Product Description

Bushfeed

bush and trees into feed

BushFeed, Bos Voer, Bush Feed is made from selected bush and trees, by harvesting, chipping and grinding then mixing different recipes created by farmers using their local bush in the mix.

See below for a list Ritlee compiled of bush and trees which can be used fro feed production. Also on this list is some do not use bush and trees!

Below we have types of bush and trees from different climatic areas, some farmer stories etc

All created by individual farmers.

Some mixes are listed below!

PLEASE MR FARMER–Share your bush feed experiences and results you have achieved– BOTH GOOD AND BAD!

Any analysis you have had done on any bush for feed!– Please send me a copy so I can put it up on our web for other farmers to refer to without having to reinvent the wheel!! 

marc@ritlee.co.za

Typically:

• In Dry areas it is found that mostly Acacia bush and trees is used.
• In normal rainfall areas then Black wattle, Port Jackson, Poplar, Soet doring etc is used.
• It also allows maintaining the herd size during times of fodder shortage.
• The majority of respondents provide bush-feed to their cattle and sheep.

In this BushFeed game Ritlee pioneered.

• THE design and MANUFACTURE OF THE FIRST DRUM STYLE CHIPPER IN SOUTH AFRICA.
• WE PIONEERED THE FIRST DESIGN AND MANUFACTURE OF A GRINDING OPTION BUILT INTO A WOOD CHIPPER. THIS DONE INTO OUR 225 WOOD CHIPPER RANGE.

In The Start!

The first bush we tested with farmers on their cattle

This in Dry areas!

Ritlee 225 early chipper chipping and grinding Vaalbos

Vaalbos picture

Noors Used for feed

90% Black wattle and 10% Chop!

This in Normal rainfall areas!

Black Wattle chipped and ground in one pass!

Cattle on route to eat

This chap is enjoying his meal!

Been on a diet with majority Vaalbos

Bush and trees to feed!

Farmers testified that bush-feed production reduces pressure on the lands and grazing. It also allows maintaining the herd size during times of drought.

• Many farmers provide bush-feed to their cattle and sheep achieving excellent results.
• Farmers have tried different bush-based rations depending on the availability and cost of supplements.
• The use of local pods and drought resistant fodder crops, such as camelthorn pods and spineless prickly pear as supplements are found to be great options to enhance nutritive value.
• Here in Southern Africa, trees and shrubs have been used for centuries as a source of feed for animals.
• All Acacia, which is a legumes are able to convert, by means of rhizobium bacteria, atmospheric nitrogen into usable nitrates giving them the exceptional quality of being able to grow in nitrogen-deficient soils.
• (Rhizobia are diazotrophic bacteria that fix nitrogen after becoming established inside the root nodules of legumes.)
• This practice will once again slowly clear lands for your grazers allowing regrowth of grasses when your rains eventually arrive again! .
• This bush which has been regarded as a encroach plant is a cheap source for the production of feed.

Kameeldoring Pods

Cameeldoring pods ground through Ritlee chipper grinder

Witgat Bush also edable if necessary

A interesting story told by Andre from Posmasburg with regard to the bush used, equipment use and how he makes his Cattle feed.

Experience has told us:

WHEN CHIPPING AND GRINDING SELECTED BUSH AND TREES:

• For best feed properties use BOTH the branches and leaves which are 2 years old and younger.– Here is the highest protein levels, iron, carbon, etc.
• For bulking, use older growth, but do not expect any feeding properties.
• All Acacia has tannin in it — some more than others.–
• We have found that a high % the tannin disperse after harvest, allowing to lie for a some 2 days after harvest before chipping and grinding.
• At chipping even more tannins disperse.
  • DID YOU KNOW
    • on Tannin!
    • Tannin binds the proteins in the rumen and stops any protein uptake causing the animal to die of starvation
    • Read below about Brouse what Ritlee found on the market if you want to feel safer!
    • We found that with lying, chipping and grinding a massive % of the tannin is dispersed from the feed being produced!
    • Read here!
      

      How to Prevent Tannin Poisoning in Game and Livestock

• PLEASE– i am no farmer–do your own research
• You decide what to do here:
  • When harvesting for chipping and grinding, please select carefully what you will use and cut it in such a way for easy handling and loading into chipper.
  • Proper management and training here will save you a lot of labour hours into the future.
  • When harvesting Black wattle, Poplar, Port Jackson etc:
  • Here too it is suggested that harvesting is done a day or two before chipping, in manageable pieces.
  • In the rainy season when growth is prolific, please cut your harvested pieces a max of 1 to 1,5 meter in length for loading– This to allow the grinding chamber to keep up with the chipping function without being over fed and causing blocking.
  • Otherwise, 2 to 3 meter lengths no problem!
  • Here too growth which is 2 years and younger is best!

Ouhout chipped and ground

Wattle after chipping and grinding

Chipping and Grinding swart haak

SOME IMPORTANT BUSH AND TREE ANALYSIS DONE BY REPTABLE LABORITORIES FOR YOUR INFO Plus OTHER:

• 132 DIFFERENT INDIGENOUS BUSH & TREE LISTING WITH PICTURES, THEIR PALATABILITY COMPILED FOR REFERRAL INFO ONLY BY RITLEE

## DOWNLOADS FOR YOU TO READ!

• 12 MONTH EXAMPLE OF BUTTER FATS AND PROTEIN LEVELS FROM FARMER IN EAST CAPE WHO PRODUCES FROM 65,000 TO 600,000 LITRES OF MILK PER MONTH
• ANALYSIS BLACK WATTLE (GREEN CHOP)
• ANALYSIS BLACK WATTLE 2
• ANALYSIS WATTLE WHICH WAS PELETISED TO SEE IF CHANGE IN PROTEINS ETC
• ANALYSIS ACACIA MELLIFERA
• ANALYSIS OUHOUT, WATTLE, SOJA RESTE
• ANALYSIS SWARTHAAK, GEELHOUT, ROSYNTJIE, GWAMIEBOS, KAMEELDORING
• ANALYSIS VAALBOS HAAKENSTEEK CEDARA
• ANALYSIS VAALBOS, KAREE, SWDORING
• ANALYSIS WAG N BIETJIE, SOETDORING, SWARTHAAK, VOELENT, GOBABIS, PROSOPIS, ROSYNTJIE,LUSERN
• ANALYSIS CITRUS WASTE FROM PROCESSING
• 132 DIFFERENT INDIGENOUS BUSH & TREE LISTING WITH PICTURES, THEIR PALATABILITY COMPILED FOR REFERRAL INFO ONLY BY RITLEE
• PALATABILITY & FEEDING
• PALATABILITY & FEEDING Reviews
• 15-120 TREES & SHRUBSINTERESTING READING ON TANNIN CONTENT IN WATTLE
• FEEDING CATTLE WITH SHRUB IN NAMIBIA
• POPLARS AND WILLOWS AS FODDER
• LIVESTOCK-POTENTIAL-WATTLE
• FARMERS WEEKLY WRITEUP
• SCIENCEWISE– WATTLE WETHERS AND WEIGHT SHEEP FEEDING REAL INTERESTING
• MORINGA TREE FOR LIVESTOCK FEEDING
• FODDER FROM TREES
• BLACK WATTLE FARMERS EXPERIENCE EAST CAPE
• BUSH TO BEEF GENERAL INFO Ritlee PAMPHLET
• LANDBOU WEEKBLAD WRITEUP

Some more useful Analysis info

Analysis report and summary of common Acacias

Some analysis results of most popular downloads from our web

Download and read!

12 MONTH EXAMPLE OF BUTTER FATS AND PROTEIN LEVELS FROM FARMER IN EAST CAPE WHO PRODUCES FROM 65,000 TO 600,000 LITRES OF MILK PER MONTH

Encroacher Bush to Animal feed reading– Namibia!

Understanding and using feed analysis reports

Browse Plus:

Brouse Plus from Virbac

The tannins in a lot of bush and trees needs to be dispersed or broken up!–

• Basically tannin coats the proteins extracted by cattle. goats and game when eating and chewing.
• This can cause the animals to actually starve to death as the Proteins coated with Tannin cannot be taken up in the Rumen.
• We have heard from farmers saying that when they chip and grind with our 225 wood chipper with grinder, that this process disperses Tanin levels down to acceptable level.
• Want to know more?
  

  click on the Brouse container!

For Interest Sake:

• We started in the Stella area chipping and grinding Valbos using our newly designed wood chipper with grinder.
• We chipped and ground some 8 cu meter of grindings.
• We left the site to return next morning and take this to feeding pens for trials.
• When we returned all was consumed by the resident cattle leaving no stock for trials of mixes etc.
• See our report of the analysts of Vaalbos.
• Trials done by farmers in East Cape on Black Wattle proved to be really beneficial, improving:-Milk fats.Protein levels.
• We have had farmers reporting:
  • Better classification level for slaughter price after 5 days on Black Wattle 1 level improvement of the available 5 levels.
  • Higher calving percentage (Kraal cattle 6 weeks on Black wattle them Bull released in kraal 89% calving)
  • Free range cattle no black wattle then Bull released also after 6 weeks 75% calving)
• Cattle eat this consistency with relish.Is ideal for roughage and forming of cud.Read attached analysis given to me by Eastern Cape FarmerRitlee now have well over +100 farmers scattered all over SA, Namibia and Botswana using our 225 wood chipper with grinder, and all with great success.
• With regard to Tannin content after wattle has been chipped and ground into feed consistency:
• Ritlee always recommend that a product like Brouse Plus is added to the drinking water, or if not possible mixed in with the wattle grindings.
• See above about Brouse Plus and its properties with regard to proteins and tannin.
• A lot of farmers do not add this or similar as they believe the Tannin is mostly dissipated after chipping and grinding and left for 12 hours after processing.

Chipping and grinding Acacia in dry areas

All Ritlee 225 wood chippers with Hydraulic feed

225 Grinder head explained

Screen on 225 wood chipper with grinder!

In Dry areas

• For Acacia Trees And Shrubs Our Wood Chipper With Hydraulic Feed Is The Most Practical Because Of The Thorny Nature Of The Bush Itself And The Direction And Density Of Stem Growth
• Acacia Has No Respect For Gravity– Branches Grow In All Directions And Do Cause Problems When Using A Drum Style Chipper– Here Long Branches Of 4 To +6 Cm After Chipping Are Directed To The Grinding Chamber Together With The Normal Material– All Drum Style Machines Have This Problem Potential, Do Not Let People Tell You Otherwise!
• Ritlee Have Designed A Easy Access Trapdoor In The Build-Up Area When This Blocking Happens– Easy And Quick To Clear.
• Operators Will Learn Very Quickly How To Prevent This Blocking And Buildup– Here They Use 1. Sound, 2 Length Of Branches Fed, 3 Assuring Peak Revs When Operating!
• For Black Wattle, Poplar, Port Jackson Etc Our Wood Chipper With Gravity Feed Is Absolutely Ideal No Need For Expensive Hydraulics.
• Production Of Gravity When Compared To Hydraulic Is Very Similar When Chipping And Grinding Wattle Type Trees.
• Both The Branches And Leaves Are Used When Chipping And Grinding For BushFeed.
• Length Of Branch As Mentioned Above Is Important.
• This Is So Popular Now That Farmers Ever Have Written: WHERE HAS ALL THE BLACK WATTLE GONE?

Chipping and grinding Acacia in normal rainfall areas.

Gravity feed chippers and chippers with grinder

225 Tractor Mounted Gravity Feed Wood Chipper with Grinder Option at the Flip of a Switch

225 Trailer Mounted Wood Chipper with Grinder – Built for chipping and grinding bushfeed bush and trees into a consistency ideal for cattle, goat and game feed in one pass

In normal rainfall areas.

• Our 225 chipper gravity feed is absolutely ideal for normal chipping and grinding of Black Wattle, Poplar tree, Port Jackson etc
• See videos below of gravity feed in action as well as watch Bushfeed Talk Farmer Experionces!
• Our Ritlee 225 Wood Chippers With The Option Of A Grinder Built Into Machine, Are All Two In One Machines:
• They Are Chipper Only When Lever Is Engaged For Chipping Only
• AND
• Are Grinders Only When Lever Set For Grinding Only.
• When Changing From Chipping Only To Grinding Only One Must Please Allow Any Material In The Machine To Be Processed Completely Before Changing Function.
• This Will Literally Take A Few Seconds!

Picture Gallery

Vaalbos picture

Grindings Swarthaak 15mm screen

Black Wattle chipped and ground in one pass!

Ouhout chipped and ground

Witgat Bush also edable if necessary

Ritlee 225 early chipper chipping and grinding Vaalbos

Illustrating the Ruman in a animal

Been on a diet with majority Vaalbos

Namibia-Kudu-eating-haak-en-steek

Namibia Buh Feed related

Dis Nou Lekker

Chipping and Grinding swart haak

Cattle coming for their feed of Black wattle

Cameeldoring pods ground through Ritlee chipper grinder

Kameeldoring Pods

Black Wattle for bush feed

Videos of a farmers story

Action videos chipping and grinding

Summary All we do 2022 –For Hand out and attachment

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