As the winter feeding season is here and with the increasing unpredictability of the weather forcing more cattle into sheds for longer periods, farmers, be they beef or dairy, are looking at feed quality and cost.

With estimations that approximately half of the direct costs per litre of milk are due to basic feed and concentrates, the demand for cost savings is a natural focus.

Kverneland’s Siloking range of diet feeders are designed to provide high-quality winter feed, while savings on costs with increased efficiency in filling, mixing and distribution of feed with the added bonus of saving valuable time for the farmer to get on with the many other jobs this time of year demands.

Enda Connaghton, Siloking Compact 100+ owner

“I’ve only recently changed my knives after four years of hard work,” said Enda Connaghton, Siloking Compact 100+ owner.

First-class feed quality

“The key to first-class feed quality is to maintain the feed structure, avoid feed selection and get a precise consistent mix quality, but you have to cover all bases when dealing with feeding over the winter period,” says Allan Hetherington, key account manager, Kverneland Group Ireland, “and look for reliability, safety, longevity and efficiency”.

Let’s start with the basics on this hardy German-manufactured feeder.

The precisely aligned hopper to auger geometry is key to providing shorter mixing times and a consistently better mix. The auger scrapers, made from SILONOX, a hard-wearing solid stainless steel, are designed to turn flat over the hopper bottom to pick up concentrate into the mix, even if loaded before silage or hay.

On the Premium TL range, SILONOX is standard on the wear points of the discharge doors and on wedge-shaped hopper recesses, increasing longevity and durability. The two-speed gear box as standard means greater flexibility in loading and discharge times.

It allows for a higher auger speed for efficient cutting and a slower speed in combination with the big auger for gentle mix, even on wet silage.

Shifting up on 1,000 rpm PTO and second gear, the feeder is cleaned completely, which is critical when changing ration, i.e. from milking to dry cows, and saves valuable time. An added bonus means the feeder can be driven with a smaller tractor helping save on fuel costs.

With a chassis built for reliability with its rugged box frame and extremely high load capacity and long life acid-proof weigh cells and protected cables, the weighing accuracy over the life of the feeder is assured.

Complete range

The range covers all herd sizes from the Siloking Compact 100+ up to the larger capacity Trailedline Premium with 32m3 while offering flexibility for all feeding scenarios – small herds, small feed mix, large herds, with more frequent feeding times.

For farmers requiring connectivity and data management functionality, Siloking eData cloud based feeding management software is standard on Trailedline Premium models.

“We’re confident that the Siloking feeder’s benefits of consistency and quality of mix combined with longevity and reliability of manufacture and the flexibility of use, are an unbeatable combination and make it a very attractive proposition for any farmer with cattle in sheds, so contact Kverneland for more details or to arrange a demonstration.” Go online here.

Or call:

KVERNELAND SILOKING