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During the first three weeks of life, calves should be fed a milk replacer that contains all milk proteins made from dried skim milk or whey products. Milk replacers should contain 18 – 22 percent crude protein, 10 – 22 percent crude fat, and 0.5 percent crude fiber.
What is the best feed for calves?
Calves are adapted to grass; so long stem hay for the first 3-7 days is a normal recommendation. Calves usually prefer a dry grain mix at first, but will quickly adapt to high moisture feeds, including corn silage over a 1-2 week period.
What to feed growing calves?
If good quality pasture or grazing land is provided to the cows and calves, beef calves gain sufficient weight. Alternately, quality hay such as alfalfa, grass or oat will provide adequate nutrition. Provide clean, fresh water, salt and mineral supplements in addition to the roughage.
How much grain should I feed my calf?
Calves will need 4 to 5 pounds of a grain-protein mixture per head daily to average 1.2 pounds daily on winter fescue pastures (Table 3). Forage sorghum, small grain and grass legume silages work well for wintering calves but are lower in energy than corn silage.
When can you start feeding a calf grain?
In early weaning systems calves need to begin eating some grain by 2 weeks of age to allow enough rumen development to occur before weaning at 5 or 6 weeks of age. If we do a good job of managing grain intake, it is possible to wean calves at 6 weeks, even when milk feeding rates are high.
Are eggs good for calves?
These results indicate that egg is an effective alternative protein source to milk protein in calf milk replacers when fed at levels up to 10% of the diet in a conventional feeding program of 0.45 kg per head per day.
Can a calf eat too much grain?
Grains can accumulate in an animal’s intestines because they lack starch-digesting enzymes. Thus, a high-grain diet can promote an overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens, a bacterium associated with sudden death in feedlot cattle, Russell’s article suggests.
What is the best grain to feed a steer?
Corn and milo are the principal grains fed to beef cattle. Limiting wheat to 50 percent and oats to 30 percent of the grain in finishing rations of beef cattle is recommended. Some experienced feeders use larger amounts of wheat successfully.
How much grain does a cow need per day?
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.
How long should you feed calf starter?
It is suggested that calves should be consuming a minimum of 2 lb/day of a high quality calf starter before weaning. Calves can be maintained on the starter for 2 to 3 weeks postweaning and then transition to a grower diet offered with long forage.
What is the best feed to finish a steer?
Using grain to help finish cattle on pasture can offer the best of both worlds. 10-15 lbs. per day of corn, oats or barley fed to grazing cattle is a good finishing ration. This fed to a 900-1000 pound steer for 3-4 months should will you a nicely finished animal.
Can you feed a calf sweet feed?
Agrimaster 50 lb Sweet 18% Calf Starter Medicated Feed is a formulated sweet feed for dairy and beef calves. The medicated grain mix promotes energy and rumen development. Get your cattle started off right with Agrimaster Calf Starter Feed.
How long do you need to feed a calf milk replacer?
He may not like it at first and you’ll have to keep doing it until he starts eating some on his own. Usually, a calf should stay on milk or milk replacer until he is at least four-months-old. Don’t wean him off milk until he is eating an adequate amount of high-quality forage along with some grain pellets.
What is a good calf starter?
One-Step Calf Starter is a 20% protein complete pelleted calf feed designed to be fed from four days of age through one week after weaning. Calves should be weaned from milk replacer after they consume 2.0 pounds of One-Step Calf Starter per head per day for two consecutive days.
Can you feed calves raw eggs?
“Very young calves are often fed raw eggs at sales rings or while being transported. Rela- tively few studies have been conducted to deter- mine the actual value of raw eggs as a food for young calves. Roy (9) stated that raw eggs and water help keep a young calf alive without milk.
How many weeks do calves need milk?
Some calves can be weaned at four weeks of age, whereas others may be up to 10 weeks of age. Calves can be weaned from milk either abruptly or gradually over three to seven days.
What does a raw egg do for a calf?
If your calf has scours, raw eggs added to the milk replacer provides extra protein and is said to help firm up stool. Also mix in some Karo syrup. If your using electrolytes, do not feed it at the same feeding with the milk replacer.
What kind of grain do you feed a calf?
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.
How do I get my calves to eat pellets?
Begin offering calf starter three days after the calf is born. Provide a handful of calf starter in a shallow bucket and gradually increase the amount of starter as calves grow. For optimal calf growth and nutrition, feed fresh calf starter and water daily.
