wheat germ oil

[justme]

Do any of you use wheat germ oil to top dress your heifer feed?  We use it on sheep but never on cattle.  Our heifer could use a little more weight on her.  We cut down the beet pulp and increased the corn...didn't know if the wheat germ oil would help a heifer like a lamb.
Thanks...Here's to hoping my post isn't pulled ;D

 

[shortyjock89]

I don't know about wheat germ oil, but we use a top dress supplement called Power Phat made by Showmaster Feeds.  It smells like cookies!  It really added cover to my steer in a hurry this year.  I would be feeding it to our bull calf(Nov 06) , but his ADG is already over 4lbs and we're not even pushing him yet!! 

 

[red]

I always used corn oil, had good digestability w/ it. Add a little cherry flavoring & they eat it well. Just go very light at first or they get scours.

Red

 

[justme]

I heard corn oil will make them loose hair....have you had that problem before?

 

[red]

if you use too much. I just sprayed it on very lightly. I think if you make the ration too hot w/ anything you'll lose hair.

Red

 

[ShowStopper]

We use wheat germ oil for all our calves, along with corn. The two combined seem to put weight on fairly quick. Once we started feeding it to them their hair also seemed to be softer. We topdress with 3 oz. per day. ;D

 

[Jill]

This is only my opinion on the hair from our experience. Genetics have more to do with hair than any other thing you will do to or for them.  We are showing 3 heifers this year one has fabulous hair, one has a nice coat but kind of course, one looks like she has been slick sheered.  They are all treated the same, they are on the same diet, they are in a cooler from sun up to sun down and they are rinsed and brushed no less than twice a day.  Try cooking the corn, it puts on a smoother finish than just adding corn, sorry, we have never tried the wheat germ oil we have used liquid gold from Suthers (pig feed) and it works really well.

 

[OH Breeder]

WHeat Germ Oil and Corn Oil nutritional are very similar.
Wheat Germ - one cup oil has 218 gs of fat and 1927 calories
Corn Oil- one cup has 224 gs of far and 1980 calories.
I think though the corn oil is cheaper to feed. We buy corn oil in bulk at feed mill, it already has cherry flavoing in it. You can then measure it out and add as you go.
Both oils are a good source of Viatmain E.

I was always taught the hotter the feed the hotter the animal. You will raise the internal temperature and hence the hair does not grow as well. I agree genetics are a big part, but we have some that are not in coolers and few on different rations. The ones that are not on such hot ration do have a bit better hair than the ones that are on higher corn ratio.

 

[knabe]

"We are showing 3 heifers this year one has fabulous hair, one has a nice coat but kind of course, one looks like she has been slick sheered."

i have 3 heifers the same way, though they are not to be shown and live in and outside.  the one with hair has kept it without any shred of color change, while the other two are as you describe.  the two without the great hair are twins, and are different as well, one practically slick, the other with decent hair, but some discoloration.