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As a general rule, range grasses hold their feed values better through winter than tame or irrigated pastures, or crop residues. These lose nutrient value once they dry up or freeze, and cattle generally need supplemental feed (hay, silage, grain or a protein supplement and mineral mix).
What to feed cows when there is no hay?
Alternative feedstuffs used to decrease the dependency on alfalfa or grass hay include harvested corn stalks, millet hay, wheat straw, sorghum-sudan, cottonseed hulls, soybean hulls, wheat middlings, and corn gluten feed. Cottonseed hulls are low in protein (3.5 percent), but equal in energy to late cut grass hay.
How much feed does a cow need in winter?
Cows will voluntarily consume about 2 percent of their body weight or 24 pounds per day. The 24 pounds is based on 100 percent dry matter. Grass hays often will be 7 percent to 10 percent moisture.
Do cows need grain everyday?
The grain finished cattle need to be checked regularly and fed daily. They live in the pasture their entire lives and also receive natural grain during the last 6 months of their life.
Can you feed cows just hay?
Hay is the most commonly used winter feed for beef cattle, but it’s also the most expensive. Each cow requires a daily intake of 40 pounds of round-baled hay, which amounts to $1.61 if pricing hay at $80 per ton. So, unless you can get hay for $40 a ton or less, your most economical choice is corn.”Aug 8, 2002.
What is the cheapest way to feed cattle?
“Corn residue is one of the lowest cost forages on a cost per pound of energy. That’s why mixing a high energy and protein feed like distillers’ grains with a low quality forage like corn stalks is so cost effective. Distillers’ is often a low-cost source of both energy and protein.
What is the best feed for fattening cattle?
What is the best feed for fattening cattle? Barley is the best grain for lot feeding cattle, but wheat, triticale, sorghum, maize, and oats can be used. Oats is not an ideal grain on its own for cattle fattening but can be used with any of the other grains. Hay or silage could be used as the roughage source.
Do cows need shelter in the winter?
Providing proper shelter for grazing cattle during cold weather is critical and can even reduce your feed costs, since chilled livestock will have increased energy requirements. Shelter can be provided in a variety of ways. Three-sided sheds placed throughout your pastures will allow cattle to escape harsh weather.
How many bales of hay does a cow need a day?
A 1200-pound cow, ready for processing, will require 36 pounds of forage per day based on the formula used here. Thirty-six pounds of hay is close to one small square bale of hay per day, taking into consideration some waste.
Can you feed cows corn?
Corn can be used in many different types of backgrounding and finishing diets, and it can serve as a supplement in forage-based diets for beef cows. However, corn is relatively low in protein and high in starch, which can affect forage utilization negatively, especially in diets based on lower-quality forages.
How many bales of hay does a cow need for winter?
Calculate Number of Bales Needed Determine the number of bales of hay that each cow needs by dividing the cow’s yearly need by the adjusted weight of each bale. For a cow needing 8,190 pounds of hay per year and a bale weight of 960 pounds, divide 8,190 by 960 for a yearly need of about 8.5 bales per cow.
Do cows prefer hay or grass?
Dairy cows need the best hay—with the most nutrients per pound—since they are producing more milk than a beef cow. Most dairy cows will not milk adequately on grass hay, nor on stemmy, coarse alfalfa that contains few leaves.
What is the best grain for cattle?
Corn has the highest energy value and is likely the most economical grain in corn-producing localities. Corn, oats, and barley are the primary grains fed to cattle. Oats, which has a lower energy value due to its high fiber content, is considered the “safest” grain in regards to potential digestive disturbances.
Can cattle survive on just grass?
While some cows can sustain many of their needs on grass alone, they are usually the non-lactating cows (i.e., cows that aren’t producing milk). A lactating dairy cow has a high metabolism, and is very similar to a marathon runner or high performance athlete.
What is the largest expense in cattle feeding?
Year after year, feed costs remain the single largest expense in the cow-calf sector. In a typical year, feed equates to approximately half of total enterprise costs. However, feed may represent as much as 70 percent of all cow-calf costs when extremes such as drought occur.
What does molasses do for cattle?
Adding high-quality molasses for cows into the forage has been demonstrated to add key nutrients and make the fiber in your standard feed more digestible. In addition, the taste of feed molasses improves appetite, even during stressful periods, ensuring a stabilized feed intake for your herd.
How do you fatten up a bull?
Fattening of bulls requires a quality diet. This means doing high quality hay and having it in your store, making silage, making a concentrate to improve on protein and energy nutrition and also having minerals and vitamin sources that can be bought as premix. Total mixed ration way of feeding is also encouraged.
How much grain should I feed my butcher steer?
The steer will consume roughly 15-20 pounds of hay per day or 2 percent of his body weight. Grain is added to the diet three months before taking the steer to the processor. The amount of time on feed can vary from 60-150 days. For a backyard steer, 90 days on grain should be sufficient.
