Compare the Protein Tubs

[Beefy]

Lets compare protein tubs.

i have one we'll call "southernstates" which is the first number, and another we'll call "fleming" represented by the second number in the "list". the "--" means it isnt listed on the southenstates feedtag (but included in ingredients)

• 
  Crude Protein 24% 25%
  Crude Fat 4.5% 4.5%
  Crude Fiber 5 6
  Calcium 6.9 6
  Phosphorus .50 1
  Salt 7.2 2.75
  Potassium .65 1
  Magnesium 1.8 1
  Vit A 16000 IU/lb 15000
  Vit D 4000 3500
  Manganese -- 90ppm
  Copper -- 30
  zinc -- 95
  iodine -- 3
  selenium -- 1.1

*notes:

Cows consume Fleming more readily (due to less salt i guess.)
SouthernStates is 10 dollars cheaper at $56 for a 200lb tub.
southern states lists animal protein products in the ingredients and claims not more than 15.5 equivalent crude protein from non-protein nitrogen whereas Fleming says not more than 7%

Q: is one $10 worth better than the other one?

 

[cfpinz]

Q: is one $10 worth better than the other one?

In three words, not to me.

If the cows are consuming enough of the ss brand to meet their needs it may be a better bargain, they could be eating more than necessary of the more expensive tub. I keep a couple groups of heifers at farms 15-20 mins away, those are the only places I'll use a tub if I feel the hay isn't up to par. At $56 per 200lb tub that's $560/ton, there are cheaper options out there.

 

[Angus Cowman]

just got thru doing a controlled test on tubs here is the results not gonna give names
Tub A cooked tub 38%protein 12%fat
Tub B 16%protein 6%fat poured tub
Tub C 20% protein 4.5% fat poured tub

Tub A Tub B Tub C
cost $96.50 225# $62.00 250# $50.00 200#
cost pr lb $.428 $.248 $.25
consumption .66lbs pr day 1.05 lb 1lb

cost pr $.282 $.26 $.25
hd pr day

the higher protein cooked tub (tub A) is higher on a pr day basis but not as much as a person would think and I beleive that when weather conditions worsen the consumption on all tubs will increase but I beleive the cooked tub will increase less than the poured tubs therefore making it the cheaper product in the long run
also for the $.02 a day more cost you are getting double the protein and at least double or more fat which in my case makes it the cheaper option

these test were made on 3 -40 cow herds with calves from 150lbs to 300 lbs and 2 bulls on heavy stock piled fescue pasture for a 45 day period they had free choice min and loose salt available at all times

I also noticed that the cows on Tub A had better looking coats and it seemed like milk production was up
also mineral consumption decrease by over 10% from tub B and tub C

 

[dcara]

I believe that that if you are feeding protein then what you really want to know is what is the cost per pound of protein you are paying. For poured tubs the dry matter basis is about 75%. I'm not sure what it is for cooked tubs but if we assume it is the same and that the cooking just hardens it then from Alan's data we have $96.5/(0.38*225*0.75)=$1.50 per lb of protein. For B we have $62/(0.16*250*0.75)=$2.07 per lb of protein, and for C we have $50/(0.20*200*0.75)=$1.67 per lb of protein.

Compare this to the following
Range cubes = 20% protein, 90%DM and $7.44/50lb = $0.83 per lb of protein (of course this is not free choice)
2+1 range meal (2 salt + 1 CSM) = 27.7% protein, 95%DM and 8.57/50lb = $0.65 per lb of protein (this is free choice)
Alfalfa hay = 17% protein, 89%DM and $170/ton = $0.56 per lb of protein

Costs may be different in your area but you get the idea. The same equation applies to TDN

 

[novatech]

What is being used to provide the protein?

Urea is not well utilized for supplementing low quality forages such as wheat straw, fescue hay or bermudagrass hay.

This is taken from; http://pubs.caes.uga.edu/caespubs/pubcd ... supplement
A very good article that may be used to answer your question if you can understand it.

 

[TexasBred]

I believe that that if you are feeding protein then what you really want to know is what is the cost per pound of protein you are paying. For poured tubs the dry matter basis is about 75%. I'm not sure what it is for cooked tubs but if we assume it is the same and that the cooking just hardens it then from Alan's data we have $96.5/(0.38*225*0.75)=$1.50 per lb of protein. For B we have $62/(0.16*250*0.75)=$2.07 per lb of protein, and for C we have $50/(0.20*200*0.75)=$1.67 per lb of protein.

Compare this to the following
Range cubes = 20% protein, 90%DM and $7.44/50lb = $0.83 per lb of protein (of course this is not free choice)
2+1 range meal (2 salt + 1 CSM) = 27.7% protein, 95%DM and 8.57/50lb = $0.65 per lb of protein (this is free choice)
Alfalfa hay = 17% protein, 89%DM and $170/ton = $0.56 per lb of protein

Costs may be different in your area but you get the idea. The same equation applies to TDN

You're "better" quality cooked tubs will run about 5% moisture. Some of the poured tubs will run as high as 35% moisture and are simply chemically hardened. Some cooked tubs use things to harden their's as well high reactive mag being one used by one company I'm familar with.

Don't forget to work energy levels into your equation. You can get 50 different range cubes and other purchased feeds and the energy range can be very significant. (30-40%) Same applies to forages.

 

[dcara]

A couple of other related bits of info I've read in research papers are

1) Protein can be fed on a less regular basis (feedings up to a week apart) and still achieve almost the same results as daily feeding. For instance 1lb/day vs. 7 lbs once a week achieve almost the same performance. However, performance drops quickly after that. None of the other feed constituents can be fed this far apart without associated performance degradation.

2) If adequate dormant forage is available then feeding protein is cheaper than feeding energy/TDN. However, there is also a threshold ratio between energy and protein below which performance drops more quickly. So feeding the right amount of protein and maybe supplementing a little energy (assuming you know how much energy they are getting from the forage) may be cheaper than just feeding more protein in order to achieve or maintain a given animal condition. Combining this info with knowledge of the animals different caloric and nutrient requirements at different stages of gestation can allow for reduced supplement costs without impact to the gestation process.