How we've handled the droughts

[cowgirl8]

We've managed to keep most of our cows throughout this drought. Here are some of the extremes we've gone through to do this.
We managed to find hay no one could cut. This is Switch grass. Some was over 8 ft tall. Pretty unpalatable for cows to eat unless you do this. We were prouder than heck to have all this hay in our lot at that time. People were paying over 125 for a crap bale of hay. Most people around us sold out. We paid around 13 dollars a bale plus what it cost us to bale it.

We bought a hammermill, tub grinder, and a mixer wagon. We ran the hay through the tub grinder first, then through the hammer mill. We mixed with chicken litter in the mixer wagon and fed in troughs. It was a lot of work, specially when temps were over 100..I think our high in 2011 was around 115.
We found all this equipment here and there. Before the drought we had no idea this equipment existed.



Couldnt find a picture of the hammermill. I call it the Gobstoper because it looks like the machine on Willy Wonka, its orange and blue. Bought it off craigslist. Its a 1980 model and was used lightly and had been sitting in a barn for over 30 years. It was virtually new.

 

[cowgirl8]

Note the grass in the background. There is one green patch where our water hose leaked water. But the rest i remember was baked...so sad. Anywho, here is the gobstoper. Some of you guys may be familiar with this machine. Its not common where we live. Paid 1000 for it and hauled it through N Dallas during rush hour. 121 was the best route and we were lucky to get through there with our lives. Could only pull it 30 mph. It was the longest drive ever in my life. On original 30 yr old tires. Scary scary, but we were determined to keep our herd..

 

[inyati13]

Thanks for that description and pictures. I learned a lot about hammermills in the coal business. We had hammermills that were as big as a volkswagon bug all the way down to one the size of a suitcase for preparing coal samples. The big hammermill was on the belt line that coal went through in preparation for being tippled.

I admire innovation and planning. You did great! My neighbor tells me there was a drought in Kentucky many years ago. There was no pasture and hay was too expensive to economically feed, he sold his entire herd and started over after the drought. I have not prepared for anything like that. I would have a hard time selling my cows!

Are you in Texas? I assume so based on your mention of Dallas unless you were out of state. What breed of cows are you running?
I notice your feeder has a brand. Is that your brand or are they commercially made? I have some on a smaller scale I made using lumber.

 

[cowgirl8]

We had no feeders either, but we do have a sawmill. Yes thats our brand. We had to make troughs to feed our concoction. In 2011 we culled heavily and sold calves at around 4 months. Took a big big hit on our calf sales that year. Most only brought 400 ish bucks. No one wanted to buy because feed was so expensive and there were no pastures left.

 

[Limomike]

cowgirl.. now thats what I call ingenuity at its finest! Plus someone who really loves the cattle business and did what they could to stay in it during times of trouble. Good job!

 

[cowgirl8]

Oh, and yes in NE Texas..We run cross bred beef cattle, although have been leaning towards angus. Been thinking about getting a Beefmaster bull though, just to change it up a bit..
My husband and i are pretty crafty. We make a great pair...

 

[TexasBred]

Good for you. I was all for you til you said you were feeding "chicken shyt". :yuck: That would have turned me off much quicker than Ralgro Implants.

 

[cowgirl8]

I'm beginning to think that you're not going to like anything I have to say. BTW that chicken stuff smells like chocolate. Cows love it and do well. We keep it on hand now in a barn. It's cured and very nutritious. I know a lot of breeders, big breeders who feed it. Figured if it was good enough for their high priced registered stock, it's good enough for us. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

Good for you. I was all for you til you said you were feeding "chicken shyt". :yuck: That would have turned me off much quicker than Ralgro Implants.

OK TB, being the nutrition guru, tell me how chicken poop is good for cows, especially when mixed with switchgrass? What kind of protein are they getting with that? Is there health issues related with feeding crap back to animals? I am willing and wanting to learn something new here..

 

[Kingfisher]

http://extension.missouri.edu/p/G2077

 

[cowgirl8]

All of this can be found online. The litter is high in protein. It's taken from where the grain is dropped. You also have to cure it. I don't know all the details on hand. But you can find out by doing a search. The switchgrass is a great hay it's just very hard to eat. You can see how finely we milled it in the picture where the cows are eating. If you put the bale out like most hay they would pick over most. Also the grass we cut hadn't been cut in years so it wasn't the best of condition for hay. But it sure was a lot better than paying over 100 per bale. We feed on a regular year over 1250 - 1100 pound hay. Do the math. Lol. Plus there was no grass anywhere past May. We usually start feeding hay in November and 2011 started feeding in may.

 

[Fire Sweep Ranch]

So do your cure the litter yourself or buy it cured? The article above stated you needed another energy source, like corn, to mix with it. Are you doing that? Are you just mixing the grass and litter and nothing else? And the cows eat it? I guess chicken litter is tasty?
Out here, it is hard to find litter. People have to be on a waiting list just to get it put on their fields!

 

[TexasBred]

I'm beginning to think that you're not going to like anything I have to say. BTW that chicken stuff smells like chocolate. Cows love it and do well. We keep it on hand now in a barn. It's cured and very nutritious. I know a lot of breeders, big breeders who feed it. Figured if it was good enough for their high priced registered stock, it's good enough for us. Don't knock it till you've tried it.

cowgirl, make a note. Everyone is not going to agree with everything you say all the time. Don't take it personal. ;-) Doesn't matter what it smells like....chicken shyt is still chicken shyt and yes it is approved for use in cattle in many states. Still doesn't make me have to feed it or like it.

 

[highgrit]

She doesn't like Implants on cows. But feeds chicken sh|t that's full of steroids and all other kinds of antibiotics and different hormones. Besides that y'all did a fine job at keeping your herd. And now with the high prices your decision was a very wise one.

 

[M5farm]

cowgirl- we have worn out more of those feedmills than I can remember. The key to a long life if KEEP IT DRY and empty. Grind what your going to need and don't let the feed set in it for weeks at a time it is hard on the gear box for the bin auger that circulates and mixes the feed. They are easy to repair but you will learn new cusswords taking it off and putting it back on. Grease it every day and watch the wear on the spider gears and keep the safety shields in place . always empty the auger before putting it in the cradle. and NEVER GET ON TOP AND TRY AND UNCHOKE IT WITH A ROD/ STICK WITH IT RUNNING . These are very Dangerous Machines and I have seen the damage they can cause.

 

[cowgirl8]

cowgirl, make a note. Everyone is not going to agree with everything you say all the time. Don't take it personal. ;-)

Wished some people :roll: took their own suggestions... ;-)

 

[cowgirl8]

So do your cure the litter yourself or buy it cured? The article above stated you needed another energy source, like corn, to mix with it. Are you doing that? Are you just mixing the grass and litter and nothing else? And the cows eat it? I guess chicken litter is tasty?
Out here, it is hard to find litter. People have to be on a waiting list just to get it put on their fields!

We have a curing barn, pretty far from the house..lol...At first it doesnt smell good at all, but if i blindfold any of you and drove you by it you'd ask who has the chocolate. The last bit we got was already cured. But usually we get it sometime during the summer so that by the time we need it its cured. Cows, once they've been fed it, will eat it straight. It just depends on how we feed it and who to but most times we feed it straight. Doing what we did with all that equipment was only temporary to get us through with as many cows as we could hold onto...Typically, we only feed hay. But, if its really cold and wet, we'll give them some troughs full, but only if its going to be dry. You cant feed it in the rain unless you feed in a barn.
If we fertilize with chicken litter, the cows will lick the ground. If it gets really wet it turns back into poop. We will feed our weanlings litter mixed with creep. We do not feed cows the last month of gestation. You risk the chance of the calf being bigger than normal. It last 5 years if stored in a dry place. We are still drought scared so we now keep the barn full. I'd rather have it than not. Feed here is over 10 dollars a 50lb bag. If you look at the chicken and how we use them, why not feed the poop to cows, as my son in law puts it, we eat the chickens period...........i'll never look at an egg the same again. :shock:

 

[cowgirl8]

cowgirl- we have worn out more of those feedmills than I can remember. The key to a long life if KEEP IT DRY and empty. Grind what your going to need and don't let the feed set in it for weeks at a time it is hard on the gear box for the bin auger that circulates and mixes the feed. They are easy to repair but you will learn new cusswords taking it off and putting it back on. Grease it every day and watch the wear on the spider gears and keep the safety shields in place . always empty the auger before putting it in the cradle. and NEVER GET ON TOP AND TRY AND UNCHOKE IT WITH A ROD/ STICK WITH IT RUNNING . These are very Dangerous Machines and I have seen the damage they can cause.

It had 30yr old feed in it..lol..Luckily it was in west texas all those years. There was some rotting and my husband is incredible at fixing things. I believe there is nothing he cant fix. There was a tad of welding patch work he had to do on it. The auger had been bent a little. They learned the hard way about not leaving things in it even for a few days. Same goes with the mixer wagon. Every piece of that equipment is so dangerous. My husband and son are firemen and see so many tragic machinery accidents. Both run big stuff, we also have logging equipment.

 

[TexasBred]

cowgirl, make a note. Everyone is not going to agree with everything you say all the time. Don't take it personal. ;-)

Wished some people :roll: took their own suggestions... ;-)

I certainly don't expect everyone to agree with me .... I make suggestions, not preach the gospel. Final decision is always yours. I could disagree with about 4 things in your last post that are contradictory or just blatantly wrong but will "be nice".

 

[cowgirl8]

I could disagree with about 4 things in your last post that are contradictory or just blatantly wrong but will "be nice".

Humor me