Whether you are just starting out in livestock production or you have been in the business for a while, you know that you need to make sure you have the right cattle feeds to provide the healthiest animals. In addition to ensuring that your animals are getting the proper nutrition, you also need to ensure that they are not ingesting any harmful additives. In this article, we will discuss some of the best ways to make sure that your cattle are getting the right nutrients from your rations.
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Growing rations
Having a properly balanced ration is the key to maximizing the performance of your cattle. The key components of a ration include water, calcium, phosphorus, and the protein component. In addition to providing energy, these nutrients also help regulate many metabolic functions of the body.
Water is particularly important in determining rates of growth. Calcium is important for bone formation, while phosphorus helps with protein metabolism.
Some of the most common nutrients that are incorporated into a ration are vitamin supplements. The most common are B-complex vitamins, but vitamin supplements also include trace minerals. For example, trace minerals such as chromium and zinc are needed to regulate the production of energy, while magnesium is important for muscle contraction.
During the growing phase, a calf consumes more feed than during its mature phase. This means that more energy is needed to support body weight gain. However, it is also important to note that protein is not nearly as important as energy in supporting body weight gain.
Medicated feed additives
Medicated feed additives for cattle help maintain a healthy proportion of nutrients in animal feed. They can also help combat infections, parasites, liver abscesses, and coccidiosis. Some are broadly labeled for growth promotion in healthy animals, while others are labeled for disease prevention or treatment of sick animals.
The use of antibiotics for growth promotion has been a subject of debate in the United States since the 1970s. Although the use of antibiotics for disease prevention has been withdrawn by the federal government, some antibiotics can still be used in animal feed to promote growth and enhance milk production.
Medicated feed additives for cattle are used in small amounts in beef cattle diets. Their purpose is to improve performance, reduce infectious diseases, and increase feed efficiency. Some compounds are used to treat foot rot, while others are used to control parasites, parasite-borne worms, and coccidiosis.
Medicated feed additives for livestock are regulated by the United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA). FDA-approved medicated feed products must have labeling that describes the active ingredients and the concentration in the feed.
External parasite control
Managing external parasites in cattle feeds is a critical issue. These ectoparasites are vectors of pathogens that cause diseases. The occurrence of infestations affects cattle production, productivity, and economic losses. In addition, the burden of these parasites can also affect the animal’s health.
Some of the ectoparasites that infest cattle are mites, flies, ticks, and nematodes. Each of these parasites has its own unique biology and ecology. However, most cattle are susceptible to a variety of ectoparasitic fauna. Therefore, selecting species that are adapted to local conditions is critical.
The most important group of cattle ectoparasites is the mites. These insects feed on blood. Their feeding activity is influenced by cattle movement patterns. Their burdens are low during the summer months, but increase in the winter.
In the United States, cattle are infested with horn flies. These grubs cluster along the spinal column and esophagus. The dead grubs contain components that leak into the cattle’s tissues and trigger paralysis. The larvae subsequently pupate in the ground.
Feed bunks
During a trial, South Dakota State University researchers compared two feeding strategies for beef steers. One strategy was based on free choice, and the other was based on slick bunk management.
The slick bunk feeding strategy was used to minimize waste and deliver feed that closely matched the animal’s appetite. This strategy was applied to twelve pens of yearling steers. The average daily gain of the beef steers was higher in the slick bunk pen. Similarly, the feed:gain ratio was higher in the slick bunk pen.
Feed intake was estimated using a bunk scoring system developed by Dr. Robbi Pritchard. The system used four points to score the amount of feed in the bunk. The score of 0 indicates a bunk that is completely empty, while the score of 1 indicates a bunk that contains more than 0.25 kg of feed.
In addition, the feed intake table allows the feeder to monitor trends in intake. This allows the feeder to make adjustments to the feed delivery schedule to minimize performance losses and digestive upsets.
