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<blockquote data-quote="Lucky_P" data-source="post: 1830736" data-attributes="member: 12607"><p>Protein tubs are, perhaps, the most expensive protein supplement you can spend your money on... but they are 'easy' to feed. </p><p></p><p>If you're not testing your hay, you have no idea what level of nutrition it's providing. </p><p>If Crude Protein is less than 7%, there's not enough N available for the rumen microherd to break it down... so the cows fill up on that indigestible residue, and it just sits there, undigested; dry matter intake decreases, as it takes longer for rumen contents to move through... the cows have to start catabolizing body fat and protein stores. </p><p>I've seen - during far too many winters - cows essentially starving to death with a rumen full of 2-3%CP hay... They have big, distended abdomens, and if the producers are not really LOOKING at the cows, they think they're OK... but they come to necropsy with a BCS of 2-3, no body fat stores, but a rumen full of crappy hay. </p><p>Back in 2013-2014, a rumor was going around here that there was some sort of 'pathogen in the hay'... no pathogen... there just was insufficient feed value in what was being fed... thus high morbidity/mortality rates in adult cattle and calves. </p><p>Last guy we bought hay from was all excited over the ADF/NDF values on his hay... but the 4% CP meant we had to feed twice as much DDG as usual, especially for our lactating cows. </p><p></p><p>I can't imagine what it would have cost us if we'd been buying protein tubs to make up the difference, vs $120/Ton DDG (Wow! It's at $218/T now!), with 28% CP/5%Fat/8%Fiber).</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lucky_P, post: 1830736, member: 12607"] Protein tubs are, perhaps, the most expensive protein supplement you can spend your money on... but they are 'easy' to feed. If you're not testing your hay, you have no idea what level of nutrition it's providing. If Crude Protein is less than 7%, there's not enough N available for the rumen microherd to break it down... so the cows fill up on that indigestible residue, and it just sits there, undigested; dry matter intake decreases, as it takes longer for rumen contents to move through... the cows have to start catabolizing body fat and protein stores. I've seen - during far too many winters - cows essentially starving to death with a rumen full of 2-3%CP hay... They have big, distended abdomens, and if the producers are not really LOOKING at the cows, they think they're OK... but they come to necropsy with a BCS of 2-3, no body fat stores, but a rumen full of crappy hay. Back in 2013-2014, a rumor was going around here that there was some sort of 'pathogen in the hay'... no pathogen... there just was insufficient feed value in what was being fed... thus high morbidity/mortality rates in adult cattle and calves. Last guy we bought hay from was all excited over the ADF/NDF values on his hay... but the 4% CP meant we had to feed twice as much DDG as usual, especially for our lactating cows. I can't imagine what it would have cost us if we'd been buying protein tubs to make up the difference, vs $120/Ton DDG (Wow! It's at $218/T now!), with 28% CP/5%Fat/8%Fiber). [/QUOTE]
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