Protein/Mag Tubs VS Loose Minerals

[machslammer]

Tubs I'm feeding have 25%protein plus hay plus grass.. Body scores probably around a five. Got an old cow probably a four with calf. Not been using loose mineral only the tubs. That was my thoughts on maybe changing to assist...?

Five isnt to bad, they should be breeding back even with the calf on them. If what you are doing now isnt working, ie: tubs, then try something else. Even if you put the extra minerals out I wouldnt take away the tub. Five isnt bad, but it really means they are just barely getting enough. If you take away some of the protien they might drop down to fours and that could very easily cause problems.[/quote]

Only thing about my cows with that is.. They don't seem to ever touch the loose minerals when the tubs are out..

Dunno kinda lost now actually.

 

[3waycross]

If your cows are having a problem breeding back before the calf is pulled and you are already using either of the mineral supplements that you listed you should look at adding more protien to their diet. What would you say their body condition score is? Also you could try to creep feed the calves so they wont put so much pressure on the momma.

I expect my cows to breed back within 60 days post partum. I have had several that stuck to AI in 45 days or less but i will tell you they were eating really well.

 

[B&M Farms]

Only thing about my cows with that is.. They don't seem to ever touch the loose minerals when the tubs are out..

They probably won't as long as the tubs are out. Just use one or the other. I use a loose mineral because in my opinion the tubs are an expensive way to feed. Its not uncommon for a cow to get pulled down to a 4 or 5 before weaning a calf but they should build back up prior to dropping another one. If they don't, that may be why they are not breeding back.

Why are you feeding hay year round? My operation is different because the cows are on grass 8 or 9 months out of the year. It would be expensive to put weight on a cow that just weaned a calf on hay alone all year to me.

 

[pappy6]

mach...just now got back online...my cows are on fescue/clover pasture right now and with the rain we have had can not keep up with the grass...we are blessed to other areas of the country...I have not palpated yet but the bull has been after the any of the cows in the last two weeks and they have mostly bred back in 40-45 days I think...will check in 2 weeks and I am talking about Beefmaster cows and bull.

I am currently buying the repro hi-mag because of the cool weather and fescue/clover flush at $19.75 a bag...looking to change to fly control soon and it will be about $23... something I just thought about ...middle Tennessee is somewhat copper deficient so check that your mineral is what your extension agent recommends...I rented some pasture and cows that were not properly given the right mineral and it took 8 months to get them on schedule.

If you are having to feed hay year round you may be overstocked...I run 1 cow/calf pair to 3 acres to allow for dry conditions in July thru early Sept...good luck!!!

 

[sim.-ang.king]

If you have time each day, and feeders why not buy some Soy Meal, and put out salt and mineral.
SBM is $.38 per pound of protein, $410 a ton.(feed pound per head plus free choice mineral, about 6 ounces, $.3475 per head per day)
24% tub is $1 per pound of protein, $48 per 200 pound tub.(2 pounds per head per day plus mineral, $.6225 per head per day)
loose mineral is $.38 a pound
You will save $74 per head for a 270 day feeding period if you fed all the way threw summer around here. That's like get a extra .18 per pound for a 400 pound calf.

 

[TexasBred]

If your cows are having a problem breeding back before the calf is pulled and you are already using either of the mineral supplements that you listed you should look at adding more protien to their diet. What would you say their body condition score is? Also you could try to creep feed the calves so they wont put so much pressure on the momma.

I expect my cows to breed back within 60 days post partum. I have had several that stuck to AI in 45 days or less but i will tell you they were eating really well.

Cattle need a certain amount of protein, however, loss of body condition and lower conception rates are usually the result of some mineral deficiencies but more often than not the result of a low energy diet. Often a few pounds of corn will get better results than a couple of pounds of 47.5% soybean meal, molasses tub or anything else.

 

[machslammer]

I run about 1.25 acre each for 15 cows. I feed them hay year round to make sure they getting enough roughage. If they not eating a lot of hay i know they getting enough on grass, ect.. I don't see my cows everyday, but someone checks on them for me at least once a day. I see them about three times a wk. Often feed them 14% grain when i see them but only about fifty seventy five pounds once a week to keep then gentle. My bull usually eats faster than most of my cows so he gets more naturally. Maybe the cows i bought are my problem and that's why they were sold in first place.

 

[3MileRanch]

How many bulls do you have on those 15 cows? For me that would definitely be at the high end for one bull. We try to run one bull for every ten cows.

Let me ask you though. Is the longer breeding season a problem for you? If not I wouldnt worry about it. We have a year round calving season although most are born in the spring or fall. We are certified natural beef through GAP and get payed a premium when we sell and then again when they are processed. Having a year round breeding season lets us take advantage of higher prices. When the price is up we just round up the ones that are ready to go. I guess you could do this regardless, but the year round season ensures we pretty much allways have a trailer load or so ready for market at any given time.

 

[sim.-ang.king]

How many bulls do you have on those 15 cows? For me that would definitely be at the high end for one bull. We try to run one bull for every ten cows.

Let me ask you though. Is the longer breeding season a problem for you? If not I wouldnt worry about it. We have a year round calving season although most are born in the spring or fall. We are certified natural beef through GAP and get payed a premium when we sell and then again when they are processed. Having a year round breeding season lets us take advantage of higher prices. When the price is up we just round up the ones that are ready to go. I guess you could do this regardless, but the year round season ensures we pretty much allways have a trailer load or so ready for market at any given time.

Natural Beef eh? wish I could find me some natural beef cows. All of mine are made of plutonium, and run on lithium IONs. It gets real interesting at calving time when they split into smaller Isotopes, and you have to watch them to make sure they don't go into a meltdown stage. :lol2: :banana:

 

[machslammer]

How many bulls do you have on those 15 cows? For me that would definitely be at the high end for one bull. We try to run one bull for every ten cows.

Let me ask you though. Is the longer breeding season a problem for you? If not I wouldnt worry about it. We have a year round calving season although most are born in the spring or fall. We are certified natural beef through GAP and get payed a premium when we sell and then again when they are processed. Having a year round breeding season lets us take advantage of higher prices. When the price is up we just round up the ones that are ready to go. I guess you could do this regardless, but the year round season ensures we pretty much allways have a trailer load or so ready for market at any given time.

One bull for year round calving. . The only thing that really bothers me is... I expect a calf a year. And when they are going fifteen sixteen months, i am only getting two calves every three years. That's a yr of feed without anything..other than that i don't mind what part of yr they have them in. Btw, my dad runs 48 cows with one Sim bull. He stays active, but he also is yr round calving

 

[3MileRanch]

How many bulls do you have on those 15 cows? For me that would definitely be at the high end for one bull. We try to run one bull for every ten cows.

Let me ask you though. Is the longer breeding season a problem for you? If not I wouldnt worry about it. We have a year round calving season although most are born in the spring or fall. We are certified natural beef through GAP and get payed a premium when we sell and then again when they are processed. Having a year round breeding season lets us take advantage of higher prices. When the price is up we just round up the ones that are ready to go. I guess you could do this regardless, but the year round season ensures we pretty much allways have a trailer load or so ready for market at any given time.

One bull for year round calving. . The only thing that really bothers me is... I expect a calf a year. And when they are going fifteen sixteen months, i am only getting two calves every three years. That's a yr of feed without anything..other than that i don't mind what part of yr they have them in. Btw, my dad runs 48 cows with one Sim bull. He stays active, but he also is yr round calving

Is it always the same cows that you have to take the calves off before they will breed back? Yeah, one calf every sixteen months is not good at all.

 

[1982vett]

How many bulls do you have on those 15 cows? For me that would definitely be at the high end for one bull. We try to run one bull for every ten cows.

For real?

 

[TexasBred]

How many bulls do you have on those 15 cows? For me that would definitely be at the high end for one bull. We try to run one bull for every ten cows.

Dam do they ahve to walk 5 miles to find a cow?? Why so many bulls. Bet that makes life hard when one cow is in heat and a dozen bulls following her......or are you saying you own 10 cows and one bull???? :lol2: :mrgreen:

 

[3MileRanch]

How many bulls do you have on those 15 cows? For me that would definitely be at the high end for one bull. We try to run one bull for every ten cows.

Dam do they ahve to walk 5 miles to find a cow?? Why so many bulls. Bet that makes life hard when one cow is in heat and a dozen bulls following her......or are you saying you own 10 cows and one bull???? :lol2: :mrgreen:

Nope, we have 100 mommas and 7 bulls, but one bull is being rented out for stud right now. Lucky fella.

We calve year round, but the high bull to calf rate helps to narrow the season down. There are about 65 that are spring calvers and the rest are late summer to fall. So about ten cows in heat per bull. There are enough cows coming into estrus at the same time to keep all the bulls busy. The rest of the time the big boy runs the show and cleans up whatever was missed

 

[TexasBred]

With that many bulls and knowing how bulls are, I don't see how they could help but conceive at first heat unless something is wrong with the cow. Just seems like a bit of overkill to me.

 

[3MR]

With that many bulls and knowing how bulls are, I don't see how they could help but conceive at first heat unless something is wrong with the cow. Just seems like a bit of overkill to me.

Texas bred - If your referring to my post. Yeah, they concieve at first heat unless there is some outside issue. Not all our cows fit into the spring or fall window though and we dont cull them just because of when they calve. For us a good cow priducing a good calf is money in the bank no matter when they do it just as long as they do it on a regular basis.

 

[TexasBred]

With that many bulls and knowing how bulls are, I don't see how they could help but conceive at first heat unless something is wrong with the cow. Just seems like a bit of overkill to me.

Texas bred - If your referring to my post. Yeah, they concieve at first heat unless there is some outside issue. Not all our cows fit into the spring or fall window though and we dont cull them just because of when they calve. For us a good cow priducing a good calf is money in the bank no matter when they do it just as long as they do it on a regular basis.

I agree. Just dont' understand the huge number of bulls you feel are necessary to get the job done. A lot of money on the hoof walking around out there doing nothing but standing in line to be next in the saddle. Now if you were in West Texas on a huge ranch with a low stocking rate I could understand it.

 

[dun]

I agree. Just dont' understand the huge number of bulls you feel are necessary to get the job done. A lot of money on the hoof walking around out there doing nothing but standing in line to be next in the saddle. Now if you were in West Texas on a huge ranch with a low stocking rate I could understand it.

That's about what we ran in the eatern Sierra, carrying capacity was about 1 pair per 300 acres.

 

[3MR]

With that many bulls and knowing how bulls are, I don't see how they could help but conceive at first heat unless something is wrong with the cow. Just seems like a bit of overkill to me.

Texas bred - If your referring to my post. Yeah, they concieve at first heat unless there is some outside issue. Not all our cows fit into the spring or fall window though and we dont cull them just because of when they calve. For us a good cow priducing a good calf is money in the bank no matter when they do it just as long as they do it on a regular basis.

I agree. Just dont' understand the huge number of bulls you feel are necessary to get the job done. A lot of money on the hoof walking around out there doing nothing but standing in line to be next in the saddle. Now if you were in West Texas on a huge ranch with a low stocking rate I could understand it.

Well I guess to each their own. Anyway you slice it its working for us. I dont think one bull for ten head is all that low of a rate per bull.

 

[3MR]

Ok, did some quick research and I guess that is low for the age of my bulls, but its working for us and we have a good demand for our bulls and the calves they sire so I think we will stick with it for at least the time being.