Silage Oats For Pre-conditioning

[chenocetah]

I'm considering wrapping some oats this coming spring to help feed my steers next fall in my pre-conditioning program (I take them to 800# and then video auction). Have a neighbor who wrapped his oats last spring just before the dough stage to feed his first calf heifers and they look and smell so good now that you would want to eat them yourself. His heifers are really tearing in to the silage bales and leaving practically no waste. Have also noticed, intrestingly, that they have dropped off on mineral consumption while eating the oat silage hay.

I'm reluctant to change because I've been so successful in the past, but I've got a heck of a huge feed bill to pay this year, and even though present 50/50 blend feed prices are about $40 a ton cheaper, I had many more steers to feed and they look like they are going to bring about .20 cent cwt less than last year (I'll know tomorrow for sure as they will sell Mon @ 4:00). Add on an additional 50 - 60 in the feedlot next year and you see why I am looking for an alternative. I have free land to plant as I partner with a fruit orchard company to plant cover crops during the rotation of fruit trees (that I usually bale for summer hay) and I would only have seed, equipment, baling and wrapping expenses to incur. Liming, fertilization and land prep are already done.

My questions are, does this make economical sense, has anybody done this, and what energy products would I need to supplement and at what rate. Your do's and don'ts would be greatly appreciated.

 

[novaman]

I haven't done this so I can't tell you how well it will work. You should have lots of protein and digestibility should be excellent. I'm curious, does you neighbor use the silage as the lone source of roughage? Knowing what you have done in the past for feed would also be helpful.

 

[Stocker Steve]

High energy balage is what the "grass fed" guys use during snow months to keep cattle gaining up here.
We have made oats balage since it is so slow to dry down for hay.
We never had enough to bother testing it and then coming up with a balanced ration.
Sounds like you need to best your neighbors bales for him.

 

[chenocetah]

novaman - Neighbor has been feeding the oat balage as a "supplement" to his first calf heifers which are calving now in coastal bermuda and tall fescue paddocks, so they have other natural grazing, and I might add they are looking mighty good and slick. They are not receiving any commodities at all. I have been feeding a freechoice blend of 50% corn gluten and 50% soybeam hulls along with freechoice coastal bermuda hay.

StockerSteve - I was just thinking this evening that I would ask if I could send a sample of his balage to Clemson and get it tested. I'll do that tomorrow. Good idea.

 

[farm36]

Oatlage makes good feed but the window to make good feed is very short . Oatlage usually is great or a pile of crap .