FEEDS THAT CAN BE USED TO REPLACE GRAIN by Mike Mehren Ph.D.

FEEDS THAT CAN BE USED TO REPLACE GRAIN
BY MIKE MEHREN

Before beginning a discussion on this month’s subject, I thought you might be interested in MELAMINE. This is the compound that was found in pet food and is suspected of causing the death of pets. Melamine is made from urea. It releases nitrogen when heated. It is used in fertilizer and plastic resin manufacturer. Previously, it was not thought to be toxic in low doses; and as of April 22, the FDA had not identified the toxin. Now on to business.

I’ve talked about substitutes for hay in other columns, this time I’d like to discuss substitutes for grain.

Corn is the standard livestock grain that all other energy feeds are rated against. The following examples will show you how these feeds stack up.

Feed	% Dry	TDN	RELATIVE VALUE
Corn, whole	88	88	100
Corn, ground	88	88	100
Corn, flaked	86	93	106
Corn, cracked	88	90	102
Corn gluten meal	91	80	91
Corn gluten 60% pro	91	89	101
Barley, 48 lb +	88	84	95*
Barley, - 48 lb	88	77	88*
Barley, malt sprout	93	71	81
Molasses, cane	74.3	72	82 (not a liquid supplement)
Oats, 38 lb	89	77	88
Oats, light wt	91	73	83
Wheat, soft white	90	85	97
Wheat midds	89	83	94
Brewers grains	21	70	80
Apple Pomace	22	68.9	78
Bakery Waste	92	89	101
Grape Pomace	90	33	38
Soybean hulls	91	80	91

The two left columns above came from the Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle 1996. Published by the National Academy of Science. Relative Value is based on Whole Corn at 88 TDN. The TDN of all other feeds is divided by 88 to calculate the relative value. TDN and RELATIVE VALUE are on a 100% dry matter basis. It’s interesting to note that the NRC table lists corn dry matter as 88%, while dry matter of corn in the northwest is typically 85%. That can make a difference in value and calculations.

*Dr. Hunt and his co-workers at the Univ. I. have determined that bushel weight is a poor estimator of feed value; however it’s still the most commonly used factor.

The following feeds come from various sources; such as my own lab tests and those from the extension services in Id, Or, and Wa. Some have been provided by other livestock nutritionists who practice in the Pacific Northwest.

Feed	% Dry	TDN	RELATIVE VALUE
Beet Pulp, dried	91	75	85
Beans, cull	90	84	95
Grain Screenings	89	77	88*
Carrots	12	83	94
Corn silage, mature	30	72	82
Corn & Cob meal	87	79	90
Corn Cannery Silage	22	72	82
Corn Dstlr grain w/ solubles	90	87	99
Vegetable Oil	99	195	222
Grain Dust	92	73	83
Oat Hulls	93	40	45
Peas, cull	89	86	98
Potatoes, cull	21	80	91
Potato waste	14	78	89
Wheat, millrun	90	75	85**
Onions, cull	10	75	85
Lentil screenings	90	70	80
Pulses 89 84 95	89	84	95

Please note that these values came from tables or individual feed samples. They are most definitely NOT the same as what you might purchase. Have by-products tested before you buy and feed them.

* grain screenings vary by source of grain and processing. It is extremely important to test grain screenings before you buy. The screenings may come from corn, barley, oats, or wheat. Each will be different. Be sure to test for ash. This is a way to make sure that the feed is not excessively dirty. It should be 12% or less. Ash doesn’t have any energy or protein!

** It’s also important to note that the wheat by products are quite different. Wheat dust, millrun, or middlings have different nutrients and values. Cull peas are quite different from pea screenings. They have different values to your animals and should be priced accordingly.

The relative value is a rough estimate that you can use for purchasing. An example might be: you usually feed 5 lb of whole corn to your calves. You have located some grain dust. If corn is priced at $160/ton, then the grain dust has a value of $132.80 (Relative value 83 x corn price 160 = $132.80. You would have to feed about 6 lb of grain dust to get the same pounds of TDN. Hopefully the grain dust will be priced less
than $132.80 so that you can afford the extra waste and time that goes with it’s feeding.

Let’s try another example using a high moisture feed to replace whole corn. Feeding 5 lb. of whole corn provides 4.4 lb of corn dry matter (5 lb x 88% dry). 4.4 lb of corn dry matter provides 3.9 lb of TDN (4.4 x 88% TDN = 3.9). To replace that TDN
with cull potatoes requires feeding 4.5 lb of potato dry matter (3.9 lb ÷ 80% TDN =4.9). This takes 23 lb of potatoes (4.9 lb ÷ 21% dry matter = 23 lb). At $ 160/ton of corn, your cost per head daily would be $.40 (5 lb x $.08/lb of corn = $.40). To replace that with cull potatoes requires that the potatoes cost no more than $34.00/ton ($.40 ÷ 23 lb = (.017/lb x 2000 lb = $34). That is the break-even price; unless you’re trapped and have no alternative, that’s a very high price to pay. You will feed 4 plus times as many potatoes as you would have corn. It will take much longer to feed and there will be much greater feed waste. Every once in awhile cattle will choke on whole spuds.

By products may have upper limits in a ration. An example might be something like “dried corn distillers grain w/solubles should comprise no more than 30% of ration dry matter in a finishing ration”. Ask a nutritionist for help when making up a ration using a by-product that is new to you. By products may also have nutrients that are very high or low relative to grain. Dried corn distillers grain w/ solubles is a good example. The sulfur content is quite high. A level of 0.6% is about average. If other feeds and your water have high levels of sulfur, performance and intake may be limited. Excessive sulfur has also been shown to be a factor in ‘brainer’ cattle. Sulfur content of the ration should not exceed 0.3% of dry matter. Sulfur also interferes with normal copper and selenium use by cattle.

Selecting a replacement for grain should not only be based on cost of the ingredient, but should also include waste, extra labor and equipment use. For instance some of the fluffy feeds such as corn dust, millrun, and screenings may blow away when you try to load them in the feed truck. High moisture feeds will spoil if not fed rapidly (within 2 to 3 days). Make sure that you will have a continuous supply of the alternate feed. It isn’t
fun to run out of a feed ingredient half way into the feeding period. Alternative feeds may vary from load to load. This isn’t a big deal if you’re only feeding 2 or 3 lbs of dry matter daily, however if they make up a large portion of the ration, they can cause a serious wreck. Cattle can go off feed; they may bloat and die, or may come down with severe diarrhea. Other than these factors, there’s nothing to it!

Michael J. Mehren, Ph.D. is a livestock nutritionist who has yet to find a good substitute for beer while writing in Hermiston, Oregon. He can be contacted by Email at mehrens@eotnet.net.