapny and ration would ye recommend.

ganmo

daviddenis wrote: »

Looking into feeding a type ration with whole Barley. What comapny and ration would ye recommend.

Where in the country are ya?

daviddenis

ganmo wrote: »

Where in the country are ya?

Kerry

148multi

tomwaterford wrote: »

Keep em dosed and vitamined I guess.....

I wonder is there value to be got,if there close enough to finishing them,by moving to higher protein nuts,but your potentially gambling healthwise

as I'm not sure how long they can be fed high protein without running into issues...but maybe enough to get over the line??

Protein for growing, energy for fatting.