Protein Tubs

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I have to say that I am "surprised" at how many of you feed your cows. I'm always accused of "pampering" my cows because I "show" (oops - that's a bad word) but I do NOT feed my cows. I do feed my replacement heifers from weaning and until they get bred & turned out on grass. And, I do put out "creep" feed to my fall calves from now to March when I wean them.
But, I have to admit, here in NY we do (normally) have great hay, especially since I am able to hire someone that has always put mine up as baleage. So, they don't need grain. I'm not opposed to anyone feeding grain, just can't afford to do that. At 5#/hd/day of wsc to my heifers, I feel like they are eating me out of house & home. :shock:

 

[TexasBred]

Wonder how many times you can find this argument on these boards.....

Correction to previous posting:

Wonder how many times you can find a civil dialogue on the value of using protein tubs relative to the costs associated with feeding grain or other high protein feedstuffs on these boards....

Angus that's part of the problem. There is much more to comparing the two than cost. But I guess that's about all that matters to most folks. In that case I'd strong suggest anyone simply determine the cost per pound irregardless of the levels of crude protein, fat, fiber, or energy and buy what's cheapest. That's the way so many people already buy hay so do supplement purchases the same way. Can't get any more simple than that, no need for an argument or even a discussion.

 

[True Grit Farms]

I have to say that I am "surprised" at how many of you feed your cows. I'm always accused of "pampering" my cows because I "show" (oops - that's a bad word) but I do NOT feed my cows. I do feed my replacement heifers from weaning and until they get bred & turned out on grass. And, I do put out "creep" feed to my fall calves from now to March when I wean them.
But, I have to admit, here in NY we do (normally) have great hay, especially since I am able to hire someone that has always put mine up as baleage. So, they don't need grain. I'm not opposed to anyone feeding grain, just can't afford to do that. At 5#/hd/day of wsc to my heifers, I feel like they are eating me out of house & home. :shock:

What benefits do you get by feeding baleage? The benefits I see of baleage is to the producer, saves time. Here's a very good guide to use for feed values. http://www.ingredients101.com/cottonwhole.htm
WCS cost $150 a ton here and is about the best cattle feed available anywhere.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

The benefit is that we can make hay when we need to. It is rare to get 3 days of sunshine here. So, trying to wait to dry hay ends up waiting until July. Then you have hay like I have this year. My cows are not holding their weight like normal, but they are doing "OK". They will get fat & happy when we get grass.
I'm paying $175 bulk delivered. Oops, just caught you said wcs I said wsc (corn). I sooooo wish I could get wcs. I used to add it to my show feed. Great feed - except cannot feed to bulls, especially growing young bulls.

 

[Ky hills]

I have to say that I am "surprised" at how many of you feed your cows. I'm always accused of "pampering" my cows because I "show" (oops - that's a bad word) but I do NOT feed my cows. I do feed my replacement heifers from weaning and until they get bred & turned out on grass. And, I do put out "creep" feed to my fall calves from now to March when I wean them.
But, I have to admit, here in NY we do (normally) have great hay, especially since I am able to hire someone that has always put mine up as baleage. So, they don't need grain. I'm not opposed to anyone feeding grain, just can't afford to do that. At 5#/hd/day of wsc to my heifers, I feel like they are eating me out of house & home. :shock:

For me supplementing the cows with some feed is a necessity, our hay is mainly lower quality fescue. It does run into money, but it seems like the most effective way to run more cows.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I understand feeding grain when your quality of hay is poor. Just a few pounds of supplement can make a major difference in the herd.

 

[Lucky_P]

We do MIG; graze every inch multiple times over during the growing season. There is no stockpiling. Once it's time to pull the cows in for fall breeding and winter feeding... usually commencing about Thanksgiving... there's no grazing. Period. They're in sacrifice paddocks that are essentially a bare dry lot within a week, and we're providing everything... ~25-27# hay and 5# DDG per cow per day.
Load of DDG(27% protein) I bought last week was $150/T... I don't know what y'all are paying for a 'protein tub', but even at that price, I'll bet the DDG is a better buy for me... and I'm pretty sure that if I was just kicking tubs out there, they'd stand there and eat them as long and as fast as I could put 'em out... just 'cause they could.
I'm pretty sure that I couldn't afford to feed the things.

 

[midTN_Brangusman]

We do MIG; graze every inch multiple times over during the growing season. There is no stockpiling. Once it's time to pull the cows in for fall breeding and winter feeding... usually commencing about Thanksgiving... there's no grazing. Period. They're in sacrifice paddocks that are essentially a bare dry lot within a week, and we're providing everything... ~25-27# hay and 5# DDG per cow per day.
Load of DDG(27% protein) I bought last week was $150/T... I don't know what y'all are paying for a 'protein tub', but even at that price, I'll bet the DDG is a better buy for me... and I'm pretty sure that if I was just kicking tubs out there, they'd stand there and eat them as long and as fast as I could put 'em out... just 'cause they could.
I'm pretty sure that I couldn't afford to feed the things.

LP are you mixing your grain and hay in a tmr or feeding separate?

 

[ky colonel]

thanks for all the info
we feed hay and ground corn. also put out loose mineral. dont have a lot of options local for getting tubs unless you go with a box store.

 

[TexasBred]

We do MIG; graze every inch multiple times over during the growing season. There is no stockpiling. Once it's time to pull the cows in for fall breeding and winter feeding... usually commencing about Thanksgiving... there's no grazing. Period. They're in sacrifice paddocks that are essentially a bare dry lot within a week, and we're providing everything... ~25-27# hay and 5# DDG per cow per day.
Load of DDG(27% protein) I bought last week was $150/T... I don't know what y'all are paying for a 'protein tub', but even at that price, I'll bet the DDG is a better buy for me... and I'm pretty sure that if I was just kicking tubs out there, they'd stand there and eat them as long and as fast as I could put 'em out... just 'cause they could.
I'm pretty sure that I couldn't afford to feed the things.

At that price DDG will always be the best buy and the best product as well, however, as with most other things nothing works for everyone for one reason or another. Tubs still have a place as will lick tanks, cubes, etc.

 

[BRYANT]

We do MIG; graze every inch multiple times over during the growing season. There is no stockpiling. Once it's time to pull the cows in for fall breeding and winter feeding... usually commencing about Thanksgiving... there's no grazing. Period. They're in sacrifice paddocks that are essentially a bare dry lot within a week, and we're providing everything... ~25-27# hay and 5# DDG per cow per day.
Load of DDG(27% protein) I bought last week was $150/T... I don't know what y'all are paying for a 'protein tub', but even at that price, I'll bet the DDG is a better buy for me... and I'm pretty sure that if I was just kicking tubs out there, they'd stand there and eat them as long and as fast as I could put 'em out... just 'cause they could.
I'm pretty sure that I couldn't afford to feed the things.

just a few post back I posted the price of a 250 lb. tub 110.00 I thought I would try one because a lot of people I know were feeding them and talked like they were a good deal. Its been out 4 days and they have barley touched it, probably be my last of this brand, I am not real crazy about feeding my cows molasses and ground up chicken feathers. It may not hurt them at all but I don't like it.
The hay an DDG might be a great thing but some of us that have to drive 50 miles to get to the pasture, add that cost and tubs or range meal will be cheaper way to winter them

 

[Lucky_P]

midTN,
We feed hay/DDG separately.
In the past, we've done timed limit-feeding... 1.5-2.5 hrs at the hay feeders, then out to grain.
Herd size now necessitates essentially one roll of hay/day/herd. When it's dry and firm, as it has been all but one or two days this winter, we unroll... and have almost zero wastage.
If, however, as we move toward typical mud season, we'll probably move back to timed hay-feeding on the concrete pad when it's too muddy to unroll without too much treading-in or rutting of pasture.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

midTN,
We feed hay/DDG separately.
In the past, we've done timed limit-feeding... 1.5-2.5 hrs at the hay feeders, then out to grain.
Herd size now necessitates essentially one roll of hay/day/herd. When it's dry and firm, as it has been all but one or two days this winter, we unroll... and have almost zero wastage.
If, however, as we move toward typical mud season, we'll probably move back to timed hay-feeding on the concrete pad when it's too muddy to unroll without too much treading-in or rutting of pasture.

How large is that pad if you don't mind me asking?

 

[ALACOWMAN]

We do MIG; graze every inch multiple times over during the growing season. There is no stockpiling. Once it's time to pull the cows in for fall breeding and winter feeding... usually commencing about Thanksgiving... there's no grazing. Period. They're in sacrifice paddocks that are essentially a bare dry lot within a week, and we're providing everything... ~25-27# hay and 5# DDG per cow per day.
Load of DDG(27% protein) I bought last week was $150/T... I don't know what y'all are paying for a 'protein tub', but even at that price, I'll bet the DDG is a better buy for me... and I'm pretty sure that if I was just kicking tubs out there, they'd stand there and eat them as long and as fast as I could put 'em out... just 'cause they could.
I'm pretty sure that I couldn't afford to feed the things.

with the Good baked ones you won't have that trouble...

 

[cjmc]

Positives- they are readily available & are a consistant product (most of the time). They also can come with different levels of energy & minerals. Lots of options to pick from.

Negatives- feeding rate isn't as easily adjusted. And they are expensive.

I start with what the cows need. Then I test the grass/hay. Figure the difference between them, then write down out all the options for bridging the difference in from least expensive to most expensive. Then ask why don't I want to/why won't the least expensive option work. If I can come up with an answer I move next cheapest.

 

[Allenw]

We do MIG; graze every inch multiple times over during the growing season. There is no stockpiling. Once it's time to pull the cows in for fall breeding and winter feeding... usually commencing about Thanksgiving... there's no grazing. Period. They're in sacrifice paddocks that are essentially a bare dry lot within a week, and we're providing everything... ~25-27# hay and 5# DDG per cow per day.
Load of DDG(27% protein) I bought last week was $150/T... I don't know what y'all are paying for a 'protein tub', but even at that price, I'll bet the DDG is a better buy for me... and I'm pretty sure that if I was just kicking tubs out there, they'd stand there and eat them as long and as fast as I could put 'em out... just 'cause they could.
I'm pretty sure that I couldn't afford to feed the things.

just a few post back I posted the price of a 250 lb. tub 110.00 I thought I would try one because a lot of people I know were feeding them and talked like they were a good deal. Its been out 4 days and they have barley touched it, probably be my last of this brand, I am not real crazy about feeding my cows molasses and ground up chicken feathers. It may not hurt them at all but I don't like it.
The hay an DDG might be a great thing but some of us that have to drive 50 miles to get to the pasture, add that cost and tubs or range meal will be cheaper way to winter them

I tried a similar tub last year, they never ate enough to do them any good. The tubs it was in were nice and heavy wouldn't mind having on or two more of them.

 

[SchenkAngusFarm]

We use them year around because why not other than price. Our cows don't use them a ton as we have plenty of other sources of good we use but I view it as another tool should they want it.

Also, the deer like them and admittedly I hunt a lot.

 

[BRYANT]

We use them year around because why not other than price. Our cows don't use them a ton as we have plenty of other sources of good we use but I view it as another tool should they want it.

Also, the deer like them and admittedly I hunt a lot.

I feed very few tubs , mainly feed range meal. I have put the range meal out where I corn feed deer and have not had any luck getting them to eat it. I was hunting in SE Okla. a few years back and came up on one of them feeders that had range meal in it and there was 5 bucks standing there eating it, but for some reason they wont eat it at my place.

 

[wacocowboy]

I prefer liquid over the tubs. Only place I like the tubs is in my bull and heifer pasture to hard to get the truck in there to fill up a tank when it's wet.

 

[BRYANT]

I prefer liquid over the tubs. Only place I like the tubs is in my bull and heifer pasture to hard to get the truck in there to fill up a tank when it's wet.

what does it cost per head for liquid