callmefence
Keyboard cowboy
Standing grass does not have to have good protein levels to have feed value....that's why you supplement it.
BFE said:I've always heard the worst grass is better than the best hay. In my experience it's true. They'll come through winter better grazing than standing around a hay ring.
Caustic Burno said:BFE said:I've always heard the worst grass is better than the best hay. In my experience it's true. They'll come through winter better grazing than standing around a hay ring.
So someone blew smoke about grass with 5% protein is better than hay with 12%. Last I checked hay was grass as well. All the time the cow is walking off pounds trying to fill a holler belly on low quality forage.
We used to not feed a bale of hay back in the 60's and 70's and most cows did survive the winters. BCS suffered conception rates were horrible.
It took 15 or so of those back forty cows to make 10 of the beef animals today. We didn't vaccinate either because there weren't any, good chance over half your cows weren't producing due to bangs or lepto.
Big difference in owning cattle and beef production.
Caustic Burno said:Fence there is a need for back forty cattle at the sale barn, they need something for dog food. Supplemented on 900 dollar a ton tubs. No thanks.
callmefence said:The topic of this thread is supplementing standing grass.
alisonb said:callmefence said:The topic of this thread is supplementing standing grass.
Don't see where OP mentions 'standing grass'???
Lucky said:The easiest way to tell if cows needs a supplement is too look at their poop. Best thing about the poop study is that it works any time of year and in any conditions. Early spring might fool you but generally just look at the poop.
I did say my experience backs up what I have heard about the subject. Given sufficient standing grass (sorry I didn't specify down to the gnats azz on that), cows here do better finding it themselves than feeding them hay. I think our differences on this matter are probably due to differences in grass. I'm in the fescue belt, which makes for a good stockpiled forage. You are not in the fescue belt, so you have a different perspective. I'm not even including winter annuals like wheat and rye in my comment, which cows will also do better on than dry hay.Caustic Burno said:BFE said:I've always heard the worst grass is better than the best hay. In my experience it's true. They'll come through winter better grazing than standing around a hay ring.
So someone blew smoke about grass with 5% protein is better than hay with 12%. Last I checked hay was grass as well. All the time the cow is walking off pounds trying to fill a holler belly on low quality forage.
We used to not feed a bale of hay back in the 60's and 70's and most cows did survive the winters. BCS suffered conception rates were horrible.
It took 15 or so of those back forty cows to make 10 of the beef animals today. We didn't vaccinate either because there weren't any, good chance over half your cows weren't producing due to bangs or lepto.
Big difference in owning cattle and beef production.
What county you in RJ?rjbovine said:I agree I should have hay tested . Feeding the corn I'm ok with . I asking more about adding the 34% supplement to the corn . These are fall calving cows with calves on them . Also there isn't much pasture mostly dry lot. Keeping an eye on the poop is a good idea.Thanks rj
This comment will get everyone fired up I'm sure. I have a friend who fattens all his calves, feeds them straight ground ear corn, no supplement. He says he can't tell a difference in the gain between having supplement and no supplement in the mix.rjbovine said:I agree I should have hay tested . Feeding the corn I'm ok with . I asking more about adding the 34% supplement to the corn . These are fall calving cows with calves on them . Also there isn't much pasture mostly dry lot. Keeping an eye on the poop is a good idea.Thanks rj
Farmgirl said:We are not located too far from Caustic so I'll take his viewpoint. Here we have lots of rain in the fall and winter and high humidity year-round. Seldom snows or freezes. We have had a frost already but many years we don't have frost until late November. With all the moisture, dead grass looses it nutrient value quickly. I think a lot of what is being debated is due to regional differences.
My :2cents:,
Farmgirl