# Feed Supplementation



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Many areas that had more than abundant rainfall and a ripe hay harvest are having to supplement their cattle this winter.

Regards, Mike

http://www.agweb.com/article/feed_supplementation_needed_for_georgia_cattle_farmers_NAA_University_News_Release/


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Last year was the worst year of making good hay I have ever had. No window to cut and no window to get a fertilizer truck onto the fields. Our quality of hay suffered.

We fed quality Bermuda until the last two years when we began making hay off other ground and grazing the Bermuda. That has taken some adjustment on our part. Supplementing has become manditory for us now.


----------



## stack em up (Mar 7, 2013)

We lost most of our alfalfa late last winter to freezing rain. I generally feed corn silage, ground cornstalks and a little alfalfa to the fall calvers, just ground cornstalks and rolled shell corn to the spring calvers. With no alfalfa this year, it's been mighty tricky getting the rations balanced at an affordable price. Been supping with soy hulls if I can get them, but mostly soy meal and molasses for sweetener. Do what you gotta do.


----------



## Waterway64 (Dec 2, 2011)

A lot of people go to the local feed store for a solution. I dairied for many years and working with commodity brokers saved us a lot of money. Grain screenings, cottonseed, peas, lentils, we're just a few of the things we fed and there are many more. A little time shopping can mean some real deals cutting out middle men.


----------



## Bgriffin856 (Nov 13, 2013)

Shop around and compare prices. By products are a good choice mixed with ground corn. Sometimes just corn silage and dry hay works good. Many smaller dairies and Amish feed dairy heifers corn silage and dry hay or dry hay and ground corn and dried distillers grains. Have someone who is familiar with feedstuffs to work with to make it work


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I talked to the sales rep today about stockpiling brewers grain during the slow summer months when it does not move as well.

Most affordable feed I have found and it puts condition on them.

Pelleted feed feed is still $257 per ton at the CO-OP. Has been the same price since fall. Figured the price would have dropped some since corn was down. Not so.

Brewers grain is over twice the feed value and is $61 per ton delivered.


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Wow....less than one fourth the cost of bag feed. Definitely worth the little extra work. Sure makes the bottom line look alot nicer too. How many pounds per head per day do you figure your averaging Tim? I bet it makes the hair shine.

Regards, Mike


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

Mike,

The $257 for pellets is the bulk price in totes. Bags would be even more.

I feed the cows and bulls 15 pounds per feeding. I was feeding every day because the hay alone was not keeping weight on them. (Tough summer to make quality hay here). I skip a day now and then if the temperature is warm and feed hay only. Keeping the rumen active is important to me. If one of these arctic blasts are predicted then I feed more. When the rumen is working well the cows clean up the hay better.

Calves get as much as they want, creep feeders. At $61 per ton, every bite they take is making me money. Also takes some burden off the momma cow during the winter.

Even feeding 1,000 pounds per day it is the same money as a $30 round bale, about what a roll sells for here.

I was shoveling the wet grain into the loader bucket. Now I just cut the tube back, drive in and scoop it up. I take about 2 minutes and shovel into the bucket rounding it off. Then we dump that into troughs spread around the pasture.


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Sounds like a very solid plan all the way around. Yeah a fella could afford to supplement liberally with the price you are paying per ton. Money in the bank! Sounds like you got the feeding system down pat too.

Dang Tim....you are perking my interests again in the beasts of burden.

Regards, Mike


----------



## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

Where would one get this stuff?


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

C & C Cattle and Hay said:


> Where would one get this stuff?


http://www.csc-world.com/products-commodity-specialists-company/products-csc-wet-feeds/

This is the link. My first contact was emailing Charles at the Cartersville plant.

Right now they are running a little behind, might take a few days to get a load.


----------



## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

So do they deliver or do you go get it? How do you store it?


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

C & C Cattle and Hay said:


> So do they deliver or do you go get it? How do you store it?


They deliver. I think milage figures into the cost. From Cartersville, Ga. to my place it was $54 per ton delivered. I do not have a slab and asked for the bag. The bag is $155 and not reusable. Still cheap storage in my book. Final cost came out to $61 per ton delivered and dumped into the bag/tube. The bag is 50 feet long.

It takes a little longer to get it in a bag. They only have one bag truck.

The driver said they have 9 trucks total and run 6 days a week. Said the plant makes a load per hour.

A load is 21 to 24 tons.


----------



## Vol (Jul 5, 2009)

Saw this today and thought of you fellas. Pretty interesting.

Regards, Mike

http://www.beefresearch.ca/research-topic.cfm/distillers-grains-4


----------



## C & C Cattle and Hay (Sep 6, 2011)

Where abouts you located Tim? So I just need to email the Charles feller? Also do you just buy a truck load of 24 tons?


----------



## Tim/South (Dec 12, 2011)

I am between Birmingham and Cullman. If you email Charles and give him your zip code he will figure the cost. You are more parallel to them than I. Your cost may be cheaper as I think you are closer.

They will send a truck load. Mine was 21 tons, could be as much as 24 tons. I believe that is the limit. It comes in something like a coal truck.

My load was pretty dry. The driver said my next load may have more moisture, just had to take what was loaded.

I had mine put in the pasture and ran an electric fence around it. Here is a YT of what the process looks like.


----------

