AIM Central has the advice, answers and, importantly, the nutritional supplements to help at every stage of the flock health challenges.

Wimmera cropping and sheep producer Maja Polkinghorne, from Paradise near St Arnaud, says she was overwhelmed last year by the task of feeding and weaning the more than 2000 head of sheep on property as part of its commercial and stud operations which include white suffolk, merino and Aussie white breeds.

“Last year was in identical tough conditions as this year, with no feed on the ground,’’ Maja says.

“I think I realised that I was not very good at feeding sheep. I didn’t know what I was doing. We had stud rams that we needed to get up to a certain weight and I really was in a bit of a spot.’’

Maja attended a seminar in Bendigo in search of information, and found hands-on help from AIM Central’s Techie, Matt Hall.

“I asked Matt to come to our place as we were in a pickle,’’ Maja says.

“We were running out of hay and I didn’t have the confidence in my ability to feed these sheep. Matt took me under his wing, set out a plan and checked over it as we went.

Success in weaning, and being able to be brave to wean early, was the key to getting on top of the feeding problem for Maja and AIM has the product to help, Weanermax.

“We started with a really early weaning,’’ Maja said.

“While our stud lambs were in quite good nick coming off mum, and had had a good time with their mums from birth, the season was wrapping up really fast so we chose to wean them straight into the feedlot on a full grain ration instead of returning them to pasture.

“Their feed ration after weaning was a full grain ration, with straw as fiber and Weanermax as a supplement lick for the first 21 days.

“The stud ram lambs in spring were 15kg to 18kg when we took them off mum and we got them to 20kg to 30kg. There was no feed out in the paddocks so they just did it on Weanermax and hay.

“Seeing that, and having Matt on hand to take me through not just how to use Weanermax and the AIM products, but learning why they work the way they do, gives us the confidence I needed to be able to turn things around for our flocks and operations.

“Weanermax gives us the peace of mind that while they are off mum they can keep going. They like the Weanermax too, it’s not hard to get them on it and I know that they are going to survive and get through.’’

Any producer can ask advice from the experts in nutrition in our team at AIM Central, who don’t have to manage a flock daily but can put energies into producing products that give producers confidence that they can actually turn their problems into opportunities. We’re the extra set of hands behind the scenes.

Maja stressed she uses Weanermax in conjunction with other supplements from the AIM Central toolkit, specifically Generade when tackling the toughest assignments, and always following the program and personalised advice readily offered by her AIM Central Techie, Matt Hall.

“Combined with Generade, I can’t fault it. I have tried without it and it just hasn’t worked. They are simple, easy to use products that get results.’’

A talk with AIM Central will help design your approach to building flock strength with products including ProgenX Lead Up, Converter when grain feeding or Stubblemax before the rain, while Grazemax will provide the rumen with the required bugs/ performance to handle the influx of quality green feed.

Weanermax: A critical start to life on their own

Freshly weaned animals exposed to diets that are low in nutrients critical to proper growth and health are at risk of poor weight gain, reduced immune response and retarded physiological development. Weanermax Catalyst Lick and Pellet is a comprehensively formulated blend of Macro andMicro minerals, Vitamins and Carbohydrates specifically engineered to help optimise the supply of those key nutrients to young ruminants in that critical immediate-post-weaning period.

Feeding Recommendations

• For Lambs: Ideally the Lick should be introduced in the last 3 -4 days prior to weaning, and should continue on through to at least fifty days post weaning.
• For Calves: Ideally Weanermax Catalyst (C) Pellet should be used as part of a complete Weaning Program for a period of a minimum 21 days starting on the day of weaning. To facilitate imprinting, it is also important to feed a small quantity (100 grams / Cow & Calf / day) to Cows and Calves in the 3 to 4 days leading up to weaning.

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Designed by Australian experts for Australian conditions, Weanermax Catalyst (S) Pellet and Lick are a comprehensively formulated blend of Macro & Micro minerals, Vitamins and Carbohydrates specifically engineered to help optimise the supply of those key nutrients to young ruminants in that critical immediate-post-weaning period.

More about AIM Central Weanermax

Want to know more about what we can offer at AIM Central including our free advice?  Contact AIM HQ on 1800 106 006 so we can tailor a solution for your livestock.  Or you can get in touch with your local AIM reseller.

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