Cattle Trial – Weaner Supplements
Mark Porter

Extended Info:

Purchase at your own pace without missing out on multiple purchase discounts. Discounts are applied retrospectively, so as you reach each purchase milestone—4, 8, 12, 20, and 40 feeders – all of your current and previous purchases are discounted at the same level.

Note: Discount program amounts include all grain and hay feeder purchases. Creep panels, creep gates, roofs, and other accessories or attachments are not included.

Armidale region, NSW

Extended Info:

Purchase at your own pace without missing out on multiple purchase discounts. Discounts are applied retrospectively, so as you reach each purchase milestone—4, 8, 12, 20, and 40 feeders – all of your current and previous purchases are discounted at the same level.

Note: Discount program amounts include all grain and hay feeder purchases. Creep panels, creep gates, roofs, and other accessories or attachments are not included.

100 days (combined growth analysis over 93 days of feed data)

Extended Info:

Purchase at your own pace without missing out on multiple purchase discounts. Discounts are applied retrospectively, so as you reach each purchase milestone—4, 8, 12, 20, and 40 feeders – all of your current and previous purchases are discounted at the same level.

Note: Discount program amounts include all grain and hay feeder purchases. Creep panels, creep gates, roofs, and other accessories or attachments are not included.

Advantage Feeders was developed in Australia and is now used by livestock producers in Canada and around the world.

Advantage Feeders are distributed in Canada by Huber Ag Equipment, based on a working farm in Alberta where the feeders are used with cattle, sheep and goats.

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Snapshot:
  • Total added profit/head: $47.69
  • Combined weight gain: AF mob vs control: 1.30kg/day vs 0.89kg/day
  • Days to reach 400kg target weight: 127 days vs 185 days
  • Return for 200 weaners, 93 days: $9,538
Background:

A mob of weaner cattle supplemented with barley through Advantage Feeders grew at a far higher rate than another mob that only had access to pasture.

Method:
Duration:100 day
Quantity:50 weaners in each group
Control mob starting weight average:220kg
Barley mob starting weight average:253kg
Pasture type:Dry perennial pasture
Feeding amount:1.0-1.5kg/day
Feed type:Barley
Feeding equipment:1 x Advantage Feeder 3800HD
Observations:

Mark Porter, the experiment operator had the following observations throughout the experiment:

In November we had 13mm of rain when our average is about 125mm. Considering the season, or lack of, the weights are lower than average, as to be expected. Despite the poor season we were pleased our weaners were able to achieve a weight gain of over 1kg per day. In the current conditions, that is pretty remarkable.

I observed that the Advantage Feeders group on barley definitely spend more time at rest compared to the Control group on straight pasture.

For several years, I have been looking for away to supplement feed without it being a daily chore or causing acidosis. The Advantage Feeders controlled feeding system solved these two issues and provides the stock with a balanced daily diet.

1. Calves per feed input which was increased from 25 calves to the commercial application of 50 calves per feeder

2.The outputs used the calculator from www.advantagefeeders.com.au/calculating-return-on-investment

3.The outputs includes the costs associated with filling, monitoring and depreciation.

Findings:

Added income vs added expenses per head

Trial period (days)93
Barley used/head (kg)106
Barley cost/tonne ($/kg)$340.00
Total feed cost/head$36.04
Depreciation cost*$7.50
Feeding cost**$4.09
TOTAL ADDED EXPENSE/head*$47.63
Avg. added liveweight gain/day (kg)0.41
Total added liveweight/head (kg)38.1
Value of liveweight ($/kg)$2.50
TOTAL ADDED INCOME/head$95.33
TOTAL ADDED PROFIT/head$47.69

* This assumes the depreciation rate is 15%, the investment of one feeder is $2,200, the feeder is only used in the function each year and 44 weaners fed from the feeder.

** This is calculated by multiplying filling the feeders three, by one hour each fill, labour is $60/hour and 44 weaners fed from the feeder.

Conclusions:

Growth rates achieved after 40 days:

  • The control mob gained an average of 29kg/head or 0.725kg/day.
  • The Advantage Feeders mob gained an average of 50kg/head or 1.25kg/day. (Barley consumption during this period average 1.2kg/head/day.)
  • Due to an unseasonable dry period the trial was altered when the heavier weaners were sold. The groups were then altered to increase the weight of the lighter weaners.

Growth rates achieved over the following 53 days:

  • The control mob gained an average total of 54kg/head or 1.02kg/head/day
  • The Advantage Feeders mob gained an average total of 71kg/head or 1.34 kg/head/day. (Barley consumption during this period averaged 1.1kg/head/day.)

Combined growth rates

  • The control mob weight gain averaged 0.89kg/head/day.
  • The Advantage Feeders mob weight gain averaged 1.30kg/head/day. (Barley consumption average was 1.14kg/head/day.)

The average time to grow the weaners from 235kg to target weight of 400kg reduced from an average of 185 days to only 127 days.

Recommendations:

The experiment shows that the supplemented mob of 50 weaner cattle grew considerably faster than the control group and were more profitable. Using the values observed during the experiment and calculating the profit for 200 weaners, a return of $9,538 is possible for a feeding period of only 93 days. Significant annual gains can be gained by expanding supplement feeding across all mobs within a commercial farm.

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Advantage Feeders was developed in Australia and is now used by livestock producers in Canada and around the world.

Advantage Feeders are distributed in Canada by Huber Ag Equipment, based on a working farm in Alberta where the feeders are used with cattle, sheep and goats.

Feeders can be collected directly from the farm, shipped to designated pickup locations, or delivered directly to your operation depending on location.

Our range includes controlled grain and pellet feeders for cattle, sheep and goats, along with creep-feeding and hay-feeding solutions designed to help producers improve feed efficiency, pasture utilization and livestock performance.

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