Chop cereal silage is more profitable than cereal hay when fed to ewes with lupins for production of sucker lambs

Abstract

Proc. Aust. Soc. Anim. Prod. 1996 Vol. 21 CHOP CEREAL SILAGE IS MORE PROFITABLE THAN CEREAL HAY WHEN FED TO EWES WITH LUPINS FOR PRODUCTION OF SUCKER LAMBS J.T.B. MLTONA, R.H. DAVIDSONA and J.M. RYAN B * Faculty of Agriculture, The University of Western Australia, Nedlands, W.A. 6907 B 'Glenrowan', Green Hills via York, W.A. 6302 Cost-effective feeding systems are required to encourage off-season production of prime lambs in WA. This paper compares the economics of feeding cereal silage or cereal hay, both with lupin seed, to autumn lambing ewes for off-season production of sucker prime lambs. The chop silage and hay made in 1993 and 1994 (Milton et al. 1996) was fed in this study in 1994 and 1995. Each year in early March, 2 groups of Merino ewes pregnant to Poll Dorset rams and with the same ratio of single to multiple fetuses were fed the chop silage or hay ad libitum plus lupins twice each week. Table 1 shows the cost, dry matter (DM), crude protein (CP) and metabolisable energy (ME) content of the feeds. Stocking rates were adjusted subjectively (Table 2) to reduce the perceived variation in available feed in the 2 paddocks. We aimed to provide both groups of ewes with similar, but increasing, quantities of CP and ME during late pregnancy and early lactation. We assumed a similar DM intake for both conserved fodders and because the hay contained less CP and ME than silage we fed more lupins to ewes on hay. Feeding ceased about 2 weeks before lamb marking and at marking 40% of lactating ewes in each group were condition scored and the lambs from each group were fitted with a different coloured ear tag. After marking, all ewes and lambs were run together until the lambs were sold as suckers in 2 drafts. Table 1. Cost and nutrient content of chop cereal silage, cereal hay and lupins fed to autumn lambing ewes in 1994 and 1995 MILTON, J.T.B., DAVIDSON, R.H. and RYAN, J.M. (1996). Proc. Amt. Sot. Anim. Prod. 21: 372. 373