Category: nutrition (Page 10 of 15)

How to select the right protein tub in 5 easy steps

August 4, 2022 /

how to select the right protein tub in 5 easy stepsA protein tub is a very good way to provide extra nutrition when needed. One benefit is that once you have placed it in the pasture you don’t need to check it every day. This is helpful for those that may have a job back in town.

A benefit it can provide for both the full-time and “part-time” rancher is that a protein tub can be used to improve the overall grazing in a pasture. You can move them in to more underutilized areas to encourage cattle to move to those areas.

With making any type of investment it is prudent that you do your homework before you make any decision. So before you go running off to the local feed store I have 5 things that you can look at before you buy your first protein tub.

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What to know about sulfur for cattle

July 27, 2022 /

what to know about sulfur for cattleSulfur for cattle tends to be a bit of a dividing subject for most producers. When it comes to this subject it generates a love/hate relationship with cattlemen. There are ones who love them as well as swear by them, then there are others who feel they are a waste of money.

The ones that love them say that it helps with external parasite control. While putting sulfur powder has been shown to help in that area there is no, as far as I’m aware. no evidence that the block does that.

As with everything there are pros and cons to using them. While there is some benefit to feeding sulfur one must be careful. You need to weigh the options yourself and decide if it could be something that will work for you.

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3 tips to avoid failure in breeding season nutrition

July 15, 2022 /

3 tips to avoiding failure in breeding season nutritionBreeding season puts a lot of demands on cows. During this time she is expected to provide adequate nutrition for her calf while her body recovers from giving birth. Then she is expected to get back into estrus just before she is bred again. All of this is expected to occur within 90 days after calving to maintain a yearly calving interval.

This is the type of cycle that is expected in order for a cow to be considered profitable. If she does not provide a calf every year or 2 then she is not getting a return on what the producer is spending on her. With the ever-increasing input costs that producers have been seeing over the last year not getting a return on investment is not an option.

The key to getting your cows bred again is adequate nutrition. There are some considerations to look at in order to meet her nutritional demands. The things you should be looking at are the quality and quantity of forage consumed, her nutrient requirements, and understanding what feed options are available to you.

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How to replace hay in a drought year

July 7, 2022 /

how to replace hay in a drought yearDrought is a normal part of the livestock production cycle. Dealing with dry periods and decreased feed supplies should be part of an overall management plan. The time to be making a decision on this is not when all of the hay is gone.

To add insult to injury, this year has also seen commodity prices reach the highest it has ever been. Basic inputs like grain, fertilizer, and even fuel are getting terribly expensive.  What makes it even scarier is that these prices do not appear to be going down anytime soon.

When forages seem to be gone, you may need to use hay substitutes in order to remain profitable. Picking which to go with can be a bit of a head-scratcher since there seems to be a ton of information out there. It can be difficult to pick which is right and which is, basically, nonsense. Here are some things that you may need to consider when looking at substituting your hay.

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5 reasons why you should be using protein tubs

May 24, 2022 /

5 reasons why you should be using protein tubs

Protein tubs have been gaining popularity here lately with producers of all sizes. People that use them like the convenience of having a supplement that is designed to be self-fed in the pasture. They can deliver supplemented nutrients that do not require extra labor.

In an ideal world, cattle would get all of their nutrition from the forages and/or the concentrated feeds that they are given. But unfortunately, as you are aware we do not live in an ideal world. The quality of the forages can vary to a large degree from year to year. Another factor is that each animal will have different nutritional needs throughout the year.

With the difference between nutritional needs and forage quality, there is a need to “fill in the gaps”. As you have guessed this is where protein tubs come in.

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3 tips to get the most out of your mineral this summer

May 20, 2022 /

3 tips to get the most out of your mineral this summer

When it comes to a mineral supplement people tend to focus only on either spring or fall. During these times of the year, cattle go through their highest demands. But just because that is the case doesn’t mean that you should neglect your cows’ mineral needs during the rest of the year.

With summer being the breeding season for most people making sure that your cattle are meeting their mineral requirements is important here too. Studies have shown that cattle that are deficient in minerals are less likely to breed back on time, or at all. So don’t you think it is important that their needs are met?

Summer is what you may call a “transitioning” period. Grasses during this time are starting to mature and move into their seeding stage. As they mature their nutritional value also decreases. As I mentioned it also being breeding season your cow’s nutritional needs are increasing during this time.

So how can you make the most impact with your mineral supplementation? Here are 3 tips that you can follow:

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5 steps to selecting the right protein tub for you

May 8, 2022 /

5 steps to selecting the right protein tub for youA protein tub is a very good way to provide extra nutrition when needed. One benefit is that once you have placed it in the pasture you don’t need to check it every day. This is helpful for those that may have a job back in town.

A benefit it can provide for both the full-time and “part-time” rancher is that a protein tub can be used to improve the overall grazing in a pasture. You can move them into more underutilized areas to encourage cattle to move to those areas.

With making any type of investment it is prudent that you do your homework before you make any decision. So before you go running off to the local feed store I have 5 things that you can look at before you buy your first protein tub.

Continue reading

How to choose the best mineral supplement for cattle

April 18, 2022 /

how to choose the best mineral supplement for cattleUsing a mineral supplement is one of the most important yet overlooked parts of cattle management. Sure, we all are concerned with the amount of protein or energy they are getting but what about meeting their mineral needs?

Though the amount that cattle need is very small it can play a very important role in their overall production as well as their overall well-being. Selecting the correct mineral supplement is needed for optimal growth and reproduction health.

When mineral requirements are not being met cattle do not perform as efficiently as they could. One problem here is that the signs of a deficiency may not be visible till it becomes a serious problem. When that happens it will cost a lot to get them back to where they need to be.

When a deficiency is present you will see things like decreased weaning weights, decreased milk production, and lack of cows being bred to name a few. Many of the signs of deficiency are the same with different minerals so it may be hard to pin down which ones they will need.

But what type of mineral supplement should I be providing you may ask. Well, I may not be able to tell you exactly which one will work because I do not know your operation. I can however give you some tips to look for when trying to decide which one will work best for you.

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Cattle feed supplements: advice on how to make the best plan possible

March 13, 2022 /

cattle feed supplements: advice on how to make best plan possibleProviding feed supplements to cattle grazing in certain areas is pretty common and for good reason. Cattle are often not able to get enough nutrients from just rangelands to meet their nutritional requirements. Producers have many choices when it comes to feeding supplements.

Feed costs are the largest on-farm expense that producers have during the year. According to Oklahoma State nearly 40% of total operating costs are associated with nutrition. If you are experiencing any type of drought conditions then this expense can be even higher. However this does not mean that we should try to cut out every expenditure that we can.

The problem with only looking at reducing costs is that it will affect your overall performance. What you want to do is look at them more like investments and try to get the most return possible. It is more important to be efficient than just to be the cheapest. Here are some ways that you can go about getting the most “bang for your buck” when it comes to using feed.

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Purpose of salt for cattle

February 25, 2022 /

purpose of salt for cattle

Salt, along with the other minerals, is necessary to sustain life in cattle. Much like humans they are essential building blocks for living beings to perform at their best.

The interesting thing about salt is that cattle have a natural “urge” for it. This means that unlike the other minerals they will actually seek it out. If they cannot find it they will try to ingest it from other sources, such as tree bark, dirt, and even urine.

As mentioned earlier salt is very important to the overall function of a cow. Along with aiding with milk production, it will assist with other functions. These functions are things like reproduction, blood flow, and even sweating (which I think that should be obvious).

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