Frequently Asked Questions
What is the difference between Bypass G and Bypass Drylick?
Bypass Drylick, as the name suggests, is a dry feed supplement. Bypass G is very similar in its consumption rate, method of feeding and cost but is for supplementing livestock on green feed or green crops and therefore no urea or other non-protein nitrogen is included in Bypass G . Rumensin™ (Elanco TM) can be added to both products to increase the energy available to the animal. See Green Feed Situation below.
DRY FEED SITUATION
How does it work?
When protein, of the available feed, drops to less than 10% crude protein in the rumen (the first stomach of sheep, cattle, deer and goats) the rumen bugs are low in numbers and cannot digest old rough grass, straw and other low quality roughage. This undigested material remains in the rumen and causes the animal to feel full, (that gutty look so familiar to us all) and in turn, reduces appetite. The animal then starts to utilize body reserves (fat and body tissue) off the back, hips and other parts of the body. In other words they are 'losing condition'.
Drylick reverses this situation by providing a limited amount of protein to the animal to feed and build up the rumen bug numbers. Once bug numbers have increased, the rumen can process large amounts of this low quality roughage to provide the animal with its energy requirements. The animal just consumes more of this low quality feed to satisfy its energy requirements.
Rumen bugs only live for a couple of days at the most. This fact is very important for a couple of reasons.
1. The dead bodies of these bugs provide what is known as microbial protein to the 4th Stomach (the true stomach of a ruminant animal). In most cases this is sufficient protein for maintenance, growth and reproduction, especially in mature animals.
2. These bugs require a continuous supply of feed to replace numbers that are continually dying and passing on to the 4th stomach. Ruminant animals can utilize reasonable quantities of urea (which feeds these bugs) provided the urea is increased as the rumen bug numbers increase. So, any break in the supply of feed to these bugs can dramatically reduce the numbers in the rumen with serious consequences.
Ammonia gas, produced by the Urea, can build up dramatically and cause death, if not consumed by these bugs.
How do we limit the intake of Drylick by the animals?
The intake is limited predominantly by the mix of ingredients, the amount and type of ingredients. One of these ingredients is salt, which is a deterrent or attractant.
Does Drylick contain urea?
Yes. Drylick is a urea supplement and must be treated with caution. We have developed the product to reduce the risk to a minimum. To further reduce this risk the following rules should apply when using Dry Lick.
1. Find out if salt is an attractant or a deterrent. Put out some salt and watch for a response. If the sheep or cattle really hook into the salt, continue feeding straight salt until any cravings are satisfied before putting out Drylick.
2. Monitor consumption levels of the product, relative to the number of stock and period of time on supplement.
3. Contact Bypass Stockfeeds if consumption rates are excessive or stock are not taking the supplement.
How do I feed it out for the first time?
Before using Drylick you should first find out whether salt is an attractant or a deterrent. Do this by putting out some salt for the animals and see what their response is. If there is a craving then salt must be fed for several days to reduce the salt intake. If there is no significant interest in the salt then Drylick can be started.
What can I feed it in?
Drylick is best fed in vertical sided drums. For cattle one half of a 200 litre drums (cut between the two rings and sat on its end) is ideal. This tub will hold 1 x 40kg bag comfortably and feed 40 head of cattle for approximately 6 days.
What are the benefits of feeding?
The benefits of feeding are:
What happens if it gets wet?
Ideally, it is best to keep Drylick dry. It can tolerate some rain (we have had up to 25mm of rain on drums with no ill effects) but some wastage may occur. The reason for the vertical sided feed drum is to prevent the funneling effect of rain into the supplement. The drum acts like a rain gauge in the amount of water allowed in the top. Drylick will soak up any rain that falls in the top. The product will go muddy but not form pools of water. The stock do not like the product when it is muddy and resume consumption as the product dries out. This can be assisted by stirring remaining dry product with the wet product on top.
NOTE! Feeding of Drylick in long troughs is not recommended, as the funneling effect of water in the trough will cause leaching of the urea into pools of water at one end of the trough or on the ground around the trough. These pools would contain high and toxic concentrations of Urea.
Can I use it in conjunction with grain?
Drylick can be fed in conjunction with grain to very good effect, but must not be mixed with the grain. Feed Drylick as normal, as above, and feed grain separate.
Why won’t my stock eat Drylick?
There are several reason why stock may not take Drylick.
My stock are eating Drylick too fast. What can I do?
There are a number of options to reduce consumption.
Can I mix it with other feeds?
Do not mix with other feeds or add anything to Drylick as this will change the palatability of Drylick and may lead to excessive consumption of Drylick.
What is the cost of feeding?
The approximate cost of feeding a mature beast (Cattle) consuming the recommended rate of 150 grams/ h/ day and freight per tonne of $50.00 would be around $0.75 per week.
How does Drylick compare with Protein Salt Blocks?
Drylick is about half the price of Protein Salt Blocks. Livestock have difficulty consuming enough of the block to satisfy their requirements. A large percentage of the ingredients of a block are dedicated to holding the block in a solid mass to restrict intake. In Drylick, the ingredients restrict the intake, but these ingredients also provide nutritional value.
Can Drylick help with Pregnancy Toxemia?
Drylick can be used to reduce the risk of pregnancy toxemia by the following:
What is Rumensin™?
Rumensin™ is a Ionophore (a rumen modifier) which increases efficiency of the energy available to the animal in the available feed. This is the energy from all sources in the diet, of the animal, not just from the Drylick supplement. (Improved feed conversion.) It does this by changing the ratio of the 3 volatile fatty acids (VFA’S), produced in the rumen by the rumen bugs (microbes). The rumen microbes produce more propionic fatty acid (the good one) and reduces, the less efficient, acetic and butyric fatty acids.
Rumensin™ can assist in bloat control on legume pastures (Bypass G + Rumensin™ - Green feed supplement). Drylick + Rumensin™ and Bypass G + Rumensin™ when consumed at the recommended rate of 150 grams per head per day will provide 150mg of monensin.
Elanco (Manufacturer of Rumensin) recommend for cattle, 100mg to 200mg monensin per head per day.
Rumensin™ is now registered for sheep as well as cattle.
GREEN FEED SITUATION - Bypass G + Rumensin™
How does it work?
What are high level risk factors for nutritional diseases of livestock?
Can I feed Bypass G + Rumensin™ to species other than ruminant animals?
Rumensin is highly toxic to other species of animals especially horses. DO NOT USE Bypass G + Rumensin™ IN THIS SITUATION. Bypass G can be supplied and can be used where there are a number of species present in the same paddock. Bypass G has no ingredients that are harmful to other species.
Why use Bypass G + Rumensin™?
The advantages of using Bypass G or Bypass G + Rumensin™ are;
Can I feed other grains or hay with Bypass G + Rumensin™?
Access by cattle, in addition to Bypass G + Rumensin™, to cereal hay, oats or rolled barley etc, in a self feeder or roughage in the paddock can increase weight gain due to the following.
Bypass G + Rumensin™ is an ideal supplement for high rainfall coastal areas where leaching of nutrients from the root zone cause mineral deficiencies in pasture and ultimately, livestock. ie, pale green coloured kikuyu or paspalum.
All of the above products are available without Rumensin™.
Bypass Drylick, as the name suggests, is a dry feed supplement. Bypass G is very similar in its consumption rate, method of feeding and cost but is for supplementing livestock on green feed or green crops and therefore no urea or other non-protein nitrogen is included in Bypass G . Rumensin™ (Elanco TM) can be added to both products to increase the energy available to the animal. See Green Feed Situation below.
DRY FEED SITUATION
How does it work?
When protein, of the available feed, drops to less than 10% crude protein in the rumen (the first stomach of sheep, cattle, deer and goats) the rumen bugs are low in numbers and cannot digest old rough grass, straw and other low quality roughage. This undigested material remains in the rumen and causes the animal to feel full, (that gutty look so familiar to us all) and in turn, reduces appetite. The animal then starts to utilize body reserves (fat and body tissue) off the back, hips and other parts of the body. In other words they are 'losing condition'.
Drylick reverses this situation by providing a limited amount of protein to the animal to feed and build up the rumen bug numbers. Once bug numbers have increased, the rumen can process large amounts of this low quality roughage to provide the animal with its energy requirements. The animal just consumes more of this low quality feed to satisfy its energy requirements.
Rumen bugs only live for a couple of days at the most. This fact is very important for a couple of reasons.
1. The dead bodies of these bugs provide what is known as microbial protein to the 4th Stomach (the true stomach of a ruminant animal). In most cases this is sufficient protein for maintenance, growth and reproduction, especially in mature animals.
2. These bugs require a continuous supply of feed to replace numbers that are continually dying and passing on to the 4th stomach. Ruminant animals can utilize reasonable quantities of urea (which feeds these bugs) provided the urea is increased as the rumen bug numbers increase. So, any break in the supply of feed to these bugs can dramatically reduce the numbers in the rumen with serious consequences.
Ammonia gas, produced by the Urea, can build up dramatically and cause death, if not consumed by these bugs.
How do we limit the intake of Drylick by the animals?
The intake is limited predominantly by the mix of ingredients, the amount and type of ingredients. One of these ingredients is salt, which is a deterrent or attractant.
Does Drylick contain urea?
Yes. Drylick is a urea supplement and must be treated with caution. We have developed the product to reduce the risk to a minimum. To further reduce this risk the following rules should apply when using Dry Lick.
1. Find out if salt is an attractant or a deterrent. Put out some salt and watch for a response. If the sheep or cattle really hook into the salt, continue feeding straight salt until any cravings are satisfied before putting out Drylick.
2. Monitor consumption levels of the product, relative to the number of stock and period of time on supplement.
3. Contact Bypass Stockfeeds if consumption rates are excessive or stock are not taking the supplement.
How do I feed it out for the first time?
Before using Drylick you should first find out whether salt is an attractant or a deterrent. Do this by putting out some salt for the animals and see what their response is. If there is a craving then salt must be fed for several days to reduce the salt intake. If there is no significant interest in the salt then Drylick can be started.
What can I feed it in?
Drylick is best fed in vertical sided drums. For cattle one half of a 200 litre drums (cut between the two rings and sat on its end) is ideal. This tub will hold 1 x 40kg bag comfortably and feed 40 head of cattle for approximately 6 days.
What are the benefits of feeding?
The benefits of feeding are:
- Increase rumen function when crude protein levels are below 10% in the rumen.
- Increase digestion of low quality roughage that otherwise remains undigested in the rumen. An increase in appetite results as the digested material in the rumen moves on through the digestive tract.
- Allow sufficient throughput of low quality roughage to allow the animal to achieve it’s energy requirements, although energy values of these roughage are very low.
What happens if it gets wet?
Ideally, it is best to keep Drylick dry. It can tolerate some rain (we have had up to 25mm of rain on drums with no ill effects) but some wastage may occur. The reason for the vertical sided feed drum is to prevent the funneling effect of rain into the supplement. The drum acts like a rain gauge in the amount of water allowed in the top. Drylick will soak up any rain that falls in the top. The product will go muddy but not form pools of water. The stock do not like the product when it is muddy and resume consumption as the product dries out. This can be assisted by stirring remaining dry product with the wet product on top.
NOTE! Feeding of Drylick in long troughs is not recommended, as the funneling effect of water in the trough will cause leaching of the urea into pools of water at one end of the trough or on the ground around the trough. These pools would contain high and toxic concentrations of Urea.
Can I use it in conjunction with grain?
Drylick can be fed in conjunction with grain to very good effect, but must not be mixed with the grain. Feed Drylick as normal, as above, and feed grain separate.
Why won’t my stock eat Drylick?
There are several reason why stock may not take Drylick.
- Stock on green pasture or green pick will not take Drylick. This can be detrimental to stock (especially in winter) chasing green pick. The green pick is very soft and has a high water content, and low nutritional value, and stock lose condition rapidly. It is advisable to close stock off these types of pastures for a couple of weeks and feed some low quality roughage or hay with Drylick still available. The green pasture will have an opportunity to 'harden up' and support livestock. Bypass G or Bypass G + Rumensin can be substituted for Drylick when on green pasture. Similar cost and similar consumption rates as for Drylick.
- Salt content may be too high. Livestock vary greatly in their requirements for salt. Water appears to play a major role in the requirement for salt. Bore water and spring water are usually higher in salts than rainwater catchment dams. Contact Bypass Stockfeeds for further info.
My stock are eating Drylick too fast. What can I do?
There are a number of options to reduce consumption.
- Move drums of Drylick away from the watering point. Stock have a tendency to alternate between the drums of Drylick and water while “at camp” around the water.
- Add extra salt gradually. 1 x 420 gram food tin equals approximately 3% salt per 25kg bag Drylick + Rumensin™. Increase salt by 1 tin per bag at a time. Stir in to the mix in the drum.
Can I mix it with other feeds?
Do not mix with other feeds or add anything to Drylick as this will change the palatability of Drylick and may lead to excessive consumption of Drylick.
What is the cost of feeding?
The approximate cost of feeding a mature beast (Cattle) consuming the recommended rate of 150 grams/ h/ day and freight per tonne of $50.00 would be around $0.75 per week.
How does Drylick compare with Protein Salt Blocks?
Drylick is about half the price of Protein Salt Blocks. Livestock have difficulty consuming enough of the block to satisfy their requirements. A large percentage of the ingredients of a block are dedicated to holding the block in a solid mass to restrict intake. In Drylick, the ingredients restrict the intake, but these ingredients also provide nutritional value.
Can Drylick help with Pregnancy Toxemia?
Drylick can be used to reduce the risk of pregnancy toxemia by the following:
- Increase the rumen micro flora populations for optimum throughput of low quality forages. Increased nutrients (protein and energy) available to the animal.
- Increases the efficiency of any grain fed, to increase nutrition, during the latter weeks of pregnancy.
- As the size of the lamb, or lambs, increases inside the ewe during late pregnancy, the volume of feed able to be processed in the rumen decreases and so the efficiency of the rumen must be increased and the throughput maintained without any checks or setbacks, such as yarding for prolonged periods, or poor rumen function. Drylick can assist with increasing rumen function.
- Bypass Drylick contains a small amount of Bypass Protein which goes directly to the 4th stomach and is a concentrated form of protein.
- Contains maintenance levels of vitamin and minerals that may be lacking in low quality pasture.
What is Rumensin™?
Rumensin™ is a Ionophore (a rumen modifier) which increases efficiency of the energy available to the animal in the available feed. This is the energy from all sources in the diet, of the animal, not just from the Drylick supplement. (Improved feed conversion.) It does this by changing the ratio of the 3 volatile fatty acids (VFA’S), produced in the rumen by the rumen bugs (microbes). The rumen microbes produce more propionic fatty acid (the good one) and reduces, the less efficient, acetic and butyric fatty acids.
Rumensin™ can assist in bloat control on legume pastures (Bypass G + Rumensin™ - Green feed supplement). Drylick + Rumensin™ and Bypass G + Rumensin™ when consumed at the recommended rate of 150 grams per head per day will provide 150mg of monensin.
Elanco (Manufacturer of Rumensin) recommend for cattle, 100mg to 200mg monensin per head per day.
Rumensin™ is now registered for sheep as well as cattle.
GREEN FEED SITUATION - Bypass G + Rumensin™
How does it work?
- A green feed supplement for sheep and cattle.
- Helps increase weight gain, reduces turnoff time, reduces scouring on green crops or pastures and has high levels of magnesium, calcium and phosphorous.
- Increases the efficiency of the energy available from all feed consumed by the animal. Helps prevent bloat on legume pastures
- Young growing animals obtain the most advantage from Bypass G + Rumensin™ as the protein requirement for a young animal is higher.
- Designed to help combat life threatening, nutritional diseases such as hypomagnesemia (grass tetany), hypocalcemia (milk fever) and others, caused by deficiencies of calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and sodium in ruminant animals.
- Helps settle nervy or flighty cattle and if used for at least 2 weeks before market will reduce stress, and therefore the number of dark cutters, when sent to market.
- Extra sulphur can be added to Bypass G + Rumensin™ when stock are grazing forage sorghum or similar. Significant responses, in growth rate, have been witnessed from extra sulphur supplementation on sorghum crops. Please request Bypass G + Rumensin™ with high sulphur when ordering.
What are high level risk factors for nutritional diseases of livestock?
- Lush, grass dominated, pasture in early spring.
- Flush, rapidly growing forage crops, in ideal growing conditions, where specific minerals may be deficient, ie, sulphur in forage sorghum.
- High rainfall areas where calcium, magnesium, phosphorous and sodium are leached, from the root zone, causing deficiencies, of these minerals, in livestock.
- Increased dry matter intake due to last 30 to 40 days of pregnancy.
- Increased mineral demands of the fetus for bone formation.
Can I feed Bypass G + Rumensin™ to species other than ruminant animals?
Rumensin is highly toxic to other species of animals especially horses. DO NOT USE Bypass G + Rumensin™ IN THIS SITUATION. Bypass G can be supplied and can be used where there are a number of species present in the same paddock. Bypass G has no ingredients that are harmful to other species.
Why use Bypass G + Rumensin™?
The advantages of using Bypass G or Bypass G + Rumensin™ are;
- Increase weight gains by reducing scouring on green feed. Animals commence putting on weight from day one, rather than losing weight, for several weeks, due to scouring.
- Protein in Bypass G is Bypass Protein that passes direct to the 4th Stomach. Bypass protein is used as the carrier, other similar products use bran, pollard or mill mix.
- Provides maintenance levels of all vitamin and minerals. Does not correct major deficiencies of individual vitamins or minerals.
- Bypass G and Bypass G + Rumensin™ contain magnesium to reduce the incidence of grass tetany on lush green crops and pasture. 100 % of RDI (Recommended daily intake) when intake is at recommended levels. Grass tetany is, reportedly, a major cause of death on these pastures.
- Reduces the risk of bloat when Rumensin™ is added to the supplement. Bypass G is a very good method of dispensing Rumensin™ to cattle.
- Low cost per head per day.
- Ease of feeding - place 1 x 25kg bag of product in one drum (half 200 litre drum) will feed approx 25 head cattle for about 6 days (at recommended consumption rate 150 Grams per head per day).
- Early indications are that the addition of Rumensin™ into the diet improves the fat colour in carcasses. This could be due to the increase in energy in the diet.
Can I feed other grains or hay with Bypass G + Rumensin™?
Access by cattle, in addition to Bypass G + Rumensin™, to cereal hay, oats or rolled barley etc, in a self feeder or roughage in the paddock can increase weight gain due to the following.
- Increases in energy in the diet due to the reduction in lush green feed intake. ie excessive Rumen Digestible Protein. Excessive RDP reduces energy availability to the animal because excess ammonia, produced by the lush green feed, requires energy to convert the ammonia to urine which is passed out, onto the ground, as waste.
- Grain will increase energy in the diet.
- Reduced scouring.
- Increased roughage will slow the progress of the feed through the animal.
Bypass G + Rumensin™ is an ideal supplement for high rainfall coastal areas where leaching of nutrients from the root zone cause mineral deficiencies in pasture and ultimately, livestock. ie, pale green coloured kikuyu or paspalum.
All of the above products are available without Rumensin™.
