Cottonseed

[Arnold Ziffle]

You folks from areas where cotton is grown might want to check out the article linked below. It has an interesting comparison of the feed value of various feeds, including cottonseed meal. I think I remember hearing recently that cotton seed is going to be fairly cheap to buy this year (might have been dreaming on that one though). Anyway, my cows love whole cotton seed and it sure is a good feed to have for a little winter supplementation (not just during drought, which was the focus of the article) especially if you have lower quality hay and/or forage. It is perhaps a little labor intensive to feed cottonseed, but worth the trouble I think.

http://www.cattletoday.com/archive/2005 ... T407.shtml

 

[jt]

az.. my cows love whole cotton seed... last year was the first year i supplemented with them and one of the best winters ever as far as how my cattle came thru it. like you said, it is a little labor intensive though.

jt

 

[Arnold Ziffle]

Just called the lady that manages the cotton gin a few miles away from me. They haven't started ginning yet but will next week, weather permitting. She's predicting the price to be about $130 per ton and said that may be a little shy of what it will actually be. But I don't know if that's a "sweetheart price" to me, or not. In the past I feel that I've gotten good price quotes from her since her husband and boys also raise cotton on one of my farms.

 

[bigbull338]

az ill tell you this right now.if you can get cottonseed bought for $130 a ton.you had better buy your winter feed needs at that price.it wont take it to long to go to $275 a ton.so jump on it.dont fed the bulls more than 2lbs a day or youll have shooting blanks. cows can eat 5lbs of cottonseed a day.pre cost of 33 cents a hd a day.at 5lbs a hd.scott

 

[tryinhard]

I have been feeding cottonseed for the last two years, with hay. I don't think you can do better than cottonseed, keep minerals out also. Have had some of the best calves, cows stay in good shape, just don't feed third trimester cows too much, for it seems to go straight to the calf n it will be huge. But we haven't lost any from being too big. some of the calves come out 100lbs+ and grow like they have miracle grow on them.

 

[Craig-TX]

Cottonseed cake is a convenient way to throw them a little extra during wintertime. We don't put out much (don't put out much of anything besides salt & mineral) but it will sure get them through some of those blue northers and it will make them eat a lot of dead grass where they would otherwise turn their noses up. Besides, having them cake broke pays off year round. Cottonseed cake beats the stuffing out of range cubes when it comes to content. Last year we fed some peanut cake also since it was a little cheaper by the pound of protein. They liked it just as much.

 

[Tod Dague]

az ill tell you this right now.if you can get cottonseed bought for $130 a ton.you had better buy your winter feed needs at that price.it wont take it to long to go to $275 a ton.so jump on it.dont fed the bulls more than 2lbs a day or youll have shooting blanks. cows can eat 5lbs of cottonseed a day.pre cost of 33 cents a hd a day.at 5lbs a hd.scott

Are you talking about whole seed or meal? I haven't been feeding whole cotton seed for a few years, but I've never heard of it going over $145. Last year it cost me $95/ ton. The other places I contacted were quoting me $125.

 

[bigbull338]

im talking about whole cotton seed. it wasnt no $145 a ton round here.scott

 

[jt]

last winter i gave 110 a ton for it

jt

 

[milkmaid]

170 a ton here

 

[alabama]

$115 to $125 here last year.

 

[samm]

big bull ...my dad told us not to give the bulls too much cotten seed cuz it would make them be sterile......i wonder what is in the cotten seed that does that ?? we never had one to have that happen to it, but am curious as to what does it.

samm

 

[certherfbeef]

big bull ...my dad told us not to give the bulls too much cotten seed cuz it would make them be sterile......i wonder what is in the cotten seed that does that ?? we never had one to have that happen to it, but am curious as to what does it.

samm

Here is a short thread from a while back. Dun posted a link that should help you answer your questions.
http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... otton+seed

 

[1848]

big bull ...my dad told us not to give the bulls too much cotten seed cuz it would make them be sterile......i wonder what is in the cotten seed that does that ?? we never had one to have that happen to it, but am curious as to what does it.

samm

Heard the same thing from a Vet Samm!

 

[tryinhard]

what are cottonseed cakes, and or how are they made, or where purchased at. I have never seen any, only heard people on here talking about them.

 

[1848]

what are cottonseed cakes, and or how are they made, or where purchased at. I have never seen any, only heard people on here talking about them.

Looks like cube...only it's cotton seed. come in a 50# bag. Try the feed store.

 

[samm]

cotton seed cakes look kinda like breeder cubes, but they are harder, darker, and ya dont have to feed as much cotten seed cake as ya do breeder cubes

 

[certherfbeef]

Sold a bull to a guy in Ralls, TX years back. He said he came off the trailer and penned him. Gave him some of them cakes to help settle him in. Ohio bulls don't know what cakes are. He called wanting to know what in the world we were feeding him, he wouldn't eat. Guess he managed to figure it out, never got a call telling us he didn't work out.

 

[alabama]

big bull ...my dad told us not to give the bulls too much cotten seed cuz it would make them be sterile......i wonder what is in the cotten seed that does that ?? we never had one to have that happen to it, but am curious as to what does it.

samm

I pasted this from Dr. Rankin's page. I think it will answer your questions.

Whole Cottonseed
Many cattle producers have used whole cottonseed as a supplement for beef cattle for many years. This year may be a good year to revisit whole cottonseed if you have reduced your usage as a result of it's cost. Cottonseed contains abundant amounts of energy and is also a very good source of protein. It will typically contain greater than 90% TDN and approximately 24% crude protein. The limiting factor for its use in beef cattle diets is the fat content, which is approximately 20%. In general, mature cows can be fed 6 to 8 pounds per day while replacement heifers and stocker steers should be limited to about 4 to5 pounds per day. For most of the hay produced in Alabama, daily supplementation with 7 pounds of whole cottonseed would provide adequate energy and protein to a lactating cow. The seed should be fed in bunks or troughs; however, it can be fed on clean sod on a daily or every other day basis. Whole cottonseed also can be offered in feeders containing a 3 to 4 day supply at a time. Once cattle are adapted to whole cottonseed the fat content becomes an intake limiter. Note. It should not be fed in self feeders with a V-shape because the fuzzy seed will bridge and cattle will not have continual access to the feed. For this same reason, cottonseed will need to be stored in a covered shed or feed bay and not in feed bins. Fuzzy seed will not auger or gravity-flow very well. Seed is generally handled with front-end loaders or by hand.
Whole cottonseed is low in calcium content and thus the mineral being fed should contain adequate quantities of calcium. Cottonseed contains a toxic compound called gossypol. In general, gossypol causes male infertility problems, thus there has been some concern for feeding bulls whole cottonseed. The scientific literature contains many studies on this topic and the results are mixed. Based on a Texas A&M study, it appears that there are two isomers of gossypol and one is toxic while the other possesses very little activity. Upland cotton appears to contain less of the toxic isomer than does Pima cotton and in the southeast most of the cotton is of the Upland type. Thus in Alabama, bull infertility as a result of cottonseed consumption appears to be a minor problem. As with most supplements, start the cattle out with small amounts and gradually work up to the desired level of supplementation over a period of 7 to 10 days.

 

[samm]

alabama..thanks for the info