Feed rations

[scvfd_7241]

I have been trying to get a feed ration worked out to get pre mixed to feed some feeders. I came up with these 3 and would like some feed back.

Ration 1 is 20% corn gluten, 20% wheat midds, 10% cotton seed, 50% grass hay
It comes out to be around 66% TDN

Ration 2 is 30% DDG corn, 10% wheat midds, 20% cotton hulls, 40% grass hay

It comes out to be around 63% TDN

Ration 3 is 30% DDG corn, 10% wheat midds, 15% cotton seed, 45% grass hay
It comes out to be 70% TDN

I know there may be variances in quality but trying to get and understanding and a reason to feed. Any discussion is appreciated.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

following - my husband was a nutritionist - he spoke your language - LOL I know enough to be dangerous!

 

[scvfd_7241]

following - my husband was a nutritionist - he spoke your language - LOL I know enough to be dangerous!

I'm trying to learn and understand while I'm building my lot to feed feeders.

 

[simme]

I am responding with very little knowledge. Use at your risk. (Might should be included as a preface to other posts. LOL)
All mixes that you have listed have 40 to 50% grass hay and you mention "getting premixed". Will the hay be premixed? ground? Not sure what you would get with just mixing those ingredients with unground hay - something hard (impossible?) to handle and hard to feed and tend to separate - I would think. Can you find someone that will mix that with hay or will grind the hay and mix it? Will you grind and mix it yourself? Why not feed the hay separately?

Several places around here that mix feed ingredients and sell some variety of mixes - none of which contain hay as far as I know. I think they make use of ingredients available at the time and make adjustments to the mix based on the cost of the ingredients. I am currently feeding a commodity feed with soy hulls, corn gluten pellets, cracked corn, peanut hull pellets, dried distillers grain, cottonseed hulls, soybean meal and molasses. No idea of the proportions or TDN. On pasture and will feed free choice hay soon as the grazing runs short.

 

[scvfd_7241]

I am responding with very little knowledge. Use at your risk. (Might should be included as a preface to other posts. LOL)
All mixes that you have listed have 40 to 50% grass hay and you mention "getting premixed". Will the hay be premixed? ground? Not sure what you would get with just mixing those ingredients with unground hay - something hard (impossible?) to handle and hard to feed and tend to separate - I would think. Can you find someone that will mix that with hay or will grind the hay and mix it? Will you grind and mix it yourself? Why not feed the hay separately?

Several places around here that mix feed ingredients and sell some variety of mixes - none of which contain hay as far as I know. I think they make use of ingredients available at the time and make adjustments to the mix based on the cost of the ingredients. I am currently feeding a commodity feed with soy hulls, corn gluten pellets, cracked corn, peanut hull pellets, dried distillers grain, cottonseed hulls, soybean meal and molasses. No idea of the proportions or TDN. On pasture and will feed free choice hay soon as the grazing runs short.

I'm sorry I forgot about the hay, my plan is to feed the hay free choice, and will feed the other in fence line throughs. I added the hay in the mix to get an idea of the TDN, and hopefully about the amount of hay they will eat, not sure this works this way but that was my thought.

 

[cjmc]

This is what I came up, with premix only-not including grass.

22.5, 54 neg

20 cp, 40 neg,

27 cp, 62neg

Protein is too high in all of them. Need to add corn to dilute Protein & increase energy if finishing cattle.

 

[scvfd_7241]

This is what I came up, with premix only-not including grass.

22.5, 54 neg

20 cp, 40 neg,

27 cp, 62neg

Protein is too high in all of them. Need to add corn to dilute Protein & increase energy if finishing cattle.

This is what I came up, with premix only-not including grass.

22.5, 54 neg

20 cp, 40 neg,

27 cp, 62neg

Protein is too high in all of them. Need to add corn to dilute Protein & increase energy if finishing cattle.

I guess I should have mentioned i an planning to feed 550ish calves to 800- 850ish. So with that said as far as the Protein if free choice grass hay is available would it still be too high, and would there be enough fiber.

 

[cjmc]

I guess I should have mentioned i an planning to feed 550ish calves to 800- 850ish. So with that said as far as the Protein if free choice grass hay is available would it still be too high, and would there be enough fiber.

Grass hay is a really really wide range- so its hard to be exact. Fiber would be fine in all of them. If you are growing them still protein would probably be fine in the two lower ones assuming grass is about 10%. You want protein 13-16%. Energy would be a little lower than ideal in all rations. Most grass is mid 20's Neg, would like to see growing cattle diets mid 40's to low 50's Neg.

 

[scvfd_7241]

Grass hay is a really really wide range- so its hard to be exact. Fiber would be fine in all of them. If you are growing them still protein would probably be fine in the two lower ones assuming grass is about 10%. You want protein 13-16%. Energy would be a little lower than ideal in all rations. Most grass is mid 20's Neg, would like to see growing cattle diets mid 40's to low 50's Neg.

So when I figure a feed mix to feed along with free choice grass hay, I know there is variances in grass hay values, but I should I figure the hay in with the ingredients of the pre mix, or do I forget the hay and figure just the premix.

 

[cjmc]

So when I figure a feed mix to feed along with free choice grass hay, I know there is variances in grass hay values, but I should I figure the hay in with the ingredients of the pre mix, or do I forget the hay and figure just the premix

You want to know the total ration. I must have misread the question‐ i thought you just wanted feedback on the premixes. Regardless of my mistake, really easy math to take my premix protein values & get the ration protein values as dry matter will be similar between the hay & premix.

 

[jerry27150]

i always fed whole corn with free choice 2nd cut hay & free choice minerals