Full of Beans
Spotlight on PKE!
Palm Kernal Expeller pops almost every time we have a drought. It’s a by-product of the palm oil industry and 80% of it originates from Indonesia and Malaysia.
PKE is a highly fibrous protein meal that is my least favourite due to its low protein content, high fibre and high oil. It’s also dry and gritty (see picture above) and not that tasty. It also contains 20-30ppm of copper so it can be toxic to sheep. It’s also been found to cause issues with sperm production and fertility in rams if fed at 60% of their diet. It can contain chemicals so do your best to get a commodity vendor declaration with any purchase.
Nevertheless, it is price competitive and readily available at the moment, and it can be used successfully if combined with enough other good stuff.
A feedtest shows it to be 90% dry matter, 17% Crude Protein, 11.7MJ ME/kg DM, 70% NDF and 8% oil.
PKE is slowly digested in the rumen, it is a very low acidosis risk. When combined with good quality roughage it improves the production of microbial protein in the rumen. It also contains some bypass protein, although the digestibility of this is lower than other protein meals so it’s not a great choice for baby weaners. It can improve milk fat and milk proteins, so it’s good for lactating cows if fed in combination with other quality commodities.
The trouble with the dry grass in southern Queensland at the moment is that it’s awfully weather damaged and wintered. It’s very fibrous, has very low fermentable carbohydrate value and has turned that awful grey colour. It’s cardboard. This grass, combined with PKE doesn’t lift your rumen bug’s spirits. Oil, fibre, hard work - that’s what the rumen bugs think of your supplement! Sometimes throwing in a bit of sugar, in the form of grain or molasses can really spark things up and make digestion a whole lot more effective.
If you’re buying PKE, do your sums on what class of animal you’re feeding, what it will cost and what result you’ll get - and if the addition of a tiny bit of grain could make all the difference to the performance. If you want help with this, give us a call.
Loved reading this? This is a snippet of the paid AHN premium newsletter content that subscribers receive fortnightly. If you’d like practical, in-the-paddock advice that might just save your stock, sign up here.
The information contained in the document is general in nature and intended solely for our clients and should not be relied on as specific advice in relation to your specific circumstances. Neither AHN Consulting Pty Ltd nor any of its employees or agents warrants that the information within this document is error-free. Everyone’s circumstances are different and you should not rely solely upon this information, but should make your own enquiries about the subject matter of this document. If you have any questions about the information you should contact us.