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November 2011 Articles

Dedicated To The Ones We Love!
Cowherd Management Tip
Cow-Calf Returns Up But No U.S. Herd Growth in 2011
Farmers and Ranchers Welcome Ratification of Trade Pacts
TDN and feeding the cow herd
Quote
The Cost of Keeping a Horse During Hard Times
• Sample programs using alternate feed
Commissioner Strain welcomes new free trade agreements
Pecans may be smaller this year, but good quality
Hidden Hay Dangers
Global Demand Drives Food Prices Higher in Third Quarter
Harvest Winter Vegetables at the Proper Time
Tenn. Company licenses 'Scarebot'
Birders from across U.S. flock to south Louisiana
Considerations in feeding litter
Transitions in the Broiler Chicken Industry
New House Bill Prevents EPA Dust Regulation
Quote
Cutting Corners
The USDA Ruston Service Center
Just Rambling

(22 articles found)

Archives by Months

Sample programs using alternate feed

Sample programs using alternate feed By Paul Beck, Associate Professor Department of Animal Science, SWREC, Hope
In the past couple of months I have gotten several calls about alternate sources of roughage and feeding supplements to replace hay. The majority of calls are regarding a sugarcane byproduct commonly called Sugarcane Bagasse, corn stalks or other crop residues, and rice mill feed type products. Here are some of the results we have gotten from our lab analysis of these products and some possible uses of them in feeding programs.
Sugarcane Bagasse—This byproduct of the sugar production industry can be used as a replacement for hay in many situations, but there are some problems. Dry matter is only around 50%, so there is a lot of water that is being delivered to your farm and freight on that water is not cheap. Protein levels are very low ranging from 2 to 4%. Digestibility and thus energy content is highly variable. One load we sampled was 54% TDN another load we sampled was only 36% TDN. When planning a feeding program we can make guesses about animal performance based on average energy content, but considering the variation, we will likely be wrong.
Corn Stalks and other crop residues—Crude protein estimates have ranged from 3 to 8% for milo stubble and corn stalks and TDN estimates range from 40 to 58%. This variation is usually related to the amount of crabgrass, barnyard grass and broadleaf signalgrass contaminating the fields. Care should be taken to ask the farmer about the use of herbicides and fungicides in their crop production that may contaminate residues before purchase and test for toxic nitrate concentrations before feeding.
Rice Mill Feed—A by-product of the rice milling industry. I include other similar products with names like Animal Feed, Chicken Feed, and Rice Tailings into this category. These by-products are highly variable but average around 7% crude protein and 42% TDN. Protein analyses have come back as low as 4% and as high as 9% with TDN ranging from 36 to 64% depending on the amount of broken rice kernels are in the batch. Diets for Cows (1,200 pounds, 20 pounds peak milk)
Using Sugarcane Bagasse:
Mixed diet. 60% Sugarcane, 20% Dried Distillers Grains, 20% Rice Mill Feed. Feed 33 pounds/cow/day to dry cows and 44 pounds/cow/day for lactating cows along with a balanced mineral. Fed separately. Feed Sugarcane free-choice (intake will be
around 30 lb/cow/day ) along with 10 pounds per day of a
supplement consisting of 50% Rice Mill Feed and 50% Dried
Distillers Grains for a dry cow and 15 lbs/cow/day supplement for a lactating cow along with a balanced mineral.
Using Crop Residues:
Mixed diet. 42% residue, 20% Dried Distillers Grains, 38% Rice Mill Feed. Feed 24 pounds/cow/day to dry cows and 30 pounds/cow/day to lactating cows along with a balanced mineral. Fed Separately. Feed residues free-choice (intake will be around 20 lb/cow/day) along with 8 pounds per day of a supplement consisting of 50% Rice Mill Feed and 50% Dried Distillers Grains for a dry cow and 15 lbs/cow/day supplement for a lactating cow along with a balanced mineral. Poultry Litter:
Feed in mixed diet containing 40% hay or crop residues, 20% Litter, 20%, Rice Mill Feed, and 20% Corn at a rate of 25 lb/cow/day for dry cows and 30 lb/cow/day for lactating cows. If using Sugarcane Bagasse with Poultry Litter change diet to 57% Sugarcane Bagasse, 14% Litter, 14% Rice Mill Feed and 14% Corn and feed 25 lb/cow/day to dry cows. Lactating cows will need 45 pounds of a mixture made up of 62% Sugarcane Bagasse, 19% Litter, and 19% Corn. Diets containing litter will need supplemented with Vitamins A and D, and salt. These are some general recommendations, it is impossible to formulate diets to fit all
situations, therefore it is recommended that you seek the advise of a trained professional in developing your winter feeding program.

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