Mix 30, Part II

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Well, the jury is still out on the Mix 30 here. They are eating it so fast. I see them walking to the Mix 30 tank, lick it a while, then go to the water tank. Then the second string comes in to lick. When the first string drinks their fill of water, they return back to the tank and run the second string off, which goes to the water trough. Seems this cycle goes on longer than it needs to. Seems 1 bull, 9 cows and 4 calves shouldn't be emptying a 100 gallon tank in a little over a week. The calves are about to be weaned. These cattle have good hay and grass and they are fat and sassy.
Do I need to move this feeder to the other end of the pasture away from the water source?
 
Chuckie, I didn't keep up with the Mix30 part I so please forgive me...
Did you have them on a good mineral progran before putting out the mix30? How long have you been using it?
 
certherbeef, I keep Moorman's and Co-op loose salt/minerals out year round. They have always been on it. Seems all the feeders at the moment have a mixture of both. I never let the barrels run out. These suckers are going to have to slow down. I can see cattle that have no grass standing in a dry lot eating a lot of it, but not those with many acres of grass and bermuda/clover or millet hay along with the minerals on the side.
 
I wonder if this is a sign of something missing or are they just eating it in competition? I do have a few of those jealous cows that want to stand and butt anyone who looks like they might want a taste.
 
your cows are eating the fire out of the mix 30.i doubt if they will slow their eating down.that puts a fire in their belly.making them clean the pasture an eat hay.scott
 
I tried liquid feed a few years ago. 150 gallon tanks. 90 pairs went thru near 150 gallon in 2 days. That went on for 2 weeks. Then it slowed pretty fast. The tank sat probably 200 yards from the water source. I hated the stuff. The cattle held their condition thru the winter but I didn't like what it did to my pocket book.

They should back off it after a while. How long you been feeding?
 
Chuckie":3vq8pnus said:
Do I need to move this feeder to the other end of the pasture away from the water source?

http://cattletoday.com/forum/viewtopic. ... 206#127206

Texan":3vq8pnus said:
I've had different sets of cows that consumed from a quarter pound to three pounds per day with lick tanks. Just move the tank in relation to hay and water to get consumption where you want it. I start mine out where they have to walk well out of their way to get to it. Then move it closer to hay or water until consumption is right for you.
 
Thanks Texan! I knew that I read that somewhere, and I have gone through the slow searches my A model computer would bring up. So very slow.
Big Bull, I do believe you when you say it builds a fire in their belly. But I am about to get an extinguisher and tell them to open wide!!! Maybe they will slow down when I use the method Texan speaks of. I may have to move the tank over in the next county.
Certherbeef, I have been feeding it about a month and a half. I am going to move the liquid feed as far as I can get it from the places where they hang out. Either that or have Jenny Craig stand over the tank with a sledge hammer.
 
to all that are using mix30 wich cost less mix30 or protein tubs i have been using the crystal lick protien block thinking of trying mix30 wanting to see what yaw think is the better of the two. going to supplement because hay is not all that great and the cows are raising calves. the cows give lots of
milk.
i was reading on the mix30 and it says some people mix it in there feed. do any of you do this or tried it before.
 
The Mix30 is cheaper by far than any protein tub I've ever seen. That is, it's cheaper based on weight. You'll have to figure it based on unit of protein in each for a real comparison of any value. Maybe Crowder will weigh in on the Crystalix tubs. He uses them and has me convinced to give them a try if I ever decide to go with a tub.

I've never mixed any liquid with any other feed. Just used it free choice with hay. If your hay is really of a poor quality, I think I'd look into using a natural protein supplement that will also provide more supplemental energy. My experience is that even though you might can meet a cow's protein requirements through NPN supplements, she can still be energy deficient if all she has is low quality hay.
 
Texan has heard me preach this before but for some of you folks with access to DDG , nothing beats it for the money. It is fairly cheap but with exceptional protein, fat , and energy It is also a low starch mostly bypass protein. This is the first year I tried it but I'll never go back to corn or Crystalix. I have never tried liquid feed but can't imagine it is as cost effective. I used it this summer during a drought to supplement my tough grass. Never have I used anything that changed the BCS on cows during a drought with out breaking the bank. I only fed a few pounds per head per day with a remarkable change in my opinion. If you can get it and don't have so many cows that trough feeding is a problem then I think it's the way to go.
 
Texan":1zoqhqzv said:
The Mix30 is cheaper by far than any protein tub I've ever seen. That is, it's cheaper based on weight. You'll have to figure it based on unit of protein in each for a real comparison of any value. Maybe Crowder will weigh in on the Crystalix tubs. He uses them and has me convinced to give them a try if I ever decide to go with a tub.

I've never mixed any liquid with any other feed. Just used it free choice with hay. If your hay is really of a poor quality, I think I'd look into using a natural protein supplement that will also provide more supplemental energy. My experience is that even though you might can meet a cow's protein requirements through NPN supplements, she can still be energy deficient if all she has is low quality hay.
I have never used liquid feeds, but am an advocate for Tubs. I'm feeding 25% Sweetlix Tubs, and just put the first ones out a few days ago. They are a lot cheaper than Crystalyx, but are 200lb. tubs instead of 250lb.They retail for about 35-38.00 ea.I'm going to really watch the consumption rates, and see where we stand in 30 days. BTW, the ingredient labels are darn near dittos of each other.
 
I still can't make a call on the Mix 30 yet. I still have to try another method of cutting it back. I am going to try Texan's method of moving it away afrom their loafing area, mineral barrels and feed bunks. I will move them this week so that when they get enough of the salty taste, they won't walk back across the pasture to it. Hopefully they will hang out with the hay by the water.
If this doesn't seem to change the binge eaters, I will go to corn gluten. But I still need to ty one more time to make sure the large consumption isn't something I am causing.
 
Chuckie,

Don't give up on the liquid feed yet. Texan is exactly correct, if you move it away from their loafing area the consumption will go down. Also, keep it away from their watering hole. Keep in mind the liquid feed will "force" them to hustle to get enough roughage. So if they don't have plenty of good quality roughage they will go after lower quality stuff. Sometimes this is desireable, sometimes not. I've seen cows clean a field full of palmettos that were fed liquid feed and didn't have enough hay. Suprisingly they maintained good body condition, but I wouldn't advocate palmettos as a desirable forage crop.

CJ
 
Bullred, I haven't given up yet. I will give it a while longer.
We purchased some cattle that were on a pasture that played out. They looked bad. Boney is an understatement. We started feeding some ground feed and put out the Mix 30. They also are getting hay and pasture. I think the pasture got bit back pretty hard this weekend with a low temp, but they have all the hay they can eat. The cattle are really putting on the weight and their coats look so much better. I started to take a picture of them, but I didn't. They do look so much better.
 
ollie'":2qtc9iv0 said:
Texan has heard me preach this before but for some of you folks with access to DDG , nothing beats it for the money. It is fairly cheap but with exceptional protein, fat , and energy It is also a low starch mostly bypass protein. This is the first year I tried it but I'll never go back to corn or Crystalix. I have never tried liquid feed but can't imagine it is as cost effective. I used it this summer during a drought to supplement my tough grass. Never have I used anything that changed the BCS on cows during a drought with out breaking the bank. I only fed a few pounds per head per day with a remarkable change in my opinion. If you can get it and don't have so many cows that trough feeding is a problem then I think it's the way to go.

Where do you get DDG?
 
DDG is dried distillers grain. It is a co product of ethanol production. It is usually available from most feed stores that are located close to corn production. The further you are from corn the less likely it will be available. Trucking makes the cost uncompetative with other protein away from the corn belt. It is good stuff maynard.
 
is it better to feed by itself or mix it with something. is it better protein then soybean meal. if you do mix what kind of mix. do you mix with corn or soyhulls or what and how much
 
It is a feed like anything else trin and you have to use it to fit the situation. I was only supplementing cows in a drought so I only fed a couple/few lbs per head. I fed it strait. If you were going to feed very much of it you would have to add roughage to the mix to slow the exit down. They will get pretty loose on 4 or 5 lbs. Fed at 2 or 3 lbs they were good on that tough grass. It is perfect buy itself as a suppliment on tough forage like winter grass or drought grass.
 

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