Brewers Grain

Recommended daily feed rates (per head basis)

Brewers’ Grains can be fed as concentrate feed, part of a TMR and as a forage replacer. DMI = dry matter
intake.

• Milking Cows Up to 20 (typically 8)kg

• Dry Cows Up to 4 kg

• Replacement Heifers Up to 10kg and up to 30 % of the DMI

• Calves (to 12 weeks) Up to 5 kg and up to 30 % of the DMI

• Growing Cattle Can be fed ad lib and typically up to 50% of the DMI

• Finishing Cattle Can be fed ad lib and typically up to 50% of the DMI

• Suckler Cows Up to 15 (typically 6)kg

• Ewes and Rams Up to 3 (typically 2)kg

• Hoggets and Lambs Can be fed ad lib and typically up to 50% of the DMI

Brewers’ Grains are available throughout the UK as bulk tipped loads. It is advisable to contract supplies as early as demand occasionally outstrips supply, particularly around the turn of the year, in early spring and also at times of forage shortage.

Brewers’ Grains should always be stored on a clean and dry concrete base. If fed fresh, Brewers’ Grains should be consolidated to exclude air from the load, sheeted with a good quality, clean sheet, and used within 6 weeks. For longer-term storage, Brewers’ Grains should be clamped, consolidated to exclude air, and covered with a secured sheet in the same manner as grass silage (see storage tips below). It is advisable to use clamped Brewers’ Grains within 6 months.

Brewers’ Grains can be mixed with other feeds, such as sugar beet feed or processed bread, to produce a moist blend. Please note, it is not advisable to exceed a dry matter content of 65%.

Storage Tips

• Store on a clean dry concrete base.

• Storage sites should ideally be situated away from open watercourses and designed with a narrow,
north facing feed face.

• Brewers’Grains will be hot on arrival. It is best left for 24 hours before sheeting to let heat escape.

• Depending on the dry matter content of the Brewers’ Grains, the load may need to be compacted
using a tractor bucket or hand shovel, to remove air and maintain close contact between the top of
the load and the sheet.

• Cover with clean, good quality plastic sheets that create an effective oxygen barrier. Evenly weight
with Secure Covers and gravel bags or straw bales.

• Ensure the product is completely covered with the sheet, even at the edges, to create an air tight
seal.

• Failure to ensile properly may result in mould growth, loss of dry matter and a reduction in the
nutritive value of the clamp.

• When feeding starts, only expose 3-4 days’ worth of feed at a time to minimise the clamp area open
to the atmosphere. Placing a line of weights on the sheet, as far back as you intend to expose the
feed, reduces the risk or air entering the clamp and aids keeping quality.

• Ensure the open face of the silo is kept neat and tidy. The clamp face should never be covered
(unless the feed is to be ensiled for feeding at a later stage), as this will create a humid environment
which could encourage the growth of moulds and yeast.

• Typical product density is 1000-1030 kg/m³

• For more detailed information please see the KW Moist Feed handling and storage booklet here

Brewers’ Grains are a co-product from the UK Brewing Industry. During the brewing process the starch in the
malted barley is converted into sugars, resulting in a concentration of the fibrous and protein residues from
the grains. These are separated off as Brewers’ Grains, a pale brown moist feed.

Brewers’ Grains are FEMAS assured (or a recognised equivalent) and marketed by KW Alternative Feeds, a UFAS- accredited merchant. Brewers’ Grains (Moist distillers’ grains’) is listed under 1.12.7 in the EU Catalogue of Feed Materials.