Cattle feed on grasses, hay and other plants to obtain protein, minerals, carbohydrates and fiber. Their daily caloric intake depends on their body size, stage of production and feed quality.
Cows possess four stomachs, each equipped with its own digestive process to break down tough foods such as hay, corn, wheat straw and legumes. The rumen, the largest part of these stomachs, holds up to 50 gallons of partially digested food.
Contents
1. Dry Matter (DM)
When it comes to how many pounds of food a cow consumes daily, several factors come into play: their weight, body condition and stage of production as well as the quality and amount of forage available to them.
For instance, a cow in early lactation may require 14.6 pounds of dry matter daily on average to produce 17.6 pounds of milk. The larger she is, the more food she will need to consume to meet her daily dry matter needs.
Digestion rate and level are important factors in determining how much forage a cow can consume. Low-grade roughage has a slower rate of digestibility and passes through the stomach more slowly than high-quality feed like wheat straw or alfalfa, for instance.
2. Wet Matter (WM)
The amount of food a cow consumes daily depends on several factors, such as her weight, feed quality and production stage (gestating or lactating).
On average, dairy cows consume 110 to 120 pounds of wet feed daily. Their intake can also vary based on the moisture content of forages and grains included in their ration.
At a feedlot, cattle typically eat six pounds of grain per pound of live weight gain. Grass-finished cattle that have been grass fed all their lives do not need to consume this amount of grain.
On average, a beef animal weighing 1,200 to 1400 pounds drinks about 18,600 liters of water daily – translating to approximately 512 pounds of edible beef.
3. Grain
Cows consume a certain amount of grain daily. Their intake depends on several factors, including their weight, feed quality and production stage (gestating or lactating).
For instance, a 1,200-pound pregnant spring-calving cow with access to grass hay and water will consume 24 pounds of dry matter daily – or 0.5 percent of its body weight in dry matter.
It is essential to introduce grain feeding gradually, in small amounts, so the digestive tract can get used to it. Eating too much grain may lead to health issues like lactic acid poisoning or acidosis.
4. Minerals
On average, cows consume 1200 pounds of food annually – dry matter (DM) and grain. Grain sources include corn, soybean meal and mineral supplements.
Minerals are essential for growth, reproduction and health of beef cattle. They serve as building blocks for chemical reactions within the body that take place.
Calcium is the most abundant mineral in the human body and plays an integral role in bone formation and maintenance, muscle contractions, nerve impulse transmission, blood clotting, membrane permeability, milk production, hormone secretion, enzyme activation – just to name a few!
Phosphorus is another mineral essential to beef cattle, aiding with calcium absorption as well as acid-base balance, osmotic pressure regulation, water balance and muscle contractions.
Free-choice minerals can be an effective way to provide year-round access to essential minerals and vitamins, but managing their intake can be challenging. Factors such as feeder location, pasture topography, grazing patterns, shade conditions, soil fertility levels and weather conditions all affect how much of these essential vitamins and minerals are consumed.
