|
| First Time poster on here as up to know i've only just read through. As i'm sure everyone else on here is, we are feeling the pinch of the high grain prices. We have fed shelled corn for as long as I can remember in our backgrounding program and have always had great success. As a general rule (not to brag, just trying to give you some background)we top the market locally and have always been complimented very highly for producing large framed, good looking black baldy cattle. All we do is background 300+ 3 and 4 weight steers (all black baldy....no exceptions.......period). Lately as my feed cost has gone up drastically I've decided that a change is order. I have never experimented with using any kind of byproduct or mixing hay into the ration...up to now it has all been free choice with stalks and pasture to graze even in winter and corn with a supplement(w/ bovatec) twice daily limit fed. We don't own a TMR or even an old feed grinder. So here the questions begin.
Until the last year or two we never used a supplement with Urea in it. What is ya'lls take on urea in a strictly backgrounding operation?
Is the switch to a gluten pellet a good idea?
Do you believe it is better to mix the hay/stalks into the ration as well or just do the grain/supplements in the feed and let them graze and call it good?
I've generally been able to get about a 2.5#/day gain is the gluten or other by products going to make them flabbier then in the past with shelled corn?
We generally bucket feed everything as it helps in getting them use to people and being easy to work with, where could I find a small stationary mixer that doesn't cost 20K? I don't want to introduce a tractor/mixer to the lot as the groups we have now are use to people and the thought of getting them wound up again makes me sick to my stomach. I've looked at some of the small batch (50 cu ft) Jaylor mixers they just introduced but don't have a dealer near and can't find a price anywhere.
Can I store the gluten pellets in a gravity wagon or bulk bin of some kind?
Please bear with me as this is completely new to me for the most part....it's going to be very hard to convince my dad to change things but with $6 corn I think its time.
TIA
By the way...reading through your posts I feel like my operation is stuck in the 18th century feed wise...be gentle.
Edited by bigswede 1/15/2011 22:23
| |
|
Drastic Feeding Program Change
