Tag: tubs

How to take the worry out of grass tetany

How to take the worry out of grass tetanyIt may not seem like it now, but spring weather will be here before you know it. All of the ice and snow (if you get any) will melt away, and forages will become green again. It is usually good when forages start to green up, but a hidden danger comes with the new green growth. It is a danger that can strike without warning and severely lower your cow’s production. This danger is known as grass tetany.

With the warmer weather and the winter moisture, your grasses out in the pasture will start their “Spring Greenup,” and things will start to look good again. It is during this time that forages come out of their dormant stage and begin growing rapidly again.

Though it may seem like the greatest time of the year, with all of the green across the pasture, it is not without its challenges and concerns. During this time of year, a particular problem known as grass tetany can cause issues with your cowherd.

For those of you not in the know, you may be asking, “What is grass tetany?” “What kinds of problems can it cause my operation?” and “How do I treat or even prevent it from happening?“. In regard to those questions, here are some things you should consider.

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How to know when to supplement with protein tubs

How to know when to supplement with protein tubsProtein supplements are often needed during the fall and winter months. This need is because, during this time, most of your tame pasture forages go into dormancy. When this happens, things like their protein content will go down.

Maintaining an adequate protein level in the diet is vital for your cattle. It is needed to keep the optimal function of rumen microbes. These microbes are what break down the complex carbohydrates that are found in dry forage. With this optimal protein level, the rumen can adequately digest poor-quality forages.

When it comes to developing a cost-effective supplement program, there are two things to identify. The first is to identify the nutrients or nutrients that are limited. The next thing to know is how to provide that supplementation at the lowest cost possible. There are many options that you can go with when it comes to supplements, including using protein tubs for your animals.

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Introducing the reasons you should provide supplements this fall

Introducing the reasons you should provide supplements this fallHard to believe that we are almost to September, which means that summer is almost over. The temperatures are going to be getting cooler (somewhat), and the days are getting shorter. Fall is undoubtedly a time of year when a lot of transitioning will be going on. Now is also the time to be thinking about what supplements to provide for your cattle.

Most people are focused on weaning their calves at this time of year. They are also looking to get their cows rebred for next year’s calf crop. With all of these changes, there is also a change that is going on with your cattle’s nutritional requirements.

Because of these increases in your herd’s nutrition needs, it is essential for you to have a supplement program in place during this time of year. As you may have noticed, your forages are changing as well. With these changes, they may not provide all the nutrition you need. Here are some reasons for you to feed supplements this fall.

Continue reading

How to take the worry out of grass tetany

How to take the worry out of grass tetanyIt may not seem like it now but spring weather will be here before you know it. All of the ice and snow (if you get any) will melt away and things will become green again. Normally it is a good thing when forages start to green up but there is a hidden danger with the new green growth. It is a danger that can strike without warning and severely lower your cow’s production. This danger is known as grass tetany.

With the warmer weather and the winter moisture, your grasses out in the pasture will start their “Spring Greenup” and things will start to look good again. It is during this time that forages come out of their dormant stage and begin growing rapidly again.

Though it may seem like the greatest time of the year, with all of the green across the pasture, it is not without its challenges and concerns. It is during this time of year that a particular problem known as grass tetany can cause issues with your cowherd.

For those of you not in the know, you may be asking “What is grass tetany?”, “What kinds of problems can it cause my operation?“, and “How do I treat or even prevent it from happening?“. Well in regard to those questions here are some things that you should consider.

Continue reading

Know when to supplement with protein tubs

Know when to supplement with protein tubsProtein supplements are often needed during the fall and winter months. This is because during this time most of your tame pasture forages go into dormancy. When this happens things like their protein content will go down.

Maintaining an adequate level of protein in the diet is important for your cattle. It is needed to maintain the optimal function of rumen microbes. These microbes are what break down the complex carbohydrates that are found in dry forage. Without this optimal level of protein, the rumen cannot adequately digest poor-quality forages.

When it comes to developing a cost-effective supplement program there are 2 things to identify. The first is to identify the nutrient or nutrients that are limited. The next thing to know is how to provide that supplementation at the lowest cost possible. There are many options that you can go with when it comes to supplements including using protein tubs for your animals.

Continue reading

Why you should provide supplements this fall

why you should provide supplements this fallHard to believe that we are almost to September. which means that summer is almost over. The temperatures are going to be getting cooler (somewhat) and the days are getting shorter. This is certainly a time of year when a lot of transitioning will be going on. Now is also the time to be thinking about what supplements to provide for your cattle.

At this time of year, most people are focused on weaning their calves. They are also looking to get their cows rebred for next year’s calf crop. With all of these changes, there is also a change that is going on with the nutritional requirements of your cattle.

Because of these increases in your herd’s nutrition needs, it is important for you to have a supplement program in place during this time of year. As you may have noticed your forages are changing as well. With these changes, they may not provide all of the nutrition that you may need. Here are some reasons for you to feed supplements this fall.

Continue reading

How to select the right protein tub in 5 easy steps

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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5 reasons you should use protein tubs

5 reasons you should use protein tubsProtein 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 does 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 in 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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5 steps to selecting a protein tub

5 steps to selecting a protein tubA 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.

Continue reading

Are protein tubs good for cattle?

are protein tubs good for cattle?Protein tubs have been gaining in popularity here lately with both small and large producers. Smaller producers like the fact it is self-feeding so they do not have to constantly be there. Larger producers like the fact that it requires less labor than say feeding range cubes/

People like the convenience of having a supplement that is designed to be self-fed in the pasture. They can deliver supplemented nutrients that does not require extra labor.

But like with every supplement there are pros and cons to consider when using a protein tub. As a producer you should weigh each option to decide if it will work best for you.

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