Many farmers across the South West region have reported success stories associated with their implementation of confinement feeding.
Congelin sheep farmer Sandra Fowler introduced the technique to her management practices back in 2020 and says she is pleased with the results. So too, Vasse beef producer Brodie Allen who described it in this previous article as a ‘no brainer’.
But it’s not a set and forget system.
Confinement feeding is a technique used by livestock producers to raise healthier animals while simultaneously contributing to the health of their land.
It involves taking animals out of the paddock for the short-term while green growth is scarce. The animals are confined into small pens and provided with supplemental feed in the form of grain, hay and silage.
This allows the animals to conserve energy by not searching for feed that isn’t there, while also allowing the pasture to re-establish.
Animals are then introduced back onto the pasture once the plants have had a chance to take off.
The benefits of confinement feeding done well are extensive and include improved health for the animals, the land, and cost efficiencies in management.
Considerations
Crucial considerations in successful confinement feeding set-ups are:
- Site selection
- Quality and quantity of water, and
- Maintaining high standards of hygiene.
Benefits according to Sandra
Some of the benefits Sandra experienced in her operation were:
- Labor cost savings due to time efficiency
- Significant pasture growth, and
- Using the set up as a valuable weening tool.
For Sandra, the financial investment pretty much paid for itself in the first year of implementation.
More resources
Each farm though will have its own context for how confinement feeding can be best set up. Sandra goes into more detail about her successes and obstacles in a GGA podcast with host Shannon Beattie and Veterinary Officer Anna Erikson.
Podcast link – Benefits of confinement feeding and deferred grazing – Drought Hub
A guide to confinement feeding sheep and cattle in NSW
You will also find a wealth of articles and resources in the Grazing Land Management section of our Sustainable Agriculture library.
