feeding bread to cows?

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> can you feed a cow bread ,or will
> it hurt them? Sure you can feed anything. Will it hurt them depends. Most of the feed late in pregnecy gos to the calf. So if they have a ahrd time calfing this could only make it worse. If they have plenty of grass to eat I wouldn't. If you have to feed them anything make it hay. After they calf and look really bad(kill over any time) you might feed some range cubes.

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i can get a truck load of bread from a bakery for $10. not moldy , just like,bags that have holes in them & they can't sell.
 
> i can get a truck load of bread
> from a bakery for $10. not moldy ,
> just like,bags that have holes in
> them & they can't sell.

I was reading something here a while back about feeding bread and day old bakery products to cattle. Sounds like it should be okay -- nothing in there that would hurt them, just more processed than what they would normally eat. It would replace a part of the grain ration, and should be introduced gradually to reduce the chances of digestive upset.

Ann B

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<A HREF="http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/98/8.13.98/bread_cow.html" TARGET="_blank">http://www.news.cornell.edu/Chronicle/98/8.13.98/bread_cow.html</A>

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Might feed the bread to hogs.... I would pass on other livestock.

Too much grain, bread, or whatever without adequte hay/grass roughage "might" lead to constipation.... Ever tried to give an enema to a livestock critter? LOL.

Feeding cheap, easily available "food" items to one's livestock sounds ok; however, remember what they were designed to eat under normal conditions and what their gut is designed to process. We feed QUALITY hay, grass, and occasional supplements to our registered cattle--it's only "costing" us about $25 to $40 a month per head, depending on the season. As a result, they always look "darn good" in conformation, hair coat, and attitude.... Something to think about, folks.

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"..it's only "costing" us about $25 to $40 a month per head.."

LOL. Thanks for the laugh, Bill.
 
Please explain that comment Frankie.

---------------

> LOL. Thanks for the laugh, Bill.
 
Do the math. That comes out to somewhere between $300 - $480 per year just on feed. Add in land, equipment, and other costs. Then subtract that from a calf that brings about $550 and there's your profit. This does not count any death loss or other things that would affect the gross income.
 
FYI, I currently have my cows on "quality" canary grass that they wouldn't eat this summer, then they will spend some time on "quality" bean stubble, and corn stalks. I will feed some silage, but I sold all my good hay to dairy and horse people, and bought back hay that wasn't good enough for either of those. I live in MN where we only get about 4 months of good pasture and I still will put less than $150 in my cows for the year. No, people don't stop and say how pretty they look, and they wouldn't win any shows, but they produce nice calves and breed back on time.
 
I'm sorry, that was a rude post. I should have explained. I used the same math that Craig did. Commercial cattlemen need to find the most efficient way to feed their cattle if they expect to stay in business. Alternative foods work for a lot of people.

> Please explain that comment
> Frankie.

> ---------------
 
The math belongs to Chris, not me, but I'll stand by the numbers just the same. For those who might have started reading the board lately, you will notice there are basically four type of folks who post here:

1) Producers who attempt to make a profit off their calf crop

2) Breeder/seedstock operators who attempt to sell their animals to producers for a premium

3) Hobbyists and people running specialty breeds who attempt to at least get a tax deduction for something they enjoy (no insult implied)

4) And then there are those who claim to be #1 or #2 but were born with a burr under their saddle. Either that or they're "all hat and no cattle" and attempt to sound like a big shot on the boards by talking down to folks.

Some of the comments posted here will apply to 1 – 3, some of the comments are made from a single point of view. It's what keeps it all interesting.

Craig-TX
 
Chris & Craig, just not my day, I guess. I'll try to do better...

> The math belongs to Chris, not me,
> but I'll stand by the numbers just
> the same. For those who might have
> started reading the board lately,
> you will notice there are
> basically four type of folks who
> post here:

> 1) Producers who attempt to make a
> profit off their calf crop

> 2) Breeder/seedstock operators who
> attempt to sell their animals to
> producers for a premium

> 3) Hobbyists and people running
> specialty breeds who attempt to at
> least get a tax deduction for
> something they enjoy (no insult
> implied)

> 4) And then there are those who
> claim to be #1 or #2 but were born
> with a burr under their saddle.
> Either that or they're "all hat
> and no cattle" and attempt to
> sound like a big shot on the
> boards by talking down to folks.

> Some of the comments posted here
> will apply to 1 – 3, some of the
> comments are made from a single
> point of view. It's what keeps it
> all interesting.

> Craig-TX
 
Craig -- that was a very good summation of the folks that frequent this board!
 
We did the math...lol. I'll probably get some "hits" on this reply...:)

Our land and equipment is paid for. We haven't had any sick or dead animals. Every cow has calved every year. Our calf prices start at $800 when they hit the ground. All animals are registered stock. Our average yearling heifer or bull is probably around $1,500. Some are in the $1,500 to $4,000 range before they are 2 years old. And, we DO sell at these prices. P.S. We raised Longhorns....

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Thanks Craig! You said it well. I'll add couple of more categories: [1] People who love animals and want one or two "pets" around. [2] Those that want a pasture ornament. :)



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> can you feed a cow bread ,or will
> it hurt them?

I fed bread to cows and calves one winter. The calves did great on it. After feeding to the cows for three days they started acting sick . they were better two days after I quit feeding it. In response to all the jokes about the cost, I fed bread for about 1/10 the cost of cubes. In Tulsa there was a bread store that took all the bread pulled off the stores shelves. They sold what they could at half price. I bought the stuff that they couldn't sell at $20 a stock trailer full. Thats about $15/ton. It was a pain in the butt to mess with and it will mold if you hold it to long.

lunker



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Bill,

Sorry for the last couple posts taking a shot at you. I was just having one of those days. I'm guessing you didn't lose any sleep over it, but none the less, I apologize. Sorry it took so long, but I haven't been online for a while.
 

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