Feeding cattle

[gnbrotz]

I've recently stepped up from feeding grass and silage separately to making and feeding a TMR. Will the cows continue to consume all three feeds now in the trough at equal rates? I'm wondering how long it will be until I can reach 100% productivity by them eating TMR only.

[reider]

I mostly use bales and put in 1 straw, 1 hay then top up with silage in the self drive mixer. This gives 100% almost instantly and works on a daily basis. Lately however I downloaded a Futterlager (grain store) and though not filled to working capacity I tested with a third approx of each, straw, hay, silage. My present 100% never wavered and has maintained its percentage.

With both methods I use the trough nearest the inbuilt silage bunker, not the new silage bunker in the Futterlager and not the trough nearest the liquid fertilizer tank (LFT). That last trough, nearest the LFT, I put some brown bales (round or rectangular depending on what's available and/or nearest to hand) via the Kuhn sprayer. I repeat both the feeds and the brown bale spraying 3-5 times in one session per day until I get the message to say their is enough for 6 days, to each one. With 201 cows that is enough but each time more cows are added then the first few times to fill are larger and longer until the trough/s level out.

The manure I move a couple of tippers full to another area near my greenhouses and the rest is shipped to an add in store where I sell it. I took out the bit from this store that makes workers consume seed. The greenhouses take water to capacity and manure to capacity daily, usually one scoop may do all. I hope this supplies enough info for most of the processes down there. I haven't killed a cow yet But still maintain 100%. Good luck and enjoy, I love my time down in the cattle pasture.

[gnbrotz]

I mostly use bales and put in 1 straw, 1 hay then top up with silage in the self drive mixer. This gives 100% almost instantly and works on a daily basis. Lately however I downloaded a Futterlager (grain store) and though not filled to working capacity I tested with a third approx of each, straw, hay, silage. My present 100% never wavered and has maintained its percentage.

I've been able to get the mix in my wagon in the appropriate ranges.

My problem is (I think) that I began adding the TMR to the feed troughs while they still had grass and silage left in them (from before my 'graduation' to TMR). So I think that because they are not consuming *just* TMR, they're production still isn't at maximum.

[Wevee]

I mostly use bales and put in 1 straw, 1 hay then top up with silage in the self drive mixer. This gives 100% almost instantly and works on a daily basis. Lately however I downloaded a Futterlager (grain store) and though not filled to working capacity I tested with a third approx of each, straw, hay, silage. My present 100% never wavered and has maintained its percentage.

I've been able to get the mix in my wagon in the appropriate ranges.

My problem is (I think) that I began adding the TMR to the feed troughs while they still had grass and silage left in them (from before my 'graduation' to TMR). So I think that because they are not consuming *just* TMR, they're production still isn't at maximum.

Once you have TMR, the only other thing you need to get 100% production is straw bedding, which also produces solid manure. The other items in the trough, silage and grass, will not get eaten any more. It's not a bad thing to have in there though, just incase you forget to give more TMR at some point, at least they won't drop back to 5-10% production.

The production percentage on cows is like this:
Cows alone: 5%
with straw for bedding: 10%
with grass or silage only: 40% (35% plus cows)
with grass and silage only: 75%
with straw, grass and silage: 80%
with TMR only: 95% (90% plus cows)
with straw and TMR: 100%

I might be off a bit, that is just from memory.

[gnbrotz]

The production percentage on cows is like this:
Cows alone: 5%
with straw for bedding: 10%
with grass or silage only: 40% (35% plus cows)
with grass and silage only: 75%
with straw, grass and silage: 80%
with TMR only: 95% (90% plus cows)
with straw and TMR: 100%

Interesting. I appreciate the info. The only discrepancy I'm seeing is that I was getting 35% with grass only, 75% with grass and silage, and now I'm at 90% with the TMR and no straw. It seems as though I'm not getting the "plus cows" percentage.

[reider]

An option my recent dip into OCD procures is stop the mixed rations, wait for the old swag to run out naturally and make some money down at the bio with grass and/or corn. at the same time increasing sheep stock where possible to increase the wool bales. Then when the cows say enough of this we want real food resume the mixed rations. Then and only then follow the cow stats, til then go temporarily blind when you get to that section.

[Wevee]

well, as I said, it was from memory so I might be a little off on those numbers. It's been a while since I started with cows, but 100% should be the goal anyways and to do that TMR and straw bedding.

[BULIGO]

You can attain 110% milk production by installing the water mod. Then you have to give also water to the cows. In the mod are included the ploppable water trough and a water trailer too. Water can be collected from any strteam/river or fountain/water tower. Cool mod, one more fun thing to do every day on the farm
P.S. Once you attain 100% milk production with TMR+straw, every other food type will be ignored until there is enough TMR, which will be probably...forever. If it bothers you, you can edit a certain file to get rid of the other now obsolete food types. I did that with my sheep 'business' since i didn't had the guts to tinker with the wool palette all the time.my 3000+ cows provide for me more daily work that I was asking for
My goal is 5000 cows and beyond, but I am not sure if the Two Rivers map has enough paddocks to regularly feed 5000 cows (grass+straw+silage).
A fun period for me this one, since I am quitting canola/potato/rape planting in favor of sowing straw-giving cultures and more and more grass fields.