Energy sourch cheaper than $7 corn?

[CottageFarm]

So, just for clarity.
What I'm getting from everyone's responses is that while he may be able to find "cheaper" energy than corn, it would be a false economy because the results would be inferior from everything else, unless he pulls the calves?

 

[TexasBred]

In my experience nothing will limit a starving cow from eating . The limiters are usually high amounts of urea or salt . the urea will kill the enzymes in the rumen if to much is eaten . what I said before about them over consuming and scouring is from experience . I've tried the "good " as well as bad liquid . Cows need to be in good shape before u start them on it .

Never seen salt used as a limiter in liquid feed, nor urea. Both can be toxic and any cow that eats as much of it as you said your's did should drop dead long before lunch if UREA was the primary source of protein. There are recommended methods to introduce cattle to urea as well as liquid feeds and it's usually on the product feeding instructions. Nova that is a common limiter in liquid feeds....taste bad, mades the feed very acidic and limits intake.

 

[dimestorecowboy]

So it only starts to taste bad after so much is consumed? If it taste bad enough to make them stop eating then it should be bad after the first lick . I guess they have come along way with liquid feed in the past 8 to 10 years

 

[TexasBred]

So it only starts to taste bad after so much is consumed? If it taste bad enough to make them stop eating then it should be bad after the first lick . I guess they have come along way with liquid feed in the past 8 to 10 years

It is after the 1st lick but they can tolerate it for a while. You have sort of a combo of sweet/sour and eventually they back away. They'll overconsume for a few days when you first make it available but then back off.

 

[dimestorecowboy]

Do you still get the maggot problem in the summer . I can remember lifting the lid to stir it up and the tub would be a foot thick with maggots.

 

[TexasBred]

Do you still get the maggot problem in the summer . I can remember lifting the lid to stir it up and the tub would be a foot thick with maggots.

Thought your cattle ate it so fast it didnt' have time for maggots to mature. :lol: :lol: But I guess it could happen. consumption drops considerably in summer until grass begins to become lower in protein and less digestible. A lot of folks only feed it in fall and winter anyway.

 

[dimestorecowboy]

My cattle don't eat it at all . I won't put it out anymore . I tried the recommended way and feed it year round . Started in august like the dealer told me to and fed it through one winter . Was pretty expensive . The cows I had a problem with were some poor butcher cows I picked up cheap to fattin up on a winter pasture to resale in the summer .

 

[Amo]

Wow, I hadn't checked this in a while.

Havn't gone to liquid yet. The cheap stuff I can't get any due to "plant maintence". Bout out of modified DDG so I think Ill get a few bags of dry DDG to get by on. If I use liquid Im just going to put out X ammount of gallons per day. Proably plug the drain holes in a steel feed bunk. That way everybody has good access, and if I put out a days ration shouldn't over consume.

My origonal plan in Jan was to calve and split. They are Herefords. Seen one starting a cancer eye and hauled her to plant Monday. She weighed live 1170 and dressed out @ 525# still got $806 for her. I really didn't think they would dress out that much. So thats why I thought if I could put on some weight (not pillsbury dough boy) maybe maintain to slightly gain and raise 2/3 of a calf. Get calves big enough to wean easily and then dump the cows. Baby calves are running anywhere from $150-400. Seams like that top is very few though. Thats why I thought go this route and then I can run calves on there own and sell in the winter with the rest. If I just maintain the cows and get extra out of the calves is more what Im looking at than getting the cows rolly polly fat. What Im wanting to do is streaching it enough, let alone trying to fatten a cow and raise a calf!

Interesting comments.

 

[TexasBred]

My cattle don't eat it at all . I won't put it out anymore . I tried the recommended way and feed it year round . Started in august like the dealer told me to and fed it through one winter . Was pretty expensive . The cows I had a problem with were some poor butcher cows I picked up cheap to fattin up on a winter pasture to resale in the summer .

Cattle on good winter pasture like wheat or rye shouldn't need any additional supplementation. In fact probably only a couple hours a day on that pasture would meet their protein needs and then move them out and make hay available. Never plan on liquid feed putting weight on a cow although some of the higher fat products would have higher energy at least giving "hope" for gain.

 

[dimestorecowboy]

They weren't on the pasture yet. I fully understand how winter pasture works . I used to run between 150 and 250, short and solids / broken mouth cows a winter . that particular time I planted late and was haying.