sweetpro tubs

[TexasBred]

I used 6 tubs last year over our five month winter and the feed mill told me the closer to water the tubs were the more the cows would use. I had 25 head on them and moved the tubs away from the water and that seemed to slow the consumption down. Hay and mineral free choice over the winter and the cows came out of the winter in great condition.

You get good hillbilly.... Place them away from water and also keep out free choice mineral. Consumption on cooks tubs is usually accomplished with tub hardness and/or ph of the product. When you remove the vinyl vapor barrier off the top of the tub it begins to absorb moisture and soften. Cows can only eat the soft part, go off and graze or eat hay and return to the tubs when another small amount has softened enough to be able to eat it. This along with hay quality will control consumption. I wouldn't look for decreased hay consumption because most are designed to actually increase consumption and digestibility of low quality hay. With higher quality hay you'll have even lower consumption of the tubs.

[hillbillycwo]

I noticed an increase in hay consumption as well. It wasn't significant but the thing I really noticed is the cows hit the standing fescue a lot harder and cleaned up the bales a lot better. Probably just coincidence but I was pleased.

[JSCATTLE]

I use pvm tubs made by positive feeds in sealy Texas... I keep them out year round...in the summer I use the ones with igr.. really helps with the flies...the cows barely hit the tubs when the grass is strong.. you can tell when the grass starts to loose protein ... The tubs will make them eat more hay .. and plants they normally wouldn't eat.. at least this has been my experience over the last few years..

[TexasBred]

I use pvm tubs made by positive feeds in sealy Texas... I keep them out year round...in the summer I use the ones with igr.. really helps with the flies...the cows barely hit the tubs when the grass is strong.. you can tell when the grass starts to loose protein ... The tubs will make them eat more hay .. and plants they normally wouldn't eat.. at least this has been my experience over the last few years..

Sounds like they're working as designed. Only other thing is to change feeding locations if you can. This will spread out the grazing pattern as cattle graze from water back to tubs and hay. (If you have grass).

[JSCATTLE]

Yea that's a big if right now on the grass..

[rockridgecattle]

We have used tubs. Quit using sweet pro and now by the feed rite lick blocks. We do notice a drop in consupmption of hay. But you need enough tubs for the animals. We put out 4 tubs for 100 cows. They are also close to the water as recommended. But our cows also travel over a mile to come home for water...return trip.
We have used them post calving and breed back has been greatly improved, as has overal calf health. I think that is due to the better nutrtion in the milk.
We have used them in the last trimester to give the cows a boost during our cold winters when the feed tests fell short. It helped alot and we see a good drop in hay consumption, better clean up and better looking cow patties...yes you read right.

The thing you need to watch for is the protien. Post calving before bull turn out you want 16% all natural. Why, cause the calves get into it and the 22% is hard on their guts. The 22% is better when the calves have been weaned and the last tri is upon them.
If memory serves, and it does not always. a calf needs to be 7-800 weight to make use of the 22% tub...maybe heavier...can not remember and hubby is sleeping so can not ask him.

I do know that our ag rep livestock guy from Manitoba ag (government ag agency in Manitoba to help farmers) has mentioned many times over that the tubs are costly for what you get. In his opinoin a few tonnes of pellets or barley is better in the gut and has more of what you need than the tubs...and is cheaper for pound of gain on the cows. Hubby accepts this because the tubs are convienent. Dump them out, keep an eye on consumption and go about the rest of the day...no grain rolling, no troughs to maintain, no pailing grain to the cows.

[rockridgecattle]

forgot to mention...
...about putting out the tubs, we put out 4 per hundred because, not only so everyone gets fair access, but also the pecked cows get a chance to get some when we are feeding it because our hay is not in good condition.
...there are high moisture and low moisture. The low are harder so it takes the cow longer to consume it. High moisture tends to get eaten up real fast

[TexasBred]

forgot to mention...
...about putting out the tubs, we put out 4 per hundred because, not only so everyone gets fair access, but also the pecked cows get a chance to get some when we are feeding it because our hay is not in good condition.
...there are high moisture and low moisture. The low are harder so it takes the cow longer to consume it. High moisture tends to get eaten up real fast

The low moisture tubs are "cooked tubs". More expensive but you're paying for way less water. They are formulated and manufactured to be much lower consumption than the poured tubs and most times much higher quality.

[Amo]

Well did you get any yet?

[hooknline]

Nope. Called em to see who is the supplier local and never heard back. Didn't follow up because I've been busier than a 1 armed paper hanger

[hooknline]

Update on this:
Since the last post the ranch that hosts the local cattlemens assoc is now a sweetpro dealer. so I picked one up to test on my small group. Price was 90.00.
Once it's gone I'll figure out the cost per head per day and see how the group responds to it.

[ousoonerfan22]

The PVM tubs work well here and I have two with the IGR out right now.Since the grass is growing good the cows were not hitting them that much until all this rain and cool temps this week.

[Amo]

I bought some sweet pros again. Just fed them to the first calvers. Thought they were looking very good on the 20's. Consumption was way less than I figured it would be. Just kinda thought good hay and warm weather....maybe they weren't hitting it that hard. Post calving the girls look kinda rough. Not bad, but not exactly what I would like to see. Thinking that maybe I went too hard of tub. Just something to think about.

[hooknline]

They recommended a 16 for me. No rain yet to speak of, still on hay that's not great.

[rockridgecattle]

Hey all, after reading this thread again, something i forgot to mention. The reason why we quit with sweet pro and went to feedrite.
One day we brought the tubs home. It was before the BSE broke out, and we were newbies on the farm. For some odd reason i thought read the label of ingredients. It was said to may contain animal by-products. That was the last time they were bought.

When the BSE hit, post recommendations to animal feed production was, any feed house making feed for other animals which contained animal by products could not make feed products for rumienating animals on the same line. I am not to sure, but I think that they can not make it even in the same building. A totally separate plant.

So when buying these tubs, check the ingredients.