Unfortunately, across the majority of the region, there has not been significant follow up rain as yet and some producers have noticed growth quickly dropping off.
As such, you may be considering a need to return stock to confinement feeding or supplement what is in pastures.
If you have not yet done a paddock assessment and stock take of feed available, now is the time to check-in.
Consider what your feed requirements are, identify shortfalls in being able to meet these requirements, and consider what steps you can take.
Feed gaps typically occur when feed quality and quantity available doesn’t meet the requirements of livestock.
If you do not address a feed gap early, stock may start to decline in condition and production losses could be seen.
In assessing pasture available in paddocks, consider density of pastures and pasture height for a measure of kilograms of dry matter per hectare (DM/ha), followed by looking at growth stage to get an indication of feed quality.
The Meat Livestock Australia ‘Pasture Ruler’ can be found online and is useful for assessing estimated pasture quantity available.
A few things to consider once you have done your pasture assessment:
•How many livestock do you have and what classes are they (pregnant ewes, weaners, young cattle etc)
•What feed do you have on hand – quantity and quality (kg DM/ha in paddocks, supplementary feed etc)
•Which stock and for how long are you prepared to feed
•What level of ground cover are you aiming to leave in paddocks
To effectively and efficiently feed stock, it is important to understand the nutritional requirements of the different classes eg: pregnant, dry, lactating or young growing stock.
You can then utilise feed test results, standard feed tables and/or intake tables to determine what pasture and rations will meet nutritional requirements of your stock.
Keep in mind:
•Stock require some roughage
•Standard nutritional requirements are based on maintenance not weight gain
•Introduce stock to grain slowly to reduce acidosis risk
•Obtaining feed test results will give you more accurate information on the specific feed you plan on using
Local Land Services currently has pre-paid feed test kits available and can provide information to assist pasture assessments, visit your local office to pick up a feed kit or speak to a local team member.
LLS and NSW DPI have plenty of available resources including seasonal outlooks, supplementary feeding calculators, confinement feeding guides and more.
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