Whether you are feeding cattle for breeding, finishing or as meat animals for sale, it is important to buy quality feed that will provide your livestock with the nutrients they need.
There are many options available when it comes to buying cattle feed, from commercial rations to custom-blended rations. Choosing the right ration can help your cattle stay healthy and perform at their best.
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Feeding Schedule
A beef cattle feeding schedule can help you determine how much feed to buy and where it should be placed in the barn. This can help you avoid overfeeding and keep your animals healthy.
Young calves need different nutrients than adult cattle. This includes protein, iron and other minerals.
To ensure that your calf receives the appropriate amount of milk, it is important to give them colostrum or milk replacer. This will provide them with the antibodies they need to survive and grow.
The calf will need to be fed a minimum of two bottles of milk replacer each day, until it reaches 8-12 weeks old. You can also supplement your calf with hay, pellets, or pasture to get them the nutrition they need.
A research study at Colorado State University compared the performance of steers fed once, twice and three times a day. Steers fed once had similar performance to those fed twice a day.
Feeding Method
Generally, livestock should be fed a combination of forage and feed supplemented with minerals and salt. However, the amount of forage consumed by cattle can vary from season to season due to environmental factors.
In this situation, a low-cost ration based on the net energy values of various hays may be used to meet nutritional requirements while using forage as the primary source of energy and protein. The ration can then be supplemented with a small amount of grain to provide the remaining nutrient needs.
The ration must be formulated to achieve a high net energy value per dollar of ration cost, while also adjusting the protein and mineral levels to meet the animals’ needs, determined by the selected gain, their weight, sex, and frame size. The ration should be calculated with PROGFED2 on a dry matter basis (Tables I and II in Appendix I).
Feeding Ingredients
Cattle feed ingredients can vary widely in nutrient value and quality. The nutrient content of feed is influenced by the raw materials, processing methods, nutrient requirements at different life stages, production systems (e.g., ponds, cages), and market expectations.
A common ingredient used in cattle diets is soybean meal, which is a co-product of the soybean oil milling process. Soybean meal is high in protein and can be used as the primary protein source for a wide range of rations.
It is also an excellent hay replacer in concentrate diets and a good alternative to chopped hay in mixed feeds. However, it has relatively low digestibility and low crude fiber concentration.
Oats are a cereal grain used primarily as an energy source in cattle diets, but their low production levels and high cost often limit their use. Oats are a good choice for weaned calf diets where palatability and nutrient concentration are of importance.
Storage
Keeping livestock on the homestead can be a great way to reduce your family’s grocery store costs and infuse more healthy whole foods into your diet. But keeping animals in your barnyard also means feeding them feed that must be stored carefully to keep it fresh.
Livestock food rations can deteriorate over time due to conditions such as exposure to light, humidity, and temperature. Mold growth and fungal activity can eat away at the nutrients and vitamins in the feed.
The best way to protect your grain and other livestock feed is to invest in a storage solution that will both be pest-free and dry. There are many options available to help you with this, including plastic storage containers, chest freezers, and even large drums.
