Range cubes

[Alan]

What are range cube made of, mostly pressed hay? How much do you guys pay for a bag of range cubes? How heavy of a bag? How much do you feed per head? Not sure the feed stores carry range cubes out here, but something I might look into.

Thanks,
Alan

 

[greenwillowherefords]

50# sacks, about $4.50 on average. Recommends feeding I believe 2# per head per day. I think they are primarily made from alfalfa but I'm not sure. I know they have little or no grain in them. They will cause cattle to get out and clean up available forage, dead, dry forage included. They provide the protein to supplement the roughage of lower quality hay and forage. I typically feed every other day in the winter.

 

[Mahoney Pursley Ranch]

I give the cattle cubes every Saturday just to keep them comin to my call so I can get a head count and look them over. Pay about $4.50 a bag 50# and give 35 head 2 bags once a week.

 

[jersey lilly]

PRODUCERS RANGE CUBE 20-4 FOR CATTLE ON PASTURE

FOR RUMINANTS ONLY

A 20% protein cube with 4% of its protein coming from urea.
Suitable for all classes of cattle grazing dormant forage.
A small percentage of non-protein nitrogen (urea) is a beneficial source of rapidly available nitrogen.
May be fed every day or every other day.
GUARANTEED ANALYSIS

Crude Protein, min (Includes not more than 4.0% equivalent protein from non- protein nitrogen)
2.00%

Crude Fat, min
2.00%

Crude Fiber, max
15.50%

Calcium, min
0.80%

Calcium, max
1.80%

Phosphorous, min
0.40%

Salt, min
1.30%

Salt, max
2.30%

Potassium, min
0.55%

Vitamin A, min
8,000 IU/LB



INGREDIENTS

Processed Grain By-Products, Roughage Products (25%), Plant Protein Products, Animal Protein Products, Molasses Products, Hemicellulose Extract, Ground Limestone, Salt, Urea, Vitamin A Supplement, Calcium Carbonate, Mineral Oil, Magnesium Oxide, Potassium Chloride, Calcium Sulfate, Manganous Oxide, Ferrous Carbonate, Zinc Oxide, Copper Sulfate, Cobalt Carbonate, Sodium Selenite, Ethylenediamine Dihydriodide, Calcium Propionate.

CAUTION

Use As Directed

FEEDING DIRECTIONS

Feed 4 pounds per head per day, or 8 pounds per head every other day during periods of dormant forage or drought.

 

[tom4018]

What would the advantage be over a mixed feed? Range Cubes seem higher per hundred.

 

[Scotty]

I use mine for the concentration of protein instead of blocks, tubs or liquid feed. I can regulate, to a point, the intake. The cubes I use are peanut cake. Made of peanut hulls and kernals. No other additives labled on the slip. Feed about a pound a day after claving and the cows are fresh. When they are dry i may feed every three days or so a pound and half. Pay 5.75 per bag.

 

[rk]

Good cubes are not pressed hay and (in most parts of TX at least) are considered a protein supplement. Usually very little, if any, alfalfa. Usually made from some type of oilseed meal like cottonseed, sunflower, canola, or peanut meals, or corn gluten feed. The balance of the formula would be usually be wheat midds, and vitamins/minerals.
They are fed to provide protein, which is needed by ruminants in order to better utilize forage in the form of dormant grass, hay, etc.

 

[TheBullLady]

The main reason range cubes are so popular in the south is because they are easy to feed to large herds.. ie: you can feed them on the ground, don't need feed bunks. I'd never seen a range cube in my life until we moved to Texas. If you have feed bunks, there are better (cheaper) options.

 

[jersey lilly]

Range cubes are popular up north too, and they are fed on the ground, they call it cake.

 

[Dave]

I have never seen range cubes here in the PNW. Mainly because they are designed to feed out on the ground. That doesn't work too well here for 6 months of the year. As the BullLady said if you feed in a bunk there are better options.
Dave

 

[rk]

I have never seen range cubes here in the PNW. Mainly because they are designed to feed out on the ground. That doesn't work too well here for 6 months of the year. As the BullLady said if you feed in a bunk there are better options.
Dave

Just curious.....what do y'all feel are better options?

 

[greenwillowherefords]

They can eat them out of a trough as well as any other feed. I don't think the kind I use has urea. I will look next time I get a chance to see a label. Haven't bought any feed in a while; spring has sprung here and grass is coming on.

 

[G&L Cattle]

Hello Greenwillow!

We use a bulk creep for all. The cubes make em too crazy for my liking.

G&L

 

[Dave]

They are a regional thing. They are just not available here. Walk into a feed store (any feed store in the Pacific Northwest) and ask for range cubes. Be ready for a blank look on the face of the counter person. If I feel I need to add more energy to the diet I will buy a grain product. If they are high in alfalfa and I need higher protein and roughage I will just feed alfalfa hay. I am real close to a huge alfalfa producing area. Slightly off grade alfalfa hay sells pretty cheap here.
All around the country there are different feeds that regionally available to the point where they may seem common place but are just not available in other parts of the country. Potatoe waste is fed in huge amounts in Eastern Washington, Oregon and Idaho. There probably isn't that much of it available in other areas. There are two sweet corn canaries near me and cannery waste corn silage is commonly used and cheap.
It is really what people are use to using and what is available cheap.
Dave