What type of mineral block/tub????

[Dixieangus]

I am purchasing 6 250lb calves next week and will be feeding free choice hay this winter and just soy hulls or soy hulls and corn gluten mix along with a trace mineral salt block. What block or tub can i feed for extra protein and other nutrients so they will grow to there full potential.

 

[Angus Cowman]

if you are hand feeding them anyway it would be alot cheaper to just add some Cottonseed or soybean meal to their feed ration to up the protein than it would be to feed any type of processed protein suppplement
I would feed them some looose minerals instead of the trace mineral block also

 

[Dixieangus]

so what kind of loose mineral should i feed.

 

[jedstivers]

so what kind of loose mineral should i feed.

You need yo talk to your state nutritutionist (sp) an tell them what you are going to be feeding an they will tell you. Mississippi Ext. is very good.

 

[Texas PaPaw]

so what kind of loose mineral should i feed.

I use Purina BVT mineral when feeding soy hulls & corn gluten. It has high calcium + Bovatec, which enhances growth.

BTW-what are your plans for these calves? How big will you grow them? Sell them for feeders or replacements? These could be factors in how they need to be handled.

Just another 2 cents worth.

 

[Dixieangus]

raise them up to around 500lbs as feeders

 

[Texas PaPaw]

raise them up to around 500lbs as feeders

Am assuming these will be beef calves and not dairy breeds?

Your lowest cost of gain with corn gluten/soy hulls/grass will come with feeding all the cg/sh they will eat along with grass/hay. My only concern with this is getting them too fat putting that much (250#) gain on them. 2 things I would suggest in this situation is: 1. implant the calves. I use Ralgro on mine. This will help them grow more muscle/frame before putting on fat. 2. when they get above 400# keep a close watch on their condition and be prepared to sell them if they start getting the least bit fleshy. If they get too fleshy, the buyers will discount them and those extra pounds will be expensive. I've never taken them that big on full feed and it will also depend on the individual genetics of the calves. I've taken them to around 400# and the buyers loved them, but calves deemed fleshy get docked significantly. There is usually real strong demand for 4 wt calves, so I try to sell most of mine between 400 & 450# and so far that has worked really well.

BTW- if they are dairy breed calves, getting them too fat will be more difficult.

Just another 2 cents worth.

 

[RD-Sam]

I just started feeding mine VitaFerm Cattleman's Blend, it's a loose vitamin and mineral, and the cattle love it. Costs about 13 cents a day per head.

 

[TexasBred]

I just started feeding mine VitaFerm Cattleman's Blend, it's a loose vitamin and mineral, and the cattle love it. Costs about 13 cents a day per head.

Excellent choice and Amaferm is a proven winner. Should work well for her IF she feeds the soyhull/CGF mix.

 

[SRBeef]

I'm not sure it is the right thing for southern conditions but I have had excellent results using Crystalyx Mineralyx 250 lb tubs. If you look at the ingredients list you can make a better comparison.

I tried using dry mineral and it just did not work and a pain in the backside. Cattle would not eat it, feeders turned over and wasted, turned rock hard if it got wet, etc. With these tubs you just set them out and they work. Zero waste. And the cattle use it. They are not cheap but compare the ingredients lists.

http://www.crystalyx.com/beef/pdfs/Mineral-lyx.pdf

One comment on the above, I would think about your market before implanting. My natural beef market does not want implants. If you are selling at the sale barn then maybe it is a different situation. jmho.

Jim

 

[TexasBred]

Jim even the higher price is often justified since you know the cattle WILL consume it with the molasses to encourage them. Crystalyx is another of the "quality" companies you can trust.