Black Oil Sunflower Seeds & Grain ?

We feed the same year round. I have found that since my does start to cycle in late summer it helps get as much weight on as possible before breeding the first half of the herd. This also avoids having to remember who gets how much when...too many other things for old brains to remember! Everyone gets 1 pound ADM 16% dairy ration in the morning and 3 pounds alfalfa at night. I do have some large does and heavy producers that get more ration than the rest.

I quit using BOSS because of the expense and not wanting to raise my milk prices to cover it-but when I was topdressing on the milk stand I added one cup to the dairy ration. I also used to add beet pulp but dropped that as well as prices kept rising.

Lee

 

Yes- one cup of seed with the milking ration.
We also grow them and they eat the entire seed head if we hang them up in the stalls.
But that is only seasonal- Can't grow enough to do that all the time.
L

 

No way can I feed does who are not milking grain, they would be bohemoths. Even does who are 50 days from kidding when they are dried, go down to maybe 1/4 cup of grain a day. Alfalfa pellets stay a constant here along with grass hay and minerals (and acess to the woods). But grain is fed only for production, and energy to grow out kids the last 50 days of pregnancy.

I used rice bran meal this last year for fat during pregnancy. I am really pleased how nice everyones coats are, which has always been a problem for me, when not using a high fat product like BOSS in the grain. I will be using Rice bran again next year, it's cheap and the goats loved it.

So a dry doe here would get no grain only alfafla pellets, then when 100 days pregnant starts on about 1/4 cup per day, building up slowly week after week until she is getting 1 pound a day. Then on the milkstand I build that up to 2 to 4 pounds...course my grain is oats, not byproducts. Vicki

 

i have it in my grain mix. winter mix is 5% BOSS and 5% beet pulp, and 10% alfalfa pellets with the rest being cottonseed meal for protein, corn and mostly oats. If I didnt have a high legume hay, I'd increase the alfalfa. Milkers get added alfalfa too.

I dont like the phytoestrogens in soy or I'd use that for protein. (Never could understand howitcould be good to give estrogen to growing males, especially; or to young females youre trying to breed. There are studies in humans that show it affects growth and development of children, with goats eating higher amounts I wouldnt be surprised if its a concern for some animals.)

I was growing out a lot of babies this year, which is why I made that mix. We dont have some of the other options here that you might have in other parts of the country, like lentils or other beans, but I would prefer them to cottonseed if I could get them.

That mix came to just under $8 a 50 lb bag done in half ton batches. When I was in th efeedstore yesterday, I noticed their BOSS was up to just over $20 a bag. I bought lots of BOSS seed this year, I'll be trying to grow my own for top dressing for this coming winter. I also have them checking out rice bran. Not sure what it would cost here, but the liklyhood is its gonna be expensive. I checked into what flax seed costs, and its 33 a bag. Ouch! Alfalfa is a bit higher here than in TX or I'd be using more of it. As I wean the babies I'm buying this year they will be getting more of that. I'm hoping I can get a price break buying by the ton. Maybe theres other DGI'ers that would be interested in splitting a ton and saving some money if they give us a price break on that?

 

1 cup 16% sheep/goat grain.
3 cups alfalfa pellets
1/2 cup Boss
top dress calf manna

Mixed all together and take 3/4 cup out for a dry nigerian doeling. I do this twice a day...or at least I did before my new kids, two doelings, one buckling came home to the farm last night. Now I'm going to have to reevaluate. 4WEEKS old they are and still on bottle but nibbling hay and grain.

 

I feed just like Vicki except I haven't gone to the rice bran yet. I never ever feed pelleted food period I want to know what they are getting. So until lately now I am only using oats but much prefer.
whole oats 100 lb
steamed rolled barley 100lb
cracked corn 25 lbs
beet pulp 20 lbs
BOSS 25 lbs
I mix it in a 55gal drum
I top dress with Calf mana knock off like 1/4 cup.
This is cheaper than buying pelleted foods that you really don't know what is in it.

all of the above is milk stand grain only.

 

If I fed BOSS again I'd feed probably about 1/2 twice a day. But I feed rice bran pellets.

 

Sounds like BOSS is more economical. I'd go with BOSS if it they both worked equally well.

 

Well grown sunflower seeds are higher in protein so for the money you are getting more food value.
One expense of the rice bran is that it has to be stabilized or the high oil level makes it prone to going rancid rapidly once separated from the germ.It has to be heat treated to keep the oil from spoiling in storage so that is an extra cost in processing making it more expensive.
Lee

 

It's less expensive here where rice is grown, I pay $6 per 50. Course I only feed it during the winter, so the rancid issue is a non issue. Oats have enough fat in them for a normal ration during the summer here. Vicki

 

Rice bran is cheaper here too. I think a 25 lb bag of BOSS is around $12, and a 50 lb bag of Rice Bran is about $8 or $9.

 

Great! You have access to crude bran- that makes it very economical supplementation.
The hog farmers here used to get it in 55 gallon barrels for 6$ because it was considered a waste product!!! And that was even after trucked in from the delta area. We may all have to learn to feed what we can find 'regionally' if transportation prices continue to climb.
We have a lot of smallish local wheat farmers- anyone feeding wheat or middlins ?
Lee

 

Laura, I would probably be interested, if I can't find alfalfa hay for a good price.

I just throw a handful of BOSS on top of their oats. I used to mix a generous amount into the grain ration, but ya know, it was $10.50 a bag then.

 

Laura have you ever read a thread from one of us "Texans" (blech, cough cough)where cotton is grown, about cottonseed meal? Vicki