Feed Question

[TerraceRidge]

Hi, everyone!

I do a lot of reading on these forums, but I don't post very much. I have a question about feed. I have a chance to buy some feed from a farmer about an hour away from me who mills his own feed (I don't have any feed mills close by). His feed consists of ground corn, oats, and cottonseed, with some molasses, calcium, and other minerals mixed in. He says the protein should be at least 16-18 percent. He is charging $30 per 55 gallon drum, or $12 per hundred pound sack, and I have to supply the containers either way. He says that three sacks fill up a drum. I am thinking, however, that a sack of this feed won't weigh a full hundred pounds. I would like to use this feed to supplement some calves and yearlings that I am raising to put the freezer. I am looking at feeding maybe 6 pounds per head per day plus free choice hay to my 900 pound animals to get some extra gain. Does this feed sound good, and does it seem like a reasonable deal to you all?

 

[Angus Cowman]

6lbs pr hd pr day is a little light to finsh one with in my opinion usually the last 30 to 45 days we fed around a 15 lbs pr day pr hd

 

[TexasBred]

Probably nothing to worry about but not knowing how accurately he measures the various ingredients and the fact that it comes with no real guarantee I wouldn't touch it at any price. In Texas it's actually illegal to mix and sell feed like that. Just my opinion. :2cents:

 

[TerraceRidge]

Texas Bred, that does bother me, too. That is the same feed he feeds his own cows, though, so that makes me feel a little better. Feed is really high in my area (the local co-op, Southern States, is selling whole corn for $8 per 50lbs). I picked up 7600 lbs of whole cottonseed in October at a gin for $210 per ton, but I had to bag it all myself. You can get feed for $250 per ton all day long here, but it's got so much ground hay and roughage in it that it is 20-22% fiber and 13% protein, and I don't see any real point in feeding that.

 

[Bigfoot]

IMHO, no commercially prepared feed in a 50 pound sack is economical enough to justify feeding it. I also wouldn't buy his "homebrew". That kind of leaves you in a pickle. Surely there is a bulk service that will come to you. Ask at the stockyard you sell at. Somebody is gettin feed from somewhere.

 

[turklilley]

That is cheap feed, and it sounds good to me. I have fed the same mix for 10 years except I use barley instead of cottonseed. My protein is not as high. Feed mills around here get $22 per cwt for steer feed.

 

[TexasBred]

That is cheap feed, and it sounds good to me. I have fed the same mix for 10 years except I use barley instead of cottonseed. My protein is not as high. Feed mills around here get $22 per cwt for steer feed.

BUT you mix your own and not depending on someone else. Next load may be considerably different and you'd never know until you're cattle started showing it.

 

[chippie]

Does he raise all of the grain he uses?
I wanted to add... years ago a friend bought feed like this. Turned out the corn the guy used included the cobs. The bargain price was not such a bargain in the end.

 

[Waterway65]

He is offering good ingredients but you need to verify his reliability yourself. I also think you should rexamine your ration needs for the purpose for these cattle(are you trying to grow them or finish them). Also buying in bulk is far better as a rule price wise even if it is a wagon or pickup. Bagging adds to your cost. Mel

 

[stocky]

I feed 14-16 percent feed that is mixed and bagged. It is dried distillers grains, corn, stocker pellets. It runs 9 gallons to the 50 lbs, so that would make it about 54 gallons for 300 lbs, so I would say his 55 gallon drums are real close to the 300 lbs. For 10 dollars per hundred in drums, that is alot cheaper than you can do anywhere else, I am sure. Do you know the guy? Is he trustworthy? If it is the same grain he feeds his cattle, I would sure give it a try and see what it looks like and how it goes with the feed. Especially since it does not seem like you have any other options except real expensive feed in your area.

 

[TerraceRidge]

I went ahead and picked up 20 bags of his feed the other day, and they weighed out right at 100 lbs each. I sent off a sample today to have it tested and I will post back with the results when they get back to me. I figured it couldn't hurt to pick up a little and see if it is any good.

 

[James T]

Testing is smart and the deal may work out well for you. Cottonseed is popular down here for protein and have met a couple of breeders who use it in their own custom mix.

 

[TerraceRidge]

Ok, so I kept in touch with the man who mixes his own feed, and he said that he was out of cottonseed, so he has been mixing corn and oats 50/50. I went ahead and bought a ton of it since I have some cottonseed myself that I can mix it with. I have been mixing about 50% cottonseed and 50% his feed and giving my feeder calves about 1% of their bodyweight. I just have 7 calves right now that I am selling to some folks around here. They are interested in a more "natural" product, so that's why I am leaving them on pasture and just supplementing grain. My largest calves are pushing 1000 lbs right now, and my smaller ones are about 700 lbs. His feed tested about 9.5% protein, 78% TDN, 19% NDF, 8% ADF, and almost 5% fat. I'm figuring the cottonseed will fill out the protein and also add a lot more energy as well. What kind if gain do y'all think I can get out of this ration if they are getting free choice bermuda hay (about 55% TDN) and pasture when it comes in this spring? Thanks, everyone!

 

[TexasBred]

Ok, so I kept in touch with the man who mixes his own feed, and he said that he was out of cottonseed, so he has been mixing corn and oats 50/50. I went ahead and bought a ton of it since I have some cottonseed myself that I can mix it with. I have been mixing about 50% cottonseed and 50% his feed and giving my feeder calves about 1% of their bodyweight. I just have 7 calves right now that I am selling to some folks around here. They are interested in a more "natural" product, so that's why I am leaving them on pasture and just supplementing grain. My largest calves are pushing 1000 lbs right now, and my smaller ones are about 700 lbs. His feed tested about 9.5% protein, 78% TDN, 19% NDF, 8% ADF, and almost 5% fat. I'm figuring the cottonseed will fill out the protein and also add a lot more energy as well. What kind if gain do y'all think I can get out of this ration if they are getting free choice bermuda hay (about 55% TDN) and pasture when it comes in this spring? Thanks, everyone!

Looks like the protein was barely half what he thought it was. That would be scary.

 

[TerraceRidge]

Ok, so I kept in touch with the man who mixes his own feed, and he said that he was out of cottonseed, so he has been mixing corn and oats 50/50. I went ahead and bought a ton of it since I have some cottonseed myself that I can mix it with. I have been mixing about 50% cottonseed and 50% his feed and giving my feeder calves about 1% of their bodyweight. I just have 7 calves right now that I am selling to some folks around here. They are interested in a more "natural" product, so that's why I am leaving them on pasture and just supplementing grain. My largest calves are pushing 1000 lbs right now, and my smaller ones are about 700 lbs. His feed tested about 9.5% protein, 78% TDN, 19% NDF, 8% ADF, and almost 5% fat. I'm figuring the cottonseed will fill out the protein and also add a lot more energy as well. What kind if gain do y'all think I can get out of this ration if they are getting free choice bermuda hay (about 55% TDN) and pasture when it comes in this spring? Thanks, everyone!

Looks like the protein was barely half what he thought it was. That would be scary.

That's true, but at least I know the reason for it (he ran out of cottonseed). Why he didn't budget it better to make it last longer, I don't know. He does raise all the grain he mixes, by the way. The protein by itself doesn't bother me very much right now, simply because I have 6000+ lbs of cottonseed that I got last fall that I can mix with it myself. If I buy any more feed from him in the future, I know I'll have to be wary about consistency for sure.