Molasses Alternatives ?

[lms0229]

Are there other natural alternatives to providing molasses? If there are alternatives to molasses; do they affect the cattle differently? Do some people never have to provide molasses? Thank you!

[turklilley]

I have never fed molasses. Too hard to get in a grinder mixer. I'm sure the cows would like it. Dry molasses is a lot higher priced than liquid. The cows would eat faster, but they have all day, so it's just an expense I don't need.

[TexasBred]

Are there other natural alternatives to providing molasses? If there are alternatives to molasses; do they affect the cattle differently? Do some people never have to provide molasses? Thank you!

Why do you feed molasses and why are you looking for an alternative??

[lms0229]

I was looking for a way to increase rumen microbes on pasture cattle without having to buy molasses. Something I could grow for the cattle to forage on naturally to increase the microbes to better aid in their digestive system.

[BC]

Molasses is a carrier for urea or a natural protein source such as cottonseed meal or soybean meal. You are looking for a protein source to feed the rumen microbes.

[TexasBred]

I was looking for a way to increase rumen microbes on pasture cattle without having to buy molasses. Something I could grow for the cattle to forage on naturally to increase the microbes to better aid in their digestive system.

If your cattle are ruminating their digestive system is most likely in excellent condition. No amount of microbes will digest something that is undigestible.

[M-5]

I was looking for a way to increase rumen microbes on pasture cattle without having to buy molasses. Something I could grow for the cattle to forage on naturally to increase the microbes to better aid in their digestive system.

If your cattle are ruminating their digestive system is most likely in excellent condition. No amount of microbes will digest something that is undigestible.

I'm sure it has something to do with trying to be organic, or what ever the current hippie craze is.

[lms0229]

M-5 I'm by no means a "hippie" but a Conservative Libertarian Texan to be exact if you are into labeling people you don't know anything about. Just because I am ignorant in raising cattle does not make me by any means dumb. I have been raising exotics for most of my life and not cattle, so excuse me for asking hippie like questions. Why waste my time and yours and everyone else's by writing derogatory comments??? If you are any good cowboy I am sure you have heard the saying "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all!"

[callmefence]

I was looking for a way to increase rumen microbes on pasture cattle without having to buy molasses. Something I could grow for the cattle to forage on naturally to increase the microbes to better aid in their digestive system.

Have you considered grass..

[lms0229]

Sugar increases microbial activity far more than grass alone... that's why it is fed to dairy cows to increase milk production... so I was seeing if there was a cheap alternative that could be grown and grazed on that would mimick this in pasture cattle in southern parts of the US...

[callmefence]

Sugar increases microbial activity far more than grass alone... that's why it is fed to dairy cows to increase milk production... so I was seeing if there was a cheap alternative that could be grown and grazed on that would mimick this in pasture cattle in southern parts of the US...

So what kind off molasses are you currently buying.

[M-5]

M-5 I'm by no means a "hippie" but a Conservative Libertarian Texan to be exact if you are into labeling people you don't know anything about. Just because I am ignorant in raising cattle does not make me by any means dumb. I have been raising exotics for most of my life and not cattle, so excuse me for asking hippie like questions. Why waste my time and yours and everyone else's by writing derogatory comments??? If you are any good cowboy I am sure you have heard the saying "If you can't say anything nice don't say anything at all!"

Im not a good Cowboy

[lms0229]

M-5 it is more than apparent that you are not a good person... easy for cowards to hide behind a blog and be a jerk to someone unnecessarily than to do it to their face I guess.

[lms0229]

BC thank you for your answer. I found that I need prilled urea to act as a carrier for the sugar (molasses) for the rumen bugs to properly utilize it. I found out that urea supplies 2.87g of crude protein per gram of urea (46% nitrogen)

[callmefence]

BC thank you for your answer. I found that I need prilled urea to act as a carrier for the sugar (molasses) for the rumen bugs to properly utilize it. I found out that urea supplies 2.87g of crude protein per gram of urea (46% nitrogen)

Ims the molasses tubs you see everyone using are exactly that. Urea and or cottonseed meal. The molasses is the carrier. Like putting sugar on a kids cereal. This is popular in Texas . Especially where shallow soil causes grass to dry out in the heat. The protein supplement allows the standing dry grass to be utilized. You can feed the urea in a tub or you can spread it on your grass as fertilizer.
Anyway. Plenty of sugar in good grass. If your he'll bent on growing sugar. Johnson grass, hybrid Sudan, redtop cane, sugar cane I reckon.