Protein Tubs vs Range Cubes vs Liquid Feed for Cows on Hay

By the XES Netting team — bale net-wrap manufacturer · Updated October 6, 2026 · ~12 min read

Protein tubs vs range cubes is the winter argument at every feed-store counter, and liquid feed has joined it. All three can fix the same problem — hay too low in protein for a cow’s rumen microbes to digest it well — but they deliver that protein very differently. The cheapest choice is rarely the one with the lowest price per bag, and the right answer starts with what your hay test says.

This guide is for cow-calf producers wintering beef cows on hay, cornstalks or dormant grass. It is not a ration or veterinary recommendation; a nutritionist or Extension specialist should balance the program for your herd. XES makes bale net wrap, not feed. We compared 18 archived AgTalk discussions about tubs, cubes and liquid supplements (164 posts, 2022–2026) with university Extension guidance and published feeding research.

Does your hay need protein?

Start with a forage test. Oklahoma State University beef specialist David Lalman writes in Supplementing Beef Cows that “the most accurate method to determine supplemental needs for cows that will primarily receive a hay diet is to have the hay analyzed,” at $15 to $70 per sample. Our guide to reading a hay test explains the numbers.

Protein earns its keep on low-quality forage. Ohio State University Extension says supplemental protein can improve forage use “particularly when cows are consuming low-quality forages (< 7%–8% crude protein),” because rumen microbes need nitrogen to break down fiber. Oklahoma State adds that energy supplementation “will not be effective if dietary protein is deficient.” The payoff can be large: in a study summarized in the Oklahoma State fact sheet, cows on native range fed 2 pounds a day of a 40% protein supplement in late gestation gained 23 pounds while unsupplemented cows lost 153, and their calves weaned 36 pounds heavier.

The table shows the targets as a share of the diet’s dry matter, for crude protein and for TDN (total digestible nutrients, the usual measure of energy).

Oklahoma State’s Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle uses 7.5% crude protein as a floor because “ruminal fermentation may be compromised with low protein diets.” If your hay already meets the target, more protein is money spent in the wrong place, as one Manitoba producer told a Georgia producer asking about tubs and cubes:

"I'd test your hay before committing to a protein supplement. If the hay is 10% protein and a 50% TDN, adding more protein is mostly going to loosen them up. In that case you would want to add an energy supplement."

— northerngrazer, Manitoba · AgTalk thread 1137365

How much hay the cows will eat, and how a supplement changes that, is covered in how much hay does a cow eat.

Protein tubs vs range cubes vs liquid feed, side by side

Sources: Oklahoma State University AFS-3010; University of Kentucky Extension ASC-215; Texas A&M AgriLife Extension E-178; South Dakota State University Extension Winter Cow Feeding and Management, citing the Bowman and Sowell (1997) review of 20 studies. CV is the coefficient of variation; higher means more uneven intake.

Cost per pound of protein: the worksheet

University of Nevada specialists Ron Torell and John Balliette put it bluntly in the Beef Cattle Handbook’s Pricing Protein and Energy Supplements: “Supplements should not be compared by cost per ton as this is very misleading.” Compare the protein you are actually buying.

Oklahoma State’s own example: a 20% supplement at $300 a ton costs $0.75 per pound of protein ($300 ÷ 400 pounds of protein per ton), while a 38% supplement at $380 a ton costs $0.50. Here is the same arithmetic applied to prices AgTalk members posted:

Prices are what posters reported at the time (AgTalk threads 1137365 and 1086080), not current quotes. The conversions are our arithmetic on as-fed crude protein.

In the Georgia thread, a North Texas reply did the math in one line:

"At your price cubes are 20¢ cheaper per lb of protein."

— ntexcotton, North Central Texas · AgTalk thread 1137365

Notice the bigger gap in the table: bulk, higher-protein cubes cost about half as much per pound of protein as bagged 20% cubes. Delivery can still change the answer, in either direction. In SDSU’s partial-budget example for 300 cows, a 30% cake delivered daily to cows 50 miles away cost about $1,475 a week, against about $1,865 a week for a 30% cooked molasses tub delivered once a week. SDSU adds that simply hand-feeding the protein cake less often would cut that cost further, but also that self-fed products can come out ahead on rangeland when delivery is expensive.

Then check where the protein comes from. Urea counts toward crude protein on the tag but does not do the same job on poor hay. Oklahoma State says non-protein nitrogen is 75% to 95% as effective as plant protein only when several conditions line up, such as larger, more mature cattle and access more than once a day, and that plant protein generally works better on low-quality roughage when small amounts are fed. North Dakota State University recommends that no more than 40% of the crude protein in a supplement for cows on forage come from urea. One AgTalk member laid out the comparison method:

"Look at the ingredients in the tub other than the npn and molasses. Look at the consumption level that the tub recommend. Find those nutrients and a way to feed them and compare the price and labor equipment etc between the two."

— phatcow · AgTalk thread 1235934

Who is actually eating the tub?

Self-fed products solve a labor problem and create a measurement problem. In the Bowman and Sowell review summarized by SDSU, the average coefficient of variation in intake was 79% for blocks, 60% for liquids and 41% for hand-fed supplements, and 19% of animals offered self-fed products ate none, compared with 5% of those hand-fed.

"Cubes are gonna win in overall consumption every time. You never know who is eating tubs and who isn't."

— jfqc, southeast Montana · AgTalk thread 1137365

"You always get the boss-hogs that eat on tubs non-stop and won't let others eat."

— Cache Creek · AgTalk thread 1137365

The Georgia producer who started that thread had a different complaint: the herd emptied 25% tubs in about half the time the label’s daily intake suggested. Weather moves intake too. Another producer in that thread, pricing feed in Canadian dollars, found that my intake was low due to the cold weather making the tubs too hard, while Texas A&M notes that pressed blocks that take up moisture soften and get eaten faster than predicted.

Texas A&M’s block-and-tub guide gives the practical levers. Cattle visit and eat more from supplements placed near water or loafing areas. If consumption is lower than expected, add tubs; if aggressive animals dominate, spread the tubs out. Keep tubs out of riparian areas and away from surface water. Whatever you use, count what disappears each week and divide by head; that number, not the label, goes into the worksheet.

How often to feed range cubes

High-protein cubes do not have to go out every day, and that is where much of their labor penalty disappears. In western Texas, Huston and colleagues (1999) found that cottonseed meal fed as infrequently as once a week “was as effective as once daily supplementation” for adult range cows. Kansas State researchers (Farmer et al., 2001) saw slightly less weight loss with more frequent feeding of a 43% supplement, but the differences were small. Oregon State research (Bohnert et al., 2002) found protein supplements worked “even when provided as infrequently as once every 6 d.”

"in Texas on dead grass in winter I give some sort of protein every 3-4 days. I feed the cheapest protein I can find."

— SamT · AgTalk thread 1181986

Two caveats from Oklahoma State. Those results came from oilseed-meal supplements; cows would not be expected to perform as well on supplements with significant non-protein nitrogen fed at long intervals. Energy feeds are different, too: Oklahoma State caps any single feeding at 1% of body weight, 11 pounds for an 1,100-pound cow, to avoid digestive upset and poorer forage digestion, and SDSU warns that feeding grain-based energy supplements less often can hurt consumption and digestibility. Larger, less frequent protein feedings also give timid cows a better shot at their share.

Liquid feed: convenience with caveats

Liquid supplements are self-fed from tanks or lick wheels. SDSU notes that intake is limited by how fast cattle can lick the liquid from the tank, and some products add salt or flavor to slow consumption. Producers who use liquid value the convenience, but their stories about intake and handling are consistent:

"Will over consume free choice with out lick wheel tanks. Neighbor had cows consuming 7 gallons per day. It will take the galvanizing off a water tank, enhance the rust in your mixer, and kill weeds wherever you spill it."

— pcc · AgTalk thread 1112644

"It's nothing too difficult to deal with, but it is heavy. And they can make a mess around the tank pretty quickly when it starts raining."

— Wchurch96, east central Ohio · AgTalk thread 1202664

If you grind or process round bales, the liquid can go on the hay. A northeast Nebraska producer who mounted a tank on a bale processor changed where the liquid went:

"After a while I realized maybe I should be putting it on the better hay, knowing it will for sure get consumed, then they can still pick at the poor stuff as much as they want."

— cornncows, northeast Nebraska · AgTalk thread 1142531

Our bale processor buying guide covers the machines. Because many tubs and blocks, and some liquids, include urea, intake control is a safety issue as well as a cost issue: University of Kentucky Extension warns that “overconsumption of non-protein nitrogen can lead to toxicity and death.” Follow the label’s feeding directions exactly.

Read the tag before you compare

“Lick tub” covers very different products, as a Wisconsin producer pointed out in a 2026 thread:

"There are protein lick tubs and there are mineral lick tubs. My Mineral-lyx tubs are only around 4% protein but have a good range of vitamins and trace minerals."

— Jim, Driftless southwest Wisconsin · AgTalk thread 1224658

Mineral is a separate program with its own tag math. Our guide to mineral for cattle in winter covers target intake, copper and zinc forms, selenium limits and vitamin A for cows on stored hay.

The University of Tennessee’s Beef & Forage Center lists what a beef-cattle feed tag guarantees: minimum crude protein, maximum equivalent protein from non-protein nitrogen, maximum crude fiber and minimum crude fat. It also notes what the tag leaves out, including ingredient amounts and energy values such as TDN. University of Kentucky Extension adds that protein tubs may run anywhere from 14% to 50% crude protein and that some contain ionophores or other additives; treat medicated products as exactly that and follow their labels.

• Crude protein (minimum) — the number for step 2 of the worksheet.
• Protein equivalent from non-protein nitrogen (maximum) — how much of that protein can be urea.
• Recommended intake per head per day — what the product is designed to deliver; compare it with what disappears.
• Ingredient list — plant protein products, molasses, urea and minerals, named but not quantified.
• Feeding directions and cautions — the legal instructions for that product.

Which format fits your herd

Hand-feeding has one benefit that never shows up in the worksheet. An Illinois producer who grazes cornstalks and buys corn gluten explained the case for a bucket over a tub:

"I've always thought the protein lick tubs were kinda overpriced. Have a mineral that suits your situation out free choice, and bucket feed gluten. Has the added benefit of all the cows coming up when you feed, making it easier to lay eyes on them."

— blowsand, Mercer County, Illinois · AgTalk thread 1181986

If you are short on hay as well as protein, start with our plan for stretching a short hay supply, and cut losses at the feeder with less round-bale feeding waste.

Frequently asked questions

Are protein tubs worth the money?

Sometimes. Tubs usually cost more per pound of protein than bulk range cubes, and intake varies more from cow to cow. They earn their place when labor, distance or scattered pastures make hand-feeding expensive. Test the hay first, then compare delivered cost per pound of crude protein and check the tag for urea.

How much protein does a beef cow need in winter?

Oklahoma State University’s tables use 7.5% crude protein in the diet dry matter for cows in mid and late gestation, rising to about 8.8% to 11.5% in the first 90 days after calving, depending on cow size and milk. A hay test shows how much of that the hay already supplies.

How often should I feed range cubes?

High-protein cubes based on oilseed meal can be fed two or three times a week, or even less often; studies in Texas, Kansas and Oregon found little difference in cow performance. Feed the same weekly total. Grain-based energy feeds should go out more often in smaller amounts, and urea-heavy supplements suit long intervals poorly.

Do protein tubs reduce hay consumption?

It depends on the hay and the supplement. On protein-deficient hay, added protein usually helps cows eat and digest more forage. In a western Texas study, cottonseed meal tended to reduce forage intake by about the amount fed. Some producers report saving hay with tubs; weigh what you feed before and after to know.

Is liquid feed cheaper than range cubes?

Some producers find liquid cheaper per pound of crude protein, often because part of that protein is urea. But cows can overeat it, urea is used less efficiently on very poor hay, and tanks need upkeep. Compare delivered cost per pound of protein and track how much each cow actually consumes.

The bottom line on protein tubs vs range cubes

The protein tubs vs range cubes question has no universal winner. Test the hay, price every option per pound of crude protein, add the cost of getting it to the cows, and check how much of that protein is urea. Cubes usually win on cost; tubs and liquid win on labor. Good supplement decisions start with good hay, and good hay starts with a tight, well-stored bale — XES bale net wrap is built for that.

Research note: We read all 18 archived AgTalk discussions with protein tubs, lick tubs, range cubes or liquid supplements in the title (164 captured posts, November 2022 to April 2026) and checked the linked Extension publications and research on October 6, 2026. Forum prices are shown as posted at the time; cost-per-pound conversions are our arithmetic, assuming a 50-pound bag where the poster gave no weight. Post counts include questions and replies; they are not counts of farms or feeding trials.

Featured photograph: Cows licking on salt blocks, November 1977, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, public domain, via Wikimedia Commons. Two cows at a wooden supplement trough on dormant Montana range; the trough held salt blocks, not a protein tub, and this is not an XES farm. Image unchanged apart from display resizing.