| ntexcotton - 9/12/2020 09:58
With green growing grass, I use cubes to count cattle. Dead grass and hay are not protein providers. Some will say that their hay is 12% and that's good enough or they supplement with alfalfa which can help. The problem is the speed in which hay or dry stockpile goes through the system. You use the cake to increase the protein to slow forage pass through the gut to increase absorbtion of nutrients. Another words it keeps the hay in them longer and they get more out of it. Alfalfa also needs extra help to stay in the system. I also switch my cube types to match my forage availability. If I'm short on grass, I feed 20% high energy cubes and it will reduce intake.
Hay is expensive. I don't feed it in most locations. $30 worth of cubes per head from October to March along with mineral is what the cows get to wean a 700lb calf.
Ritchey tags are in the cows. Lose 2-3 per hundred every year. Calf tags are ytex blanks. Cows retain their calf tag and you would be surprised how many cows 10+ years old leave with the original calf tag.
I use to do that, I also was buying my hay. It seemed once the grass was gone you still have to feed hay for filler and that hay goes quick. Now I start feeding hay earlier while I still have grass and it really helps stretch the pastures out. But really what made me switch is a few forage samples from bought hay. Was some very very low protein stuff. Lower than anything I have ever produced myself on crap crap hay.
I agree hay is expensive. No doubt. Anyway you slice it not much profit in a calf these days.
Also feeding hay while I still have some pasture left has helped my pastures alot by keeping me from grazing it in the ground. I was mr cubes. Still own a cube feeding trailer.
Edited by StxPecans 9/12/2020 10:40
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Cow cake and ear tags.
