DDG or cake
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bigbull338
Well-known member
your thinking is a good 1.we used to feed ddgs to our dairy herd back in the 70s.an we fed 20lbs a cow or 1 5 gal bucket pre cow.
EAT BEEF":1vczoagu said:
Did it last year for the first time. We had a rough winter and some of our cows were slightly thinner than desirable. Rather than supplementing with alfalfa, we did the distillers. We fed 3 pounds/hd/day. Cows loved it, and it really put the condition back on pretty quick. If you have easy access to it, it can work really well. My brother is doing this again this winter, I am still contemplating because I beleive I can find a cheaper alternative. Believe it is right at 25% protein, so they were getting .66lbs of protein from the DDG's.
DDG are running $145/ton around me. That is $.0725/lb, so if you feed 3 lbs, $.2175/hd/day. Add on your mineral on top of that and you are up to about $.32/hd/day for the supplement and mineral combined. I can buy a protein and mineral loose supplement in bags that will cost $.31/hd/day. I am also keeping my cattle seperate from his for the first time, and my facilities don't have a bulk bin yet to store feed. That is why I am looking for alternatives. But if I had the storage facilities, I would strongly look at DDG as a supplement to beef cattle. As with anything, you will want to consider all options and decide with is the cheapest and still gives you the desired results. I can tell you DDG to cows works very well.
Just remember if you feed very much of it, DDG are VERY LOW in calcium, and you will have to feed a specialized mineral to keep the Ca
ratio in proper balance. The guy I use at the feed company says you should be able to feed 3-4 pounds of DDG's with no problems, but over that and you can cause problems with the Ca ratio.Stocker Steve
Well-known member
There was a study published recently that showed you got a great response from the first lb/day, and it trailed off from there. Speculation was a little protein really helped with the fiber digestion.
Most big operators feed wet cake with a TMR. For smaller operators - - I think a little DDG and ionospore will go a long way if you are willing to do the work.
Most big operators feed wet cake with a TMR. For smaller operators - - I think a little DDG and ionospore will go a long way if you are willing to do the work.
novaman
Well-known member
I would think a 5 gallon bucket will hold much more than 20 pounds. I would think you're closer to 40-50 pounds if the bucket is level full. Regardless, isn't 20 pounds of dry distillers getting up there? I feed 7 pounds of modified (50% dry matter) distillers to my dairy herd. Of course I have some limitations based on the amount of sulfur in my water. At any rate, I would recommend taking a water sample to avoid overfeeding sulfur to the cows. It's a good source of energy that will get your cows into good condition. Bandit your figures don't mean much to me. You are figuring distillers + mineral cost against a protein supplement + mineral. The distillers is not only a source of protein but also adds a lot of energy to the ration. The mineral will be fed regardless if distillers is used so that shouldn't have much effect on the decision. Back to the post, if the distillers is available and you have the means to use it, I would definitely use it. My cows love it.bigbull338":2jfv64br said:
bigbull338
Well-known member
the ddgs dont weigh as much as you would think.we would feed 80 to 100 5 gal buckets everyday.depending on how meny cows we was milking at the time.had a friend that fed the brewery slush as well free chice.an his cows would get drunk an stagger into the milk barn.
Thanks for the replys I got a super sack of ddg today,I'm going to be feeding it to a group of cows I bought that aren't in as good of condition as I would like.I'm thinking I'll give them about 2.5-3 lbs a day.I don't know much about the stuff other than it smells good and it is kinda lite because I could only get about 1600 lbs in the sack and I can get a little over a ton of bull feed in the same sacks.
novaman":30khndc4 said:
True, you are getting quite a bit of energy with the distillers, but I don't need the additional energy, only the protein. My hay is good enough that they should get all they need from that, but would like to supplement a little protein.
You'll notice I said if I had the storage facilities, I would strongly look at using DDG. I still looking at buying a gravity wagon to store the feed in, and feed from that. I normally feed small squares of alfalfa during late fall/early winter. But come winter and then calving, I find a supplement I can dump from a bucket much easier to feed until the grass comes on. If I do something like that, I think 2 lbs/day should be enough. They would be getting .5lb of protein/day from the DDG's, plus the energy. That would only cost $.14/hd/day for the DDG's.
I just need to find an old gravity wagon pretty cheap that has decent tires on it.
I just need to find an old gravity wagon pretty cheap that has decent tires on it.
They seem pretty cheap in Iowa,I've been thinking of going up and getting a trailer load of wagons and feed carts and selling them down here.I could drop one off for you on the way back ;-)
They seem pretty cheap in Iowa,I've been thinking of going up and getting a trailer load of wagons and feed carts and selling them down here.I could drop one off for you on the way back ;-)
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