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Heifer Feeding

Double L said:
Thanks for the advice. The heifers will be a yr old in dec/jan and weigh around 600lbs right now. They are mixed breed (some braford, brangus, hotlander) X Hotlander bull. I plan on breeding them to 2 angus bulls i recently purchased around april/may.
Click to expand...

If they weigh 600 pounds now and you plan to breed them in April they will weigh almost 800 pounds by then. I simply don't see an issue. The days of breeding 450 pound heifers are in the past but we shoot for a 650 breeding weight. As long as they cycle, which they will do in good flesh, i fail to see the logic in pushing them feed. Give them adequate feed for the climate and energy needs. Get them on a good mineral program. Supplement only if needed (Texas winters are different than Canada) and breed them as you planned. Nature knows what she's doing. :wink: Unless you want 1900 pound mature cows. Then i'd say feed the heck out of them! :wink: :D
 
We feed a 5# feed ration with distillars syrup and free choice hay. The feed is 4#s of shell corn 1/2 pound of soybean meal and 1/2 pound of mineral.

This year we have about 1000 ton of real good corn silage so I think the heifers will survive on that and some oat hay.
 
Thanks for the advice. I got an email back from the Co. Ext. agent this morning. He said what I am doing is fine, but that I should go up to every other day. If that isn't cost effective he said to put out a few liquid feed tubs that are 35% or higher.


I keep all our cows on minerals all year round.

http://www.lonestarfeed.com/pdffiles/1072.pdf
 
We were looking at puting out the liquid feed @ 36% protien, 5% fat...Our cowboy said no...protien is to high...it will make the cows eat everything in sight...and if they don't get enough it will make thier belly's hot...
:shock:
We may go with the 16%, but won't make a final decision until we get the hay samples back...which are due any time
 
It soundfs like Texas is a great place to be a cow. If they are 600 pounds and cycling five months before breeding I'd find some grass and let them be cows. The WORST cattle to synch and A'I are overmanaged yearling heifers for lack of a better word I call the 'Stale'. Cattle bred,calved and rebred long before there was such a thing as a feed company.
 
Northern Rancher said:
It soundfs like Texas is a great place to be a cow. If they are 600 pounds and cycling five months before breeding I'd find some grass and let them be cows. The WORST cattle to synch and A'I are overmanaged yearling heifers for lack of a better word I call the 'Stale'. Cattle bred,calved and rebred long before there was such a thing as a feed company.
Click to expand...

:lol: AMEN !! But that kind of talk will put Monsanto, Cargill and a bunch of folks that love to hawk their wares out of business :wink:
 
Northern Rancher said:
It soundfs like Texas is a great place to be a cow. If they are 600 pounds and cycling five months before breeding I'd find some grass and let them be cows. The WORST cattle to synch and A'I are overmanaged yearling heifers for lack of a better word I call the 'Stale'. Cattle bred,calved and rebred long before there was such a thing as a feed company.
Click to expand...

They have got some good grass that they are on now. I also planted 40 acre of rye grass for the winter since we didn't get that much hay this year due to the drought conditions during june/july.
 
You are feeding PROTEIN and ENERGY in what you call 'mineral'. :shock:


DIGESTIBLE ENERGY .. 510.60 Kcal/lb
ME .................................. 0.42 Mcal/lb
NE MAINTENANCE ....... 0.27 Mcal/lb
NE GAIN ......................... 0.17 Mcal/lb
TDN ................................ 25.46 %
PROTEIN ....................... 4.15 %
DIG. PROTEIN ............... 3.66 %
NPN ................................ 0.00 %
LYSINE ........................... 0.09 %
FAT ................................. 5.20 %
FIBER ............................. 3.08 %
ASH ................................ 3.83 %
CELL WALLS ................. 10.64 %
ADF ................................ 5.81 %
CELLULOSE .................. 3.55 %
LIGNIN ........................... 1.29 %
CALCIUM ....................... 12.06 %
CHLORINE ..................... 5.89 %
COBALT ......................... 2.66 mg/lb
COPPER ........................193.26 mg/lb
IRON ..............................1811.98 mg/lb
IODINE ........................... 5.28 mg/lb
MAGNESIUM ................. 2.50 %
MANGANESE ................615.34 mg/lb
PHOSPHORUS .............. 6.00 %
POTASSIUM .................. 0.86 %
SODIUM ......................... 4.02 %
SELENIUM ..................... 0.31 mg/lb
SULFUR ......................... 0.68 %
ZINC ...............................301.66 mg/lb
RIBOFLAVIN .................. 0.44 mg/lb
THIAMINE ...................... 3.30 mg/lb
NIACIN ........................... 45.13 mg/lb
PAN ACID ...................... 4.14 mg/lb
CHOLINE .......................199.75 mg/lb
PYRIDOXINE ................. 0.00 mg/lb
FOLIC ACID ................... 0.06 mg/lb
VITAMIN B12 ................. 0.00 mcg/lb
VITAMIN E ..................... 96.68 IU/lb
VITAMIN A ..................... 90.26 KIU/lb
VITAMIN D ..................... 24.83 KIU/lb
Processed grain by-products, dicalcium
phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, magnesium
oxide, cane molasses, iron oxide, vitamin
A acetate, D-activated animal sterol
(source of vitamin D3), vitamin E supplement,
sodium selenite, manganese sulfate,
zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate,
ethylenediamine dihydriodide, cobalt carbonate.
Calcium (Ca), min ...................... 11.00%
Calcium (Ca), max ...................... 13.00%
Phosphorus (P), min .................... 6.00%
Salt (NaCl), min ............................ 9.00%
Salt (NaCl), max .......................... 10.80%
Magnesium (Mg), min .................. 2.50%
Potassium (K), min ........................ 0.75%
Copper (Cu), min ...................... 425 ppm
Selenium (Se), min .................. 0.65 ppm
Zinc (Zn), min ............................ 665 ppm
Iron (Fe), min .......................... 3750 ppm
Manganese (Mn), min ............ 1350 ppm
Iodine (I), min .............................. 10 ppm
Cobalt (Co), min ............................ 5 ppm
Vitamin A, min .................... 90,000 IU/LB
Feed free choice in covered feeders to beef
cattle, dairy cattle, and horses on pasture.
Provide salt free choice separately at all
times along with a source of fresh, clean
water.
Guaranteed Analysis
Feeding Directions
Features
Benefits
CAUTION: Not recommended for sheep.
Changes in feed should be made gradually.
Feed should be stored in a well-ventilated,
dry area protected from rodents and
insects. Feed is perishable. Do not feed
moldy or insect-infested feed as it may
cause illness or death.
* 2:1 calcium
phosphorus ratio
* 10% salt
* Fortified with
vitamins
* Fewer breeder
problems
* Healthier calves at
birth
* Fewer calving
problems
* Better utilization of
poor quality forages
An economical self-limiting pasture supplement designed to
supply the minerals most often deficient in forages
1 2 - 6
PASTURE MINERAL


Youi didn't ask,and I hate to tell you, but this is not a good mineral. How does it hold up when it gets wet????

Processed grain by-products, dicalcium
phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, magnesium
oxide, cane molasses, iron oxide, vitamin
A acetate, D-activated animal sterol
(source of vitamin D3), vitamin E supplement,
sodium selenite, manganese sulfate,
zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate,
ethylenediamine dihydriodide, cobalt carbonate



-------------------------
Processed grain by products is the first ingredient on the list,
which means it has more of that than any other ingredient!
I've tried to make producers aware of feeding grain when they
are buying MINERAL. They don't even give you a recommendation
of how much they should eat per head/per day. :x

I don't know about Texas, but I can assure you this DOES NOT
contain enough copper or zinc for Montana. Remember that iron
ties up trace minerals and this has 3750 ppm iron!!!

I'd check out a better mineral product...IMO this one is really lacking...
 
Just about everyone reading this knows what's coming... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Vigortone is the oldest mineral company in the US.
It is a performace mineral, cattle perform on it.
They even have some special formulas for Texas as
Texas can be quite a bit different; but many places in
Texas use our standard mineral...

You can go to www.vigortone.com and find a dealer near you.

There are a few other good mineral companies out there, but
not many. Most are FEED dealers who sell mineral. Vigortone puts
all their research into mineral. They are the industry leader.

Good luck and if you need more help, send me a PM.
I'm always glad to be of assistance...and I do it to
help, not for money.

You have really had some good questions for us. I hope we
all helped in some way. This is a great place...and I enjoyed
this thread.
 
I have really enjoyed this site and appreciate any help. I grew up working with cows, but have just gotten started owning my own over the last 3 years. I took over my grandfathers small ranch in SE Texas and I have been using what he was using, but I am open to other suggestions, advice ect.


So is it that bad that I am feeding protein/energy even though I am trying to put weight on the heifers? I see your point about not feeding it to the cows year round.
 
Faster horses said:
Just about everyone reading this knows what's coming... :lol: :lol: :lol:

Vigortone is the oldest mineral company in the US.
It is a performace mineral, cattle perform on it.
They even have some special formulas for Texas as
Texas can be quite a bit different; but many places in
Texas use our standard mineral...

You can go to www.vigortone.com and find a dealer near you.

There are a few other good mineral companies out there, but
not many. Most are FEED dealers who sell mineral. Vigortone puts
all their research into mineral. They are the industry leader.

Good luck and if you need more help, send me a PM.
I'm always glad to be of assistance...and I do it to
help, not for money.

You have really had some good questions for us. I hope we
all helped in some way. This is a great place...and I enjoyed
this thread.
Click to expand...

Another convert............ We'v all been blessed by fh's knowlege of mineral and feeds in general....
 
You'll ordinarily pay more for Vigortone products but in the long run they're well worth those few extra dollars. Have dealt with some of their folks thru the years and can assure you everything is top notch with them.
 
Faster horses said:
You are feeding PROTEIN and ENERGY in what you call 'mineral'. :shock:





Youi didn't ask,and I hate to tell you, but this is not a good mineral. How does it hold up when it gets wet????

Processed grain by-products, dicalcium
phosphate, calcium carbonate, salt, magnesium
oxide, cane molasses, iron oxide, vitamin
A acetate, D-activated animal sterol
(source of vitamin D3), vitamin E supplement,
sodium selenite, manganese sulfate,
zinc sulfate, ferrous sulfate, copper sulfate,
ethylenediamine dihydriodide, cobalt carbonate


-------------------------
Processed grain by products is the first ingredient on the list,
which means it has more of that than any other ingredient!
I've tried to make producers aware of feeding grain when they
are buying MINERAL. They don't even give you a recommendation
of how much they should eat per head/per day. :x

I don't know about Texas, but I can assure you this DOES NOT
contain enough copper or zinc for Montana. Remember that iron
ties up trace minerals and this has 3750 ppm iron!!!

I'd check out a better mineral product...IMO this one is really lacking...
Click to expand...
I am not going to argue with you about how good or bad this mineral is but I am going to point out a few things. Just because Processed grain by-products first doesn't mean it is the highest used product. There is no law that states that they need to be listed in order of amount used in animal feeds. Second the Processed grain by-product in the mineral that I am using now Is what you brag about as DDG in vigertone.
 

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