I am new to your board, so forgive me if I am being redundant. I have tried searching the archives without much success in getting a specific answer. My scenario is this: wanting to use DDG as a protein supplement to background crossbred beef cattle (currently lactating) . Cattle have access to quality free choice mineral, salt and quality hay. Hoping to maintain body condition and timely breedback. My questions are: how many lbs per head is safe to feed? How much of a concern is the Sulfer issue? Do i need to include a gluten balancer with Rumensin (sp?) Additional info: DDG are 30-32% protein per the distributor, no real sulfer issue with my water, and my goal is to feed about 4lbs per head per day until pasture is going strong, then also supplement during dog days of summer if need be. Any advice is welcomed.
DDG question
- Thread starter bball
- Start date
Need to clarify: the DDG protein is 28%, Fat 6.5%, Fiber 15%. Hay is second cutting Gras clover mix..more grass than clover, but I don't have a protein analysis on it. Makes nice manure pies. Early in winter, hay was a bit low using manure test (first cutting grass hay). Ag agent go back to me today, but offered very generalized info without knowing protein of hay for certain. He did say that have fed as much as 15# when running cattle on corn stalks. Also mentioned getting Ca supplement due to increased Phosphorus...Right now I'm putting about 2# per head out for them and they clean it up quick.
The calves I background, get close to 10 pounds of DDG per day. I'm kinda thinking 2, is not enough to really do much. Your number of 4 pounds per day sounds better, but still much less than I feed. I might should, but I take no steps or measures on sulfur etc. I just feed it, and go on.
I was starting them low until I could get some more info gathered, playing it safe I guess...BF, do you do any Calcium supplementation or just what's in your mineral is good enough? Any gluten balancer? I am hoping to keep it as simple as possible, if it is in fact possible, but I also want to be prudent..so no Sulfur effects I take it?
I keep a good loose mineral out all the time. Some salt blocks to (old ways die hard). I don't currently use rumensin, but have in the past. I didn't keep the kind of records it would take to statisticaly prove it was working or not. My observation was it did nothing. Some big gun here will quote you an article, and say it works. It probably does, I just couldn't tell it. I don't worry about sulphur, but I'm not known for worrying about very much either, so you can take my advice for what it's worth. I go through 6 tons of ddg some weeks, and haven't killed anything yet 
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Red Bull Breeder
Well-known member
I don't think the sulfur is as much of a issue in DDG as it is in corn gluten.
I wasn't for sure about Sulfur. There were some pretty intense posts a while back about it, kinda lumped the the byproducts from ethanol together as being dangerous; PEM, etc. I have been looking up info everywhere I can find it, but also prefer actual input from folks that actually have EXPERIENCE with the product. I have only ever fed ground corn and protein supplements from a bag, with hay of course.
TexasBred
Well-known member
If you know that you've got quality hay why do you want to supplement with so much protein as DDG? Why not just supplement energy and give them corn?? They only need a 10-11% crude protein overall ration.
Red Bull Breeder
Well-known member
The intense post here while back was started by a idiot. Like TB said a little corn would work pretty good.
Here are my thoughts, possibly erroneous...the hay I make is decent, but I also have to buy additional hay which is inconsistent at times. Even if I fed corn, I still have to supplement protein to maximize corn usage. The Ddgs are a great source of protein and energy I thought??? 2 birds with one stone. Also ddgs are more of a roughage then grain, so not conflicting or challenging the rumen as when feeding grain vs. roughages (hay/pasture). Was hoping to minimize the pull down thatoccurs during calf season. Also read some studies that showed much higher breed back rates when cattle are supplemented quality protein 50-60 days before breeding season..something to do with the protein acids being necessary for reproductive system enhancement. That appealed to me. Corn is cheap here right now, so I am open to ideas. Just didn't like the conflict of grain vs. roughage in digestive tract for breeding stock. Again, I will be first to say I could be mistaken.
I wasnt going to feed a large portion to them of ddgs, more of just a booster, 4 lbs a day to enhance protein and energy while lactating demands are high and promote strong breedback..still remain mostly on hay/pasture. without having to mess with cracking corn. Idk, if I am in error, I would appreciate guidance. I have read several of TB posts and respect your input as you clearly have a strong nutrition knowledge
Lucky_P
Well-known member
bball,
We've been limit-feeding hay and distiller's grain products to the herd during winter for the past 8 winters.
Have fed as much as 12-15# of modified distiller's grain(50% moisture?) per cow in the past, when hay was high or hard to come by.
Dry distiller's has penciled out as the better buy for us the past two years. This winter (plan to turn the cows out this coming weekend), we've been shooting for 25-27# hay/cow/day + 5# DDG/cow/day. As the fall calves got bigger and were pushing their way in and actually eating quite a bit, we bumped DDG amounts up a bit.
Cows have come through the winter great - actually, everything except some of the first-calf heifers, may have actually gained some weight.
Currently have a group of 35 calves, weaned last Sunday, up eating hay and DDG...about 3#/hd...but they've been at the bunks with their dams all winter, so they're acclimated to it.
Have had NO issues whatsoever that I can ascribe to any problems with sulfur.
First winter, because I had concerns about calcium, I topdressed with ground limestone, but that stuff was incredibly expensive for what it was...so I stopped. Have not seen any issues that I can point to, with regard to Ca
imbalance. I just keep a good balanced loose mineral out for them at all times.
We've been limit-feeding hay and distiller's grain products to the herd during winter for the past 8 winters.
Have fed as much as 12-15# of modified distiller's grain(50% moisture?) per cow in the past, when hay was high or hard to come by.
Dry distiller's has penciled out as the better buy for us the past two years. This winter (plan to turn the cows out this coming weekend), we've been shooting for 25-27# hay/cow/day + 5# DDG/cow/day. As the fall calves got bigger and were pushing their way in and actually eating quite a bit, we bumped DDG amounts up a bit.
Cows have come through the winter great - actually, everything except some of the first-calf heifers, may have actually gained some weight.
Currently have a group of 35 calves, weaned last Sunday, up eating hay and DDG...about 3#/hd...but they've been at the bunks with their dams all winter, so they're acclimated to it.
Have had NO issues whatsoever that I can ascribe to any problems with sulfur.
First winter, because I had concerns about calcium, I topdressed with ground limestone, but that stuff was incredibly expensive for what it was...so I stopped. Have not seen any issues that I can point to, with regard to Ca
imbalance. I just keep a good balanced loose mineral out for them at all times.
TexasBred
Well-known member
Have it your way !! :wave:bball":3k0q1l0i said:
sim.-ang.king
Well-known member
If your worried about feeding corn, which you really shoulkdn't be while feeding hay, but if you are, why not feed ground ear corn, and mix some SBM when you feed cheap hay. Or better yet, order a truck load of cotton hulls.
I guess my thinking was the ddgs readily available, reasonably priced and already ground, and kinda twofold protein and energy source. I have whole corn, would have to grind..SBM I would have to price. I'm not trying to be argumentative, just trying to understand...am I giving the ddgs to much credit? Whole corn is slightly cheaper for now, but more time and work, with less protein. I believe I read a 1:4 ratio posted by Texasbred somewhere, ddg:corn that is.perhaps that would be smart??
I'm probably looking at it wrong, but I'll throw some numbers out:
Corn is $150 a ton
DDG is 190 a ton
IMHO the DDG is over priced. It's still my first choice though. The amount of protein it brings to the party, makes it a better value. I don't see myself as saving $40 a ton on corn. I see losing almost 20% protein.
Corn is $150 a ton
DDG is 190 a ton
IMHO the DDG is over priced. It's still my first choice though. The amount of protein it brings to the party, makes it a better value. I don't see myself as saving $40 a ton on corn. I see losing almost 20% protein.
