curiouscattlejockey
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Just out of curiosity, but which is the better lick tub?
Vitalix vs Purina
- Thread starter curiouscattlejockey
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Son of Butch
Well-known member
I couldn't say, but comparing labels should reveal the answer.
QLF branded tub is what I have been using. I'm not putting QLF on a pedestal. QLF is what's available in my area.
Feeder calves are being backgrounded. They are grained twice daily and fed my better hay. They have loose salt/mineral in a feeder, a trace block, and a mineral or IGR tub. Licking a tub provides something to do when first weaned. Licking is more productive than bawling and pacing the lot. My suspicion is not all calves utilize the feeder, so I continue a mineral tub after the bawling has ceased.
Group #1 is grained daily and eats the same better quality hay as the feeder calves. They do not get a tub. They have loose salt/mineral and a trace block.
Group #2 is lactating to feed their Fall-born calves. They have loose salt/mineral and trace blocks. They are grained daily and eat the lower quality hay. They have a 20% protein tub. The tub supplements the hay and the cows' nutrition for rebreeding. Calves enjoy the protein tub, too. Calves have creep feed available, but I ration it. A couple calves gorge and have poopy butts.
Group #3 is grained daily and eat lower quality hay. They have loose salt/mineral in a feeder. They are finishing their last 20% protein tub. These cows will be entering their third trimester of gestation. No more protein tubs, but I hope to supplement their hay with some other roughage.
Each group is about 20 cows more or less. It's a small operation and 20 head is a manageable group I can run in the chute by myself. I don't test my hay. I look at it and make a judgement call.
For whatever it is worth to curiouscattlejockey, allow me to explain what I feed and why I feed it...
Feeder calves are being backgrounded. They are grained twice daily and fed my better hay. They have loose salt/mineral in a feeder, a trace block, and a mineral or IGR tub. Licking a tub provides something to do when first weaned. Licking is more productive than bawling and pacing the lot. My suspicion is not all calves utilize the feeder, so I continue a mineral tub after the bawling has ceased.
Group #1 is grained daily and eats the same better quality hay as the feeder calves. They do not get a tub. They have loose salt/mineral and a trace block.
Group #2 is lactating to feed their Fall-born calves. They have loose salt/mineral and trace blocks. They are grained daily and eat the lower quality hay. They have a 20% protein tub. The tub supplements the hay and the cows' nutrition for rebreeding. Calves enjoy the protein tub, too. Calves have creep feed available, but I ration it. A couple calves gorge and have poopy butts.
Group #3 is grained daily and eat lower quality hay. They have loose salt/mineral in a feeder. They are finishing their last 20% protein tub. These cows will be entering their third trimester of gestation. No more protein tubs, but I hope to supplement their hay with some other roughage.
Each group is about 20 cows more or less. It's a small operation and 20 head is a manageable group I can run in the chute by myself. I don't test my hay. I look at it and make a judgement call.
interestingrocfarm
Well-known member
Asked the guy at the USDA office one time and he said it doesn't matter…
TexasBred
Well-known member
That's probably why they have him in the office pushing paper
Dave
Well-known member
One of the reasons I would never ask anyone from the USDA for advise on cattle or cattle feed.
faster horses
Well-known member
Little story...we had a call to go look at some customer's cattle. We went and they weren't in good condition. They were body condition score of 4-4.5 going into winter. My area manager told them that they were too thin especially at this time of year.
The customer said "the county agent was out last week and he said they were BSC of 6."
My area manager replied, "we had a county agent like that too."
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Even if they mean well, they aren't going to rock the boat and hurt someone's feelings.
It's like an ex-rancher that failed at ranching is the farm/ranch loan person at the bank.
The customer said "the county agent was out last week and he said they were BSC of 6."
My area manager replied, "we had a county agent like that too."
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Even if they mean well, they aren't going to rock the boat and hurt someone's feelings.
It's like an ex-rancher that failed at ranching is the farm/ranch loan person at the bank.
rocfarm
Well-known member
Actually, he runs his own herd and has made money at it for years. His son does as well, and they have made it through some tough times.
I've used 2 different kinds of tubs and can't tell a difference so far.
And I can't remember how many times ads have tried to get me to use a certain product to make myself feel like a good cattleman, only to go to peer-reviewed research and discover that the offered benefits should be considered to have myriad caveats.
For now, I'll continue to stick with the basics and see how it goes.
I've used 2 different kinds of tubs and can't tell a difference so far.
And I can't remember how many times ads have tried to get me to use a certain product to make myself feel like a good cattleman, only to go to peer-reviewed research and discover that the offered benefits should be considered to have myriad caveats.
For now, I'll continue to stick with the basics and see how it goes.
