Lick tubs vs feed. 20% lick tubs are 90 bucks. Feed is $220 a ton. They say cows will eat around 3lbs of lick tubs a day so that is 90/225*3=1.40 daily per cow. 220/2000=$0.11 per pound. 1.40/.11=12.72 lbs. If cows only eat 2 lbs of lick @ .80 then feed would be over 6.5 lbs. More labor with feed, but, which will give more benefit. Feed is 12%protein14%fat.. they also can have all the hay they want. Thanks.
to feed or not to feed, that is the question
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chippie
Well-known member
I use the protein lick tubs because they are self limiting. We have several cows that are like Hoover vacuum cleaners. They will inhale feed and run the other cattle away from the feed troughs. So the tubs are more practical for us.
pdfangus
Well-known member
as i get older i am more and more drawn to the pharo philosophy.....
I have long thought that the cows needed to work for me rather than me for them....
I try to keep a real good mineral in front of em and a good supply of grass and if that is not avaialble then good hay....I am not above using feed to toll them up to pens and such for breeding and work.....and I will feed them every time they go thru the head chute.....but I don't feed them anything on a regular basis.....
Now I do feed my young bulls daily but not a lot....
I have long thought that the cows needed to work for me rather than me for them....
I try to keep a real good mineral in front of em and a good supply of grass and if that is not avaialble then good hay....I am not above using feed to toll them up to pens and such for breeding and work.....and I will feed them every time they go thru the head chute.....but I don't feed them anything on a regular basis.....
Now I do feed my young bulls daily but not a lot....
TexasBred
Well-known member
What kind of feed are you finding that has 14% fat and is only $220 a ton...for that matter what kind of feed are you finding of any kind for $220 a ton??stockbub":2crtajtp said:
1982vett
Well-known member
Gotta go with pdfangus....I'd like to know your reasoning for feeding. Bad hay? Overstocked? Overstocked because of drought? Or is it, Just because it's what you do?
I have about 30 cows getting ready to valve. I also have about 12 cows which have already calved . Due to drought or whatever I am calving 2 months later then normal. I just do not want them to fall off. There are also 14 cows that I am going to wean. Just want everyone feeling good and breeding back. Feed is from Perkins farm in. All Louisiana all custom mixed. Can also get pellet from Perkins PVM. It is from Cargill. To get that price have to purchase12 tons at a time. My hay is 8 to 11 percent . No grass left. This is my first year to make money, so these decisions affect next year.
Texas bred knows a lot more than me about feed values and may correct me if I wrong but in my experience I like to put out the Pvm tubs . It has a little bit of urea in it and seems to make the cows really clean up the hay . I've never fed cows feed unless they are really poor . The tubs aren't meant to replace hay in fact my cows eat more hay when the tubs are out . On 50 head I put out 2 tubs a month away from hay or water . That way they don't lick it all day .
It is not about saving hay this year, it is more about condition. I never seem to be able to put weight on them before winter. Wean them, and they start putting weight back on then winter hits. It just seems that cows with calves need more then just hay
These are brangus cattle, so they do summer great and winter ok. This is my planning for what to do after they calve and getting them bred back faster.
These are brangus cattle, so they do summer great and winter ok. This is my planning for what to do after they calve and getting them bred back faster.
I run brangus also . The best thing I have found is winter pasture . Rye grass where I am works great . It's hard to put weight on a cow in the winter . I've also found growing or buying real good hay makes a big difference . I tested my hay this year . I cut my Bermuda ever 21 to 26 days . The samples I sent This year were around 12 percent protein . You will have more money in feed and sorry hay as you will paying more for good hay.stockbub":1uxmh5r0 said:
We cut our own hay each year. Like everything else, there are lots of decisions to make. We picked up several fields this year and could not afford to fertilize everything, every tiime. About 25% of our hay is fertilized. We have over 1000 bales, but around here, nothing is selling this year. After last year, my feelings would not be hurt to have a years wworth of hay on hand. I need 400 bales for my personal stuff. We do not have any bermuda fields, that is something I would like to work on. My dad has jiggs, but I just have to find the time to sprig it. We have not got any rain this year and those who planted Ryegrass, have not made much if any. For the past 3 years we planted, but this year we did not. This year, is also the year to cull some poor producers and cattle that are not fitting our operation. I also have to figure which heifers to sale and keep. I have around 25 heifers that will be ready to breed Feb. or Mar. Was thinking about AIing them, and which ever ones did nt take sale or breed then sale. This is our third year, so it is still new and hard to put a plaan together. Main thing is keep everything bred, or with a calf. Just trying to figute out what to do kind of on every front. Its hard to make money if you do everythign. Feed, creep,fertilze, medical, ect... You just have to make business decisions that will improve the bottom line. Just seems like getting them bred back, takes little longer each year , last year due to drought. Just want next year to be better.
Bubba
Bubba
Dave
Well-known member
I alway think that the tubs are too costly. At your cost they are 40 cents a pound and your feed is only 11 cents. So the tub cost nearly 4 times more per pound. You can feed more pounds for less money. One of the things to keep in mind is that a cow only eats so many pounds of dry matter per day. So 2 or 3 pounds a day from a tub is 2 or 3 pounds less hay but on a dry matter basis it isn't that much. 5 or 6 pounds of feed is not only cheaper to purchase but it replaces more hay which saves you money on that end. But it does take more labor. So you have to ask yourself if you have the time.
colleen
Well-known member
Our cows have been going thru hay so fast! They always have a couple tubs, loose mineral and on Saturdays my husband dumps a bag of cubes out. They went thru 2 round bales in 3 days. Even when the weather was fine, they were going thru them that quickly. There are 12 cows, 2 calves and the bull. Does that sound about right?
Dave
Well-known member
There are a lot of variables there including weather, size of bales and size of cows. I figure that in my area 20 cows will eat a 4 by 5 bale each day during the winter. So discounting the calves (I don't know their size) there are 13 head. 13 head times 3 days is 39 cow days. So 39 cow days eating 2 bales is pretty close to my 20 head per bale per day..... but on the other hand we are half the country away from each other so once again there are lots of varibles there.colleen":itqa1icx said:
TexasBred
Well-known member
Stock if you have plenty of hay I'd use the tubs and forget about the feed. That feed has to be nothing but trash at that price. The tubs will do their job but don't expect your cattle to gain weight in the winter time nursing babies.
pdfangus
Well-known member
TexasBred":1ydgiull said:
CAN WE GAT AN AMEN?....AMEN...
rjbovine
Well-known member
I've been feeding crack corn , soyhull pellets and glutten pellets at .13 lb. 33% each and 4 lb. per head . Seem like the cows I have I''ll have one or two stand over the tub all day. Feed has been cheaper for me. My 2cents. rj
TexasBred
Well-known member
Wish I could buy feed that cheaply. Every ingredient in that mix cost more than $.13 a pound even if you buy a truckload of each. Stock has plenty of hay so all he really needs is the tubs. Put a couple out and let the cattle eat the 1-1 1/2 pounds per head per day to supplement the hay with a bit of protein. Cost is about half your cost and he doesn't have to manually feed the cattle everyday.rjbovine":1vqyrn2s said:
Manually feeding right now is not a big deal right now. Have to check the cows twice daily. It would be 6 5 gallon buckets twice daily. Feed they sell in LA is cracked corn, cotton seed hulls, distillers grain, salt for creep feed, no salt for bucket feed. 50 lbs of minerals. Cargill feed is what they sell at tractor supply, just not in cube form. They take extras, and instead of cubes, they make pellets.
chippie
Well-known member
Do you have troughs to feed in? I tried feeding grain one year. It did not work for me because several cows ate fast and ate more than their share. They got fat and the others didn't. That is why I like the tubs. The cows eat when they need it, not just because it is there. They all are in good weight and in the long run, they are cheaper to feed.
On the other hand, my daughter & SIL have a cake feeder on a truck and feed that way. They have more critters than we do.
On the other hand, my daughter & SIL have a cake feeder on a truck and feed that way. They have more critters than we do.
TexasBred
Well-known member
Why did you even ask?? Sounds like you've got your mind made up already. Go for it.stockbub":325y967o said:
