M5farm":3kllwavx said:
snake67":3kllwavx said:
Bigfoot":3kllwavx said:
IMHO there are cheaper sources of protein than a tub.
Hear! Hear!
In fact I personally think of them as a waste of money - or a purchase by those who have too much money to worry about feeding alternative sources!
Bez
has anyone penciled out the cost with alternative sources( equipment needed, storage facilities, feed troughs, time investment etc!) v/s the ready to feed protein tubs.
Here is what we do.
I do it all with hay and a 400 buck bin for some small grains.
Feed everything on the ground or on the snow
Been doing it for 30 years with no probs.
What works for some does not work for all - but any hay that tests out over 8% - 11% means you do not have to buy grains at all in my mind.
In fact here is our usual feed plan for cattle.
First trimester - hay - no grain - free choice mineral - hay = anything that tests at 8% and below
Second trimester - hay - no grain - free choice mineral - hay = anything that tests 9-11%
Third trimester and first three months of calf sucking - only if no grass - hay that tests above 11% and corn fines (bin scrapings) from the neighbours corn drier plus the ever present mineral on free choice.
Once they hit pasture they are cut off of hay and corn fines and have only mineral available.
If a cow cannot thrive on this and raise a calf I do not want her - I kick her sorry asss down the road and all the babies that are related to her. Even if she is pretty, or friendly, or a great mother or the kids love her or the wife loves her - they are a commodity to make the farm profitable.
If I have to spend any money to supplement - then there had better be a darned good reason for it. 40 below weather - a week of wet weather and cold nights - heavy wind chills - all constitute a reason for us to up the corn (energy) part of the feed.
Otherwise - get out there Bossy and do your job or take the one way trip to the sale barn.
We now have a small herd that can live on straight hay and make us a dollar - and they live outside in the bush - there is no man made shelter for them.
It can be done - and sometimes when I read things on this site I think it is almost a pack mentality - if you are not "feeding" something then you need to go and buy it to be able to say "I am feeding XXX supplement".
So - to answer your question - in my mind - we personally have never had a need to pencil out infrastructure as there is no need for most of that equipment you mentioned.
The only feed troughs I have on the place consisted of one 16 foot x 24 indiameter plastic pipe that I cut into 4 pieces lengthwise. That sits on the ground and is the sheep trough - when we use it we tip them over and line them up and drop a bit of grain in them - 64 feet long - but no stand - I just sit them on the ground - total cost was about 40 bucks I think and it is at least ten years old now.
The cow business is an interesting game. It makes you want to spend money because you think you need to - that moose in the bush and that deer in the bush does just fine without all those fancy things.
A cow can do it as well.
The biggest change is the owner - who has to think differently than the "pack" if you truly want to make a dollar.
Got to run
Best to all
Bez