Cereal and gonola bars for feed?

[Richnm]

A local feedlot told me they feed ceral and gronola bars to thier cattle. They get semi loads from somewhere. They offered me some at $130 a ton. Anyone have any experience with feeding this?

 

[TCRanch]

As treats, yes. And prior to Hostess going bankrupt (prob about 7 years ago) we had a Hostess outlet and I would buy racks of the day old bread, Twinkies, doughnuts, bagels, tortilla chips - you name it. The cows loved it!!

 

[CG1]

A local feedlot told me they feed ceral and gronola bars to thier cattle. They get semi loads from somewhere. They offered me some at $130 a ton. Anyone have any experience with feeding this?

Make a small pen and grab a few feeder pigs. Feed that to them for 4 months and then enjoy.

Chickens would eat it up too.

I feed my cows both but not as "feed". I feed them pies, cakes, etc., as a treat only.

 

[Chevy]

Do they get a sugar buzz?! What about cow treats? Where do ya'll buy them?

 

[greggy]

Not sure what they are, sounds like cereal based, as long as there is no meats or meat products.

Make sure no plastics.

Then go for it based off the main ingredients and what the animals should be able to eat of that ingredient after a period of getting them used to it as a supplement, and err on the lower side maybe. Ask them what they feed per head and how long they been doing it, and animals that will not live long have no long term health health concerns, so I would look closely at all ingredients before feeding animals you expect to be productive for a long time.

I would also look at cost of buying grain, no point buying say bars made mostly with oat at 130 a ton if buying oats was 130 a ton for example.

My thinking on waste is it should be pretty much free.

 

[CG1]

Do they get a sugar buzz?! What about cow treats? Where do ya'll buy them?

Cow treats aka, old bread, old veggies, old fruit.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

If I had a ready supply, I'd feed it more than just a "treat."
If they are cereal, and gronola bars it would be close to replacing 30%, or more, of your corn in a feedlot setting. Depending on the nutrient makeup.
If you're wanting to feed it regularly to you cows, it wouldn't hurt to ask for a copy of a feed test. Also one concern would be wrappers on or off. Of course if they were ground with the wrappers on, it's been shown that the tin foil and plastic wrapper are high bypass, and are little concern when uniformly ground. But having plastic and aluminum scattered all over pasture doesn't sound to great.

 

[TexasBred]

Not sure what they are, sounds like cereal based, as long as there is no meats or meat products.

Make sure no plastics.

Then go for it based off the main ingredients and what the animals should be able to eat of that ingredient after a period of getting them used to it as a supplement, and err on the lower side maybe. Ask them what they feed per head and how long they been doing it, and animals that will not live long have no long term health health concerns, so I would look closely at all ingredients before feeding animals you expect to be productive for a long time.

I would also look at cost of buying grain, no point buying say bars made mostly with oat at 130 a ton if buying oats was 130 a ton for example.

My thinking on waste is it should be pretty much free.

When sold by the truckload it is no longer waste but rather a valuable commodity and priced as such. A company over in Eastern part of the state brings in old cookies, etc, cooks it and sells it by the truckload as simply "bakery products". It's an excellent ingredient in a TMR

 

[greggy]

The bars would be worth something to me if staff unwrapped them all first before filling truck

Yeah....20 or 40 tonne lots of feed that will keep are worth $$$.....

 

[Redgully]

The bars would be worth something to me if staff unwrapped them all first before filling truck

Yeah....20 or 40 tonne lots of feed that will keep are worth $$$.....

How do you go with LPA regulations around animal feed?

 

[greggy]

I dont think they have that issue....not as regulated as us.

 

[u4411clb]

Haven’t tried cereals but have used candy bars aka snickers, Twix, M&M’s etc that is put in with other feed products.

 

[Allenw]

Not sure what they are, sounds like cereal based, as long as there is no meats or meat products.

Make sure no plastics.

Then go for it based off the main ingredients and what the animals should be able to eat of that ingredient after a period of getting them used to it as a supplement, and err on the lower side maybe. Ask them what they feed per head and how long they been doing it, and animals that will not live long have no long term health health concerns, so I would look closely at all ingredients before feeding animals you expect to be productive for a long time.

I would also look at cost of buying grain, no point buying say bars made mostly with oat at 130 a ton if buying oats was 130 a ton for example.

My thinking on waste is it should be pretty much free.

When sold by the truckload it is no longer waste but rather a valuable commodity and priced as such. A company over in Eastern part of the state brings in old cookies, etc, cooks it and sells it by the truckload as simply "bakery products". It's an excellent ingredient in a TMR

Cookies in calf feed will get them eating it faster.