Reduce Feed Costs

With once a day feeding, the negative impact on the rumen reduces the effectiveness of the bacteria which break down forage. This means the animal is able to utilise the pasture/forage less. As a result more supplementary hard feed can be required which exacerbates the problem. Trials have show that 33% less supplementary feed can be required when fed little and often as opposed to once a day feeding.

By limiting daily intakes and keeping the rumen stable it is easier to feed high starch rations such as barley without acidosis/bloat. With complete ration ‘safe’ feeds from mills at £300+/ton a significant saving can be made by using feeds such as barley (£160/ton ex farm) with a protein balancer where required resulting in a ration at under £200/ton

Increase Stocking Density while Improving Performance

Supplementary feeding helps to balance the rumen with starch type energy sources reducing the amount of pasture/forage needing to be fed.

Immature pastures, early in the growing season, contain a high amount of water making them highly soluble. These breakdown rapidly in the rumen and can pass through undigested. By supplementing small amounts of high energy feeds through an Advantage Feeder we can increase the microbial activity of the gut while slowing the rumen throughput. This allows more pasture to be utilised and less wasted.

With high protein in some grasses, especially new leys with clover, the excess protein must be excreted through urine. This uses energy which could otherwise be used for growth. By supplementing the diet with through an Advantage Feeder we can add carbohydrate and fibre to balance ration and increase growth rates.

Creep Feeding Benefits

There are many benefits to creep feeding calves and lambs, including:

Providing an additional feed source (especially important with multiples, when pasture quality/availability is low, or dams BCS is low)
Aiding rumen development
Increasing DLWG

With Advantage Feeders it is possible to creep calves (using creep gates) or lambs (using creep panel). Studies have shown that

Creep Feeding and Controlling Intake

Trail data shows that lambs should be fed ab-lib creep until 2 weeks old, and calves until 4 weeks old. After which savings can be made by limiting intakes.

Studies show that optimal growth levels are achieved at 200kg.day for lambs and 1kg/day for calves, after this there is only marginal benefit in rumen development and pasture digestion. Additional feed over and above this will result in only a small additional weight gain for the cost. With an Advantage Feeder it is possible to control the intake to these levels once the initial ad-lib period is over.

Rumen walls of 6 week old calves on varying diets

Reduce Labour and Improve Farm Safety

Feeding once or twice a day increases labour costs. With an Advantage Feeder you can still feed a desired amount per head per day but with hopper sizes up to 5500 litres and optional attachments for filling directly from a blower wagon you can reduce the time spent feeding stock significantly.

Feeding can be dangerous with many farm accidents occurring when animals are being trough fed. With an Advantage Feeder, daily feed can be supplied, either housed or at pasture, without the need to carry bags through hungry livestock.