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Bulk Bin

3 M L & C said:
loomixguy said:
No argument on the cubes making the cattle easier to handle, but, a cube or pellet that is 20% protein or 30% protein is basically a one size fits all strategy. The boss cows will get more than their share and the timid cows will get less...the protein content doesn't matter, they will eat it whether or no because there is competition for the cubes. Cattle will tell an experienced dealer what their protein requirements pretty much are by the percentage of the bitter in the trough to hold them at the desired consumption per head per day. No competition at the trough, either. They come and partake as they please on their schedule.

Just sayin'.
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Are you telling me there is no way that some cows eat to much loomix and others not enough. I find that hard to believe. you might get the right average but they all have their own taste as to what they think is good. Some will eat weeds and some won't. Also when out on stalks mine always come in to drink together so compitition isn't as bad as cake but still is there. I think it is a good product I'm good friends with the local dealer, just don't think it's the answer for all problems that you do.
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I'll guarantee you that on a herd of any size, you'll get closer to measured consumption on a per head per day basis with the LOOMIX than with anything else, unless you pen and feed them all individually. The only time there is competition for the liquid may be when you are servicing the trough and the Nosy Nellie's come to see what's up. Otherwise, they hit it at their leisure.

There is no way feeding cubes will pencil out IF you figure the true cost of feeding them, plus the fact that the liquid is available 24/7, not just when you go out and feed them. The disclaimer is that you MUST have a dealer who gives a sh!t and will service the troughs.

I am prejudiced, I admit, but then I've only been doing this for almost 20 years, since back in the day when PM Ag Products owned the company. Like the Monkees used to sing, "I'm a Believer".... :D
 
I'll guarantee you that on a herd of any size, you'll get closer to measured consumption on a per head per day basis with the LOOMIX than with anything else, unless you pen and feed them all individually.
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Unless the Loomix dealer forgets to show up, or comes once a month and fills the trough to the brim, or screws up the mixture.

Just sayin.....

And for them timid cows that dont come up and eat, they probably arent that great of a momma and wont breed back anyway.
 
eatbeef said:
I'll guarantee you that on a herd of any size, you'll get closer to measured consumption on a per head per day basis with the LOOMIX than with anything else, unless you pen and feed them all individually.
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Unless the Loomix dealer forgets to show up, or comes once a month and fills the trough to the brim, or screws up the mixture.

Just sayin.....

And for them timid cows that dont come up and eat, they probably arent that great of a momma and wont breed back anyway.
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Look at my disclaimer in the 2nd paragraph of that post. :wink:

Cubes won't work either if you only get out to 'em once a week. :oops:
 
Ingredients will vary a little by availability and cost, but the ingredients are virtually all natural with only 3% urea added. Bitter product is 25% protein, sweet is 12% protein. Both products contain the exact same chelated mineral and vitamin package. Molasses, condensed brewer's soluables, plant extracts, etc. is part of the contents. Consumption is controlled by blending the bitter and sweet products at the trough in a ratio that will allow for a proper rate of consumption.

Cost per pound will vary due to freight costs to the dealer. Naturally the closer to a mill, the less the freight, the less you need to charge. There are mills in Johnstown, CO; Fremont, NE; Billings, MT; one in Idaho, and I think they got a toll mill somewhere in TX now manufacturing for them. I charge $600/ton or .30 per pound.

The company says feeding 1.5# per head per day is optimal, but if the cattle are in good shape and adequate groceries are available to them, you can get along quite well at a feeding rate of 1-1.25 pounds. I will not feed cattle at a rate of less than one pound per head per day, unless they are really lightweight calves.

Troughs are provided and moved with the cattle at no additional cost to the producer. Delivered cost is fed cost. For more info...1-800-870-0356.
 
Faster horses said:
Remember to TEST YOUR HAY. Maybe you need to supplement it, maybe not. The cost for that hay test could be the best money you spend.
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Normally that's good advice, but this year, with the hay supply in these parts, there is NO DOUBT that folks here need to supplement. There is some "hay" being fed that is older than some corns I have... :shock:

Before we got this 8" of snow, I saw a guy grabbing bales out of a ditch where he had put them a few years ago to help stop the water runoff. He'll give 'em to the cows, for sure..... :roll:
 
My cows are in with my partner who owns the lion's share of the cows that we run together. They're on corn stalks on a pivot that was badly wind blown this fall with a whole lot of corn on the ground. He's trying Loomix this year and says that the cows are only taking 1/4 lb. of Loomix per day. Dealer man sweetened it up a whole lot but they're not eating any more. Seems like this isn't enough to get the good out of the Loomix. What do you say to that? The dealer is brand new to the business but he's very interested and trying to provide good service. Still, I question the value of this intake level. Any thoughts?
 
High Plains said:
My cows are in with my partner who owns the lion's share of the cows that we run together. They're on corn stalks on a pivot that was badly wind blown this fall with a whole lot of corn on the ground. He's trying Loomix this year and says that the cows are only taking 1/4 lb. of Loomix per day. Dealer man sweetened it up a whole lot but they're not eating any more. Seems like this isn't enough to get the good out of the Loomix. What do you say to that? The dealer is brand new to the business but he's very interested and trying to provide good service. Still, I question the value of this intake level. Any thoughts?
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I've run into quite a bit of that this year. The following is my standard reply.

Fence off the pivot so they must clean an area totally before they go to the next paddock. Mix sodium bicarb in with the water, at least 250# per 500 gallons of water. Provide sodium bicarb free choice in mineral feeders as well. If they need it, the cattle will consume it free choice. Having the LOOMIX out will make the cows crave dry matter to go along with all the corn, so their corn intake isn't as much as it might be.

Most of the cows I have in this situation are on a blend of somewhere between 40-60% bitter to get a pound per head per day consumption. I have cows on stalks and turnips who are on a blend of PURE SWEET to get them to eat their pound. Having snow cover now has helped a ittle, but a 15% bitter blend is still almost like pancake syrup.

I wonder what blend your friend has out for the cows? What might seem like a really sweet blend may not seem so sweet to the cows. I'd set out another trough of pure sweet and see how they react to that. .25 ain't gonna do a whole lot, but at least they are getting some, but not enough to get them to crave DM.

ARE THE COWS HEREFORDS?? They have an entirely different set of taste buds than other breeds. If they are, put out some pure sweet and go from there. I have had Herefords need 50 or so gallons of pure sweet to get used to things, then you could go in with a 40% or so bitter blend and they will consume as they should.

Hope this helps.
 
High Plains said:
My cows are in with my partner who owns the lion's share of the cows that we run together. They're on corn stalks on a pivot that was badly wind blown this fall with a whole lot of corn on the ground. He's trying Loomix this year and says that the cows are only taking 1/4 lb. of Loomix per day. Dealer man sweetened it up a whole lot but they're not eating any more. Seems like this isn't enough to get the good out of the Loomix. What do you say to that? The dealer is brand new to the business but he's very interested and trying to provide good service. Still, I question the value of this intake level. Any thoughts?
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For starters---how are the cows doing?

Are they picking up, can you see a difference in the hair coat?

From all i've heard, loomix is a good product---but are you sure you need it at this time?

My cows--with tubs, roughage buster, liquid feed SUPPLEMENT (all of this stuff is SUPPLEMENT!) will hit it harder the shorter the feed gets. I don't believe in shorting nutrients. I also don't believe in giving them something they don't require.
 
LOOMIX is an especially helpful product in a situation like this. With all kinds of corn on the ground, the cow will naturally want to tank up on nothing but corn, it's easily available and she doesn't have to work at all to get it. Put LOOMIX in the equation, and things change.

The ORE-BAC product received a US patent for fiber digestion. We proved, many times over, that ORE-BAC allows cattle to digest up to 34% more fiber than any other product out there. If you can get a pound or so of LOOMIX (When I say LOOMIX, I am actually referring to ORE-BAC, as that is the only liquid LOOMIX product I carry) in the cows, the fiber digesting bugs in her gut get excited and want to go to work, hence she craves dry matter. If she will go out and as she eats some corn she also takes in some shuck and stalk.

The more shuck and stalk you can get her to eat really lessens your chances of acidosis, along with management practices like fencing off a smaller area for them to graze and the sodium bicarb thing which were previously posted. If not for the fiber digestion aspect, it would still be viable to have the LOOMIX out there, for the added protein and the chelated vitamin & trace mineral package alone.

None of my customers who found themselves in this situation of corn all over the ground this fall have lost a cow, nor do they have any with long toes. I know of several cattlemen in the area that can't say that. One day I was headed to a customer's and noticed a lot of activity on the pivot I was driving by. Then I noticed the 5 carcasses that had been drug up by the gate for the dead wagon to pick up. When people don't listen, they still get to pay for their education. The cost of losing 5 cows and 5 calves would have bought a lot of bicarb and LOOMIX.
 
So ORE-BAC allows cattle to digest up to 34% more, thats really what we all need our cattle eating 34% more feed.
 
eatbeef said:
So ORE-BAC allows cattle to digest up to 34% more, thats really what we all need our cattle eating 34% more feed.
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34% more FIBER.

Excellent feed, they will require less of it, as they can get even more out of it.

Poor, rough, feed...CRP, corn stover, straw, they will eat more of it cause they are able to digest more of it. I have had folks buy back the awfulest CRP you could imagine...just a regular forest of coarse, dry sticks, practically. When they were pulled out, the place looked like it had been mowed with a push mower and the cows had all picked up a full BCS.

The manure will tell the tale. Nice flattened patties says everything is working as it should. Big pyramid piles says thay aren't getting all they could from whatever feed they have.
 
I have enjoyed your discussion about Loomix and would like to continue my education if you would.

First off, I have never fed a liquid feed so I have no personal experience. A good number of producers here do. I've not seen Loomix most I see is QLF ( Quality Liquid Feed). We do supplement yearlings and calves that are on fescue at certain times of the year. $300-$350/ ton will buy about anything we want to feed. DDGS, various commodity blend pellets, grind and mix corn/SBM, etc. At $600/ton what is the advantage of the liquid over the dry feed? What is the percent dry matter ? It would seem that on a dry matter basis the liquid is priced at a disadvantage.

It sounds as though you service the tanks on an as needed basis. That would be extremely handy. We graze most of every year and some years we graze all 12 months. With daily moves, how hard is it to move the tanks?
How many head per tank? Are the tanks furnished with the product? Rent, own?

Thanks in advance for your response.
 
MO STOCKER said:
I have enjoyed your discussion about Loomix and would like to continue my education if you would.

First off, I have never fed a liquid feed so I have no personal experience. A good number of producers here do. I've not seen Loomix most I see is QLF ( Quality Liquid Feed). We do supplement yearlings and calves that are on fescue at certain times of the year. $300-$350/ ton will buy about anything we want to feed. DDGS, various commodity blend pellets, grind and mix corn/SBM, etc. At $600/ton what is the advantage of the liquid over the dry feed? What is the percent dry matter ? It would seem that on a dry matter basis the liquid is priced at a disadvantage.

It sounds as though you service the tanks on an as needed basis. That would be extremely handy. We graze most of every year and some years we graze all 12 months. With daily moves, how hard is it to move the tanks?
How many head per tank? Are the tanks furnished with the product? Rent, own?

Thanks in advance for your response.
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I'll stick my oar in (since i just used it to paddle home from a certain island :P )

A point: it ain't liquid feed! It's liquid feed supplement. Some people do not realize this, will starve their cows then cuss the 'liquid feed'

It's a small part of the ration, than can make the bulk of it work better.

Compared to 'hand feeding' it doesn't 'spike' protein levels.

Compared to tubs, when it's really cold, consumption doesn't drop--more likely to go up.

Compared to tubs--it ain't near as handy to move--but, if the guys servicing them, that's his problem. And yours--he can't do it for nothing.

Service is very important--some meatheads come and go w/o touching base and the bill is the first inkling you got on consumption.

It don't disrupt grazing pattern. Altho it can change it--i rented an 80 from an ol' gal--irrigated barley, you couldn't hardly jump over the straw windrows, some volunteer--nice patch. She told me the well might not keep up--it didn't. I put a lick tank on way to water--they'd come in 2-3 times a day for a drink, either hit it on way in or out---never short on water after that--

I personally like lick tanks with wheels and covered. Loomix uses open tubs, cheaper and can stack a bunch.
 

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