Mash Filter Brewers’ Grains

Recommended daily feed rates (per head basis)

Mash Filter 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

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

Mash Filter Brewers’ Grains should always be stored on a clean and dry concrete base. If fed fresh, Mash Filter 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, Mash Filter 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 Mash Filter Brewers’ Grains within 6 months.

Mash Filter 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.

• Mash Filter 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 Mash Filter 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 airtight 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

Mash Filter 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 Mash Filter Brewers’ Grains, a pale brown moist feed which are further filtered by mechanical pressure.

Mash Filter Brewers’ Grains are FEMAS assured (or a recognised equivalent) and marketed by KW Alternative Feeds, a UFAS- accredited merchant. Mash Filter Brewers’ Grains (Mash filter grains) is listed under 1.12.14 in the EU Catalogue of Feed Materials.