Keeping fresh feed in front of the cows
is an important aspect of top milk production on the Prairie Diamond Farm near Balgonie.
The cows get milked at 5 a.m. and about 4:15 p.m., but feed is given to the cows throughout the day.
“We spend a lot of time in the barn and when we’re out there, we spend extra time pushing feed up to the cows. We go through the barn about six different times a day, where we reshovel silage and TMR (total mixed ration) up to the cows,” says Jennifer Strudwick.
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She and her husband, Harley, took over the operation in 1993. Harley’s grandparents started the dairy in 1954 and his parents, Dale and Arlyce, still help out.
They milk 55 to 60 cows, and because it’s a tie stall barn, the feed must be delivered to each cow rather than having the cows come to the feed.
“Pushing up feed is a key to what we do …. It’s like offering new feed to them again. You stir it up, push it in front of them, get them up and they go on eating again. If anything, we’re very persistent,” says Jennifer.
“Silage especially gets an odour or stale smell to it if it’s not fresh. The key is keeping it fresh. Instead of feeding it all in one big bunch in a day, we feed it in two batches. And once a day we clean everything out, so they’re eating off a clean plate.”
Jennifer says cows like to eat off a smooth surface, so a plastic film was installed over the barn’s cement to keep the mangers smooth. It keeps the silage acid from corroding the concrete surface, and is easy to clean and sweep.
“We feed TMR twice a day, which has alfalfa silage, barley silage, rolled barley grain, a protein concentrate pellet from Master Feeds, with water added to that. Salt and mineral is right in the protein pellet.
“We start at 4:45 a.m. Harley will push up the feed from the evening in front of the cows again. We prepare to milk. Then at about 5:30 a.m. his dad comes in. He’ll take a fork and sort off any long, stemmy hay that’s left over, throw that into the front of the pack where the cows sleep and they can pick through it during the day, or we use it for bedding.”
The mixed feed is conveyed into a power cart something like a mini Zamboni. Two trips around the barn deliver the morning silage.
“Through the day we’ll push up again, at the end of milking at 7 a.m., after breakfast at
9 a.m. and again at noon. At 1:30 p.m., Harley mixes the afternoon TMR, which is the same mix as the morning mix.
“At 3 p.m. we completely clean out all the feed bunks. It’s scraped down with a shovel, swept with a broom and the leftovers go out to our dry cows. There’s only 150 or 200 pounds, so it doesn’t take long. Then the TMR is fed at around 3:30 p.m. At 5 p.m., Dale comes in and pushes up feed while we’re milking.”
The Strudwicks provide high quality hay to the cows at night, from a second or third cut grass-alfalfa mix. It’s a little bit longer than the chopped silage and gives the cows something to chew on.
“We feed that hay about 5:30 p.m., so it’s a little bit more to carry them through until we’re back out in the morning.”
