HEADLINE: Sweet times for cows as gummy worms replace costly corn feed

[EddieDingo]

Farmers in the Midwest are using fillers to try and stretch cow feed which is in short supply this year due to record breaking heat and drought.  They are supplementing the cows' diets with items like ice-cream sprinkles, peanuts, gummy worms and even chocolate.

I'm sure this isn't as strange as it sounds and the situation is far from funny, but I can't help but smirk while wondering if feeding a black cow candy bar to cattle would be considered cannibalism.

http://news.yahoo.com/sweet-times-cows-gummy-worms-replace-costly-c...

[TeeBubbaDee]

Maybe they would like some Aggie cookies.

[Aggie]

Those are Dingo cookies.

Aggie cookies have the horns sawed off short.

[Jaylee53]

Bet milk tastes better.

[darroll]

Feed the cattle horehound’s as they aren’t fit for human consumption anyway.

[Slim]

Whorehounds?

[TeeBubbaDee]

I like blonds!!!

[darroll]

LMAO

[Aggie]

During the drought last year I feed my cows DDG.

[TeeBubbaDee]

An experiment was replicated over 2 yr to determine the effect of additional RUP and dietary fat from dried distillers grains plus solubles (DDGS; n = 2) or wet corn gluten feed (WCGF; n = 2) before breeding on primiparous cow reproduction and calf production. Over 2 yr, 134 postpartum, primiparous cows (429 ± 5 kg initial BW) were fed 1 of 2 isocaloric, approximately isonitrogenous diets in 1 pen/yr (n = 4) providing varying levels of RUP and dietary fat. Treatments were initiated 21 (yr 1) and 60 d (yr 2) postpartum and continued for 56 (yr 1) or 16 d (yr 2) until timed AI. Diet type did not affect (P = 0.78) prebreeding BW; however, WCGF-fed cows had a greater (P = 0.03) ADG before breeding compared with DDGSfed cows.

Percentage of cows resuming estrus, becoming pregnant to AI, and becoming pregnant after bull exposure were similar (P > 0.10) between treatments. Male calf weaning BW, adjusted 205-d BW, and calf value were similar (P > 0.10) between treatments. Female calf weaning BW and calf value were also not different (P > 0.10) between treatments. Female calves from DDGS-fed cows tended to have a greater (P = 0.07) adjusted 205-d BW than calves from WCGF dams. In conclusion, WCGF in postpartum, primiparous beef cow diets improved cow ADG before breeding, and DDGS increased 205-d weaning BW of female offspring. Both DDGS and WCGF are acceptable supplements for primiparous cows and may improve beef production sustainability.

Soooooo, did your ladies get, (sorry for the pun) "hornier"?

[Aggie]

Yes, but no calf production yet this year.

Note all my cows have horns except for Wendy.

[Slim]

You guys have lost me.  That gummy worm thing was more fun.

[TeeBubbaDee]

Must be a guy thing.