Can you feed Explode (pig feed) to a steer?
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SFASUshowman
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Explode is Paylean(Raptopamine). It was designed as a supplement for pigs to increase the rate of lean muscle gain. I know a guy who got his PhD from Mississippi State and his research work was in feeding Raptopamine to steers. I dont recall him having any negative results feeding it,but I also dont recall him having any benefits feeding it either. I know a lady who fed it to her market goat for the heck of it, it didnt hurt the goat but didnt see where it helped either.
I will call this guy and see what his take on it is though! But I think we have to consider the difference in a pig's digestive system and a cow's here to know if its gonna do any good!
I will call this guy and see what his take on it is though! But I think we have to consider the difference in a pig's digestive system and a cow's here to know if its gonna do any good!
Bradenh
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i agree, if you did this it could take the guess work out for you, but if you use the explode and it works make sure to let me knowadvocate said:
Burnetaggie99
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Make sure your steer has plenty of fat cover because if he does not both products will take away the fat cover and give him a hard top.
SFASUshowman
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I talked to my friend, he said he did see some increased weight gain in the steers he fed it to, but he wouldnt feed it anymore than the last 40 days on feed! He said his disagreement with the OptaFlexx reps was that they claimed they could see "some slight improvement upon visual appraisal". He said they were claiming it would make the steers pop just like paylean will in pigs, but he said he never saw any visual improvement in the steers in the trial, at least not enough to make it worth your while to feed it for that purpose, but he said if weight gain was your concern he would absolutely reccomend it.
You just have to make sure they are sound, any of the supplements that increase muscle mass can also cripple them so be careful1
You just have to make sure they are sound, any of the supplements that increase muscle mass can also cripple them so be careful1
Okotoks
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Depending on the ingredients isn't it illegal in both Canada and the US to feed rations designed for one species to another. Just wondering what the extra protein source might be.It might not apply in this case.
willow
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I have heard that Optaflexx can negatively effect the animals disposition. Does anyone know if that is true?
OH Breeder
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Okotoks said:
Directly from TEXAS A&M website
Is Paylean™ different than Optaflexx™?
Paylean™ is labeled for use in swine and Optaflexx™ is labeled for use in cattle. Both contain ractopamine hydrochloride but at much different concentrations.Remember it is illegal to feed either product to species other than what is listed on the label.
OH Breeder
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willow said:
We tried it one year. You must make sure the animal is finished and has fat cover. We noticed little more aggressive attitude but that's about it.
I have fed explosion and seen no fat burn. Matter of fact, i felt like it increased fat gain and definitely helped put a top and butt on. My recommendation is DO NOT stop feeding it once you have started. my steers ran out for a week while the feed store got an order in and you can DEFINITELY tell the difference without it. They fall apart really fast! Other than that, no problems!
SFASUshowman
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The big concern with feeding Ractopamine hydrochloride to any species is going to be getting them covered and keeping them sound. I have never seen it affect anythings temperement negatively, but I have also never fed it to any cattle. Ractopamine changes metabolism at the cellular level and increases the rate of lean muscle gain. The way I understand it is, energy that would normally be burnt or stored as fat is instead turned to lean muscle. If you get them finished it should not affect marbling or meat quality, but it makes it harder to finish them because the feed you would normally be turning to fat cover becomes lean muscle. I dont know in cattle, but in pigs I always tell people to feed a fat supplement and a glucosomine supplement with it, regardless if they originally thought they needed it or not. And if one is straight legged or tight strided I try to avoid it if at all possible because it will worsen the problem!
OH Breeder
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SFASUshowman said:
Theory is that because Ractopamine hydrochloride is a beta agonist, in humans and animals it can increase epinephrine production causing hyperactivity. Hyperactivity can sometimes be taken as aggression.
Long and short of it. You should not feed PAYLEAN which is meant for PIGS to cattle.
