Benefits of feeding rolled barley and/or cottonseed hulls?

[LLBUX]

I am feeding a couple of calves hard to do well in a rate-of-gain/carcass contest.
They need to grow fast, grade at least choice, and cut a low number yield grade.

Will rolled barley or cottonseed hulls help?

Using rolled corn, gluten meal, sweet feed, alfalfa pellets and protein pellets. 
Mix is about 13% protein.  They also get a little clover/grass hay daily.

Will reduce/remove the alfalfa, gluten and sweetfeed after weigh-in in February.  Have had great luck in the past on just corn/protein pellets.  ALways looking to try something new.

Your help/opinions are appreciated!

 

[Jill]

Barley and Cottseed hulls are 2 different things.  If you are in a rate of gain you don't want to feed cottonseed hulls, they are a filler and will hurt your rate of gain.  We fed a barley based feed for several years and it was probably the best feed we ever had, it is used in place of the corn for a cooler ration, helps more with hair and I think it puts on a smoother finish.

 

[cattle nut]

Barley and Cottseed hulls are 2 different things.  If you are in a rate of gain you don't want to feed cottonseed hulls, they are a filler and will hurt your rate of gain.  We fed a barley based feed for several years and it was probably the best feed we ever had, it is used in place of the corn for a cooler ration, helps more with hair and I think it puts on a smoother finish.

I just want to clarify the comment about barley vs corn. Barley won't help the hair and in fact it is harder on hair than corn.

 

[farmermom]

Barley and Cottseed hulls are 2 different things.  If you are in a rate of gain you don't want to feed cottonseed hulls, they are a filler and will hurt your rate of gain.  We fed a barley based feed for several years and it was probably the best feed we ever had, it is used in place of the corn for a cooler ration, helps more with hair and I think it puts on a smoother finish.

I just want to clarify the comment about barley vs corn. Barley won't help the hair and in fact it is harder on hair than corn.

Can you explain more on Barley?  We not used it and I would like more info.  It is not as hot as corn or it isn't.  We were feeding  our corn, soy hull pellets oats, beet pulp, cottonseed hull mix and now we can't get the soy hulls in pellets unless we take bulk. 
uote]

 

[Jill]

Let me preface this by saying I am not a feed specialist, I can only base my opinions off my experience.

I didn't say barley helped the hair, corn makes a ration hotter and thus will burn the hair off, many people replace corn with other grains for that reason.  Steam Rolled Barley in this area is hard to come by, we actually bought a roller mill for that porpose and you may have that same problem.  I believe Woodys was the name of the feed we used, it was barley based and I believe the best feed we ever used, if you could find a tag or ration from them that you could go off it would help.  

 

[LLBUX]

Hair and showing on-foot are secondary in this competition.  Primary concern is rate of gain.  They gotta grow first!

Have access to steam rolled barley through local elevator. 
Gotta look up my old animal science books and compare energy of corn and barley.

Thought maybe cottonseed had some residual oil that might provide extra calories.  Some locals feed it to show cattle.

My calves must be finicky eaters.  They don't like fines in their feed.  Tried some gluten meal but they mostly leave it behind in the bottom of the pan. 

Thanks folks-

 

[chambero]

Whole cottonseed and cottonseed hulls are very different things.  Whole cottonseed is very high in fat and protein.  Hulls have almost no nutritional value.