Creep Feed - What do you use?

[TCRanch]

I just had to double check but we locked in at $185 per ton last week for 20% protein range nuggets (cubes). This particular Coop makes them but the other local Coop purchases from Purina. We don't creep feed but we do feed cubes year 'round, minimal amount in the summer but primarily for the calves, most of which are on cubes by 3 months and it makes weaning easier.

 

[TexasBred]

I just had to double check but we locked in at $185 per ton last week for 20% protein range nuggets (cubes). This particular Coop makes them but the other local Coop purchases from Purina. We don't creep feed but we do feed cubes year 'round, minimal amount in the summer but primarily for the calves, most of which are on cubes by 3 months and it makes weaning easier.

Wow that's a steal. 20% cubes down here are running about $6.50==$6.75 per bag.

 

[TexasBred]

Is that a bulk price or do you buy in bags?

The Purina Rangeland is bagged and delivered for $200 ton. I feel they give me a lot of service for the price,
so no complaints there.

Awesome price and pretty good looking feed especially with the Bovatec in it. With the high fiber level it probably has a lot of soyhulls in it (hopefully not rice hulls). If so soyhulls have almost as much energy as corn and no starches. If rice hulls it's junk. Add some of that good locally grown corn and you should have a darn good feed. (In spite of what the Purina man says ;-))

 

[TexasBred]

Literature is all over on creep feed conversion. Do you have any personal trusted information on this?

Steve that would depend entirely on the quality and density of the creep feed. Doubt you'll find any "trusted information".

 

[TCRanch]

I just had to double check but we locked in at $185 per ton last week for 20% protein range nuggets (cubes). This particular Coop makes them but the other local Coop purchases from Purina. We don't creep feed but we do feed cubes year 'round, minimal amount in the summer but primarily for the calves, most of which are on cubes by 3 months and it makes weaning easier.

Wow that's a steal. 20% cubes down here are running about $6.50==$6.75 per bag.

They went up. Last year we locked in at $175.

 

[TexasBred]

I just had to double check but we locked in at $185 per ton last week for 20% protein range nuggets (cubes). This particular Coop makes them but the other local Coop purchases from Purina. We don't creep feed but we do feed cubes year 'round, minimal amount in the summer but primarily for the calves, most of which are on cubes by 3 months and it makes weaning easier.

Wow that's a steal. 20% cubes down here are running about $6.50==$6.75 per bag.

They went up. Last year we locked in at $175.

Still an excellent price. Any idea what the crude fiber level is on this feed? Just curious.

 

[TCRanch]

Wow that's a steal. 20% cubes down here are running about $6.50==$6.75 per bag.

They went up. Last year we locked in at $175.

Still an excellent price. Any idea what the crude fiber level is on this feed? Just curious.

Six percent.

 

[Stocker Steve]

They went up. Last year we locked in at $175.

Corn is less than $100/T ...

 

[Stocker Steve]

Literature is all over on creep feed conversion. Do you have any personal trusted information on this?

Steve that would depend entirely on the quality and density of the creep feed. Doubt you'll find any "trusted information".

Do you have a favorite feed conversion estimate?

 

[Stocker Steve]

Literature is all over on creep feed conversion. Do you have any personal trusted information on this?

Steve that would depend entirely on the quality and density of the creep feed. Doubt you'll find any "trusted information".

Here is a sober guesstimate: U$S 200/T for pellets is $.10/lb at 10:1 conversion = $1/lb for cost of feed

Do you have a favorite feed conversion estimate?

 

[RanchMan90]

They gotta have some roughage to cut that cost and be profitable.

 

[TexasBred]

They went up. Last year we locked in at $175.

Still an excellent price. Any idea what the crude fiber level is on this feed? Just curious.

Six percent.

Awesome. Should be a high quality product with no "worthless filler".

 

[TexasBred]

Steve that would depend entirely on the quality and density of the creep feed. Doubt you'll find any "trusted information".

Here is a sober guesstimate: U$S 200/T for pellets is $.10/lb at 10:1 conversion = $1/lb for cost of feed

Do you have a favorite feed conversion estimate?

Most commercial feeds have very poor conversion rate because they have no energy. A good high quality creep feed should give you a lb. of gain for every 5 lbs. of feed especially if it contains Bovatec, Rumensin or Amaferm.
Not familiar with terminology everywhere but around here "creep" means "free choice".

 

[5S Cattle]

If I was going to fatten the calves on my own farm, I'd use the corn. I don't understand the objection - unless some are going to be retained.

But my favorite creep is oats because I retain.

Just oats?

Works great - when they're cheap. I wouldn't do anything except I fall calve in a northern climate so my calves are nursing in January in the snow.

What are you calling cheap? I got quoted $15/bushel at the co-op

 

[angus9259]

Just oats?

Works great - when they're cheap. I wouldn't do anything except I fall calve in a northern climate so my calves are nursing in January in the snow.

What are you calling cheap? I got quoted $15/bushel at the co-op

I was paying as low as $2 a bushel. My understanding is oats are a northern climate grain - sometimes we (Michigan) even have to get our "good oats" from Canada. Hard to imagine TX has a good supply. $15 a bushel = like $1000 a ton. No way no how at that price.

 

[angus9259]

Also - as TB mentioned oats (as all minerals) have a wide variety of quality (test weight). The $2 I was paying was heavy test weight too - but still not the premium stuff that came from Canada.

 

[TexasBred]

Also - as TB mentioned oats (as all minerals) have a wide variety of quality (test weight). The $2 I was paying was heavy test weight too - but still not the premium stuff that came from Canada.

Quite a lot of oats are grown in Texas, however, as you said most don't have the heavy test weight as Canadian or what we call "Scandinavian" oats. Most companies I'm familar with will buy the "northern" oats for use in feed manufacturing, however, locals that feed a lot of oats will use the local oats. Talked with a friend a couple of weeks ago and he said he was paying $3.80 a bushel for local oats so it's hard to make them work out cost wise in a cattle ration.

 

[5S Cattle]

Works great - when they're cheap. I wouldn't do anything except I fall calve in a northern climate so my calves are nursing in January in the snow.

What are you calling cheap? I got quoted $15/bushel at the co-op

I was paying as low as $2 a bushel. My understanding is oats are a northern climate grain - sometimes we (Michigan) even have to get our "good oats" from Canada. Hard to imagine TX has a good supply. $15 a bushel = like $1000 a ton. No way no how at that price.

Oh wow, ya I'd feed them too at that price!

 

[TexasBred]

Works great - when they're cheap. I wouldn't do anything except I fall calve in a northern climate so my calves are nursing in January in the snow.

What are you calling cheap? I got quoted $15/bushel at the co-op

I was paying as low as $2 a bushel. My understanding is oats are a northern climate grain - sometimes we (Michigan) even have to get our "good oats" from Canada. Hard to imagine TX has a good supply. $15 a bushel = like $1000 a ton. No way no how at that price.

Angus they're planted down here in the fall, grazed during winter then harvested in spring. Probably several months earlier than up north. Some will go 32 lb. test weight but the oat itself just won't have the size of your oats.

 

[bball]

We get a mix of corn gluten pellets and soyhull pellets delivered in 3 ton increments for $183/T. The feed mill calls it 18% protein. They deliver from almost 2 hrs away. Idk how they do it but sure glad they do.