ranchmom77":293rgip2 said:
Hi all,
We need to get out hay tested to find out the protein levels.. does anybody know how to do that or where to send it to? We're in Montana.
Thanks!
Drive to your nearest feed store - if you are keeping animals I am sure you are dealing somewhere - give them the feed samples - get them to ship it to a lab.
Buy a couple hundred bucks worth of stuff at the store and they may even pay for the fee.
In Canada we test our feed this way. Once in a while I have to pay - usually around 20 bucks per sample.
It is not difficult and it is not rocket science. What does matter though is being sure you know HOW to read the results. Lots of folks test and do not have a clue what those funny numbers and letters and percentages really mean.
Your feed store will get their feed rep to chat with you if you are interested - and then build a balanced ration to supplement the missing elements in your feed. When we do this, all of our samples that we sent off for testing are covered - in otherwords the feed store pays for the testing because we buy their product. We usually buy in 1 - 5 or 10 tonne lots depending on what we are buying - might be different for you.
Up to you what you want to do - some of the other threads here have provided accurate advice as well - just depends on what suits you.
Remember - protein by itself is not a panacea - too much in the feed and it just gets pizzed out the back end - costing you money and in return you get nothing for it.
Best to all
Bez
