Most Holstein cows in the United States are fed a diet that consists mostly of corn and soybeans. Other common ingredients in Holstein cow feed include hay, alfalfa, grain by-products, and some minerals and vitamins. Holstein cows on dairy farms typically consume around 90 pounds (41 kg) of dry feed per day.
How much feed do you feed a holstein cow?
In a similar study using Holstein steers fed a corn-based diet and started on feed at 483 lb and taken to 1288 lb with 243 days on feed, the steers averaged 3.4 lb/day gain with a conversion of 5.5 lb of feed per pound of gain on a DM basis.
What is the average carcass weight of a holstein cow?
They had an average carcass weight of 774 lb and a 58.2% dressing percentage (Lehmkuhler and Ramos, 2008). In a similar study using Holstein steers fed a corn-based diet and started on feed at 483 lb and taken to 1288 lb with 243 days on feed, the steers averaged 3.4 lb/day gain with a conversion of 5.5 lb of feed per pound of gain on a DM basis.
How much corn silage does a Holstein steer eat?
Although the costs of corn silage and corn energy are similar, the moisture content of corn silage limits the amount of DM, and therefore energy, that steers consume. Corn Silage in Holstein Steer Diets(430 - 1100 lbs)
What percentage of dairy steers are Holsteins?
Finished dairy steers and heifers account for 16.2 percent of federally inspected steer and heifer beef production. Since Holsteins constitute 86 percent of the dairy cow population, Holstein steers and the few finished Holstein heifers are 13.9 percent of the fed steer and heifer supply. The marbling within Holstein beef can be extensive.
What do you feed a Holstein heifer?
Values are for Holstein heifers growing 1.9 pounds per day....Example Diets.Ingredient, % of DMHigh ConcentrateHigh ForageGrass Haylage12.7138.65Corn Silage12.0636.40Cracked Corn47.729.27Soybean Meal8.717.059 more rows•May 11, 2016
What do you feed a Holstein calf?
Whole milk can be used to feed baby calves. Calves should be fed daily approximately 10% of their birth body weight (1 quart of milk weighs 2 pounds). For example, a Holstein calf weighing 90 pounds at birth would be fed 4.5 quarts (9 pints) of milk daily or 2.25 quarts per feeding when fed twice daily.
What is the best thing to feed dairy cows?
Dairy cattle should consume enough forage material – pasture grasses, fodder, and silage – to meet their daily caloric requirements. This can be achieved through grazing, using feeding equipment, or a combination of both. Common wet and dry forage materials include corn, barley, hay, alfalfa, and pasture grasses.
How much does a Holstein cow eat per day?
High producing dairy cows will eat 110 to 120 pounds of wet feed a day or 50 to 55 pounds of dry matter (DM) a day. As cows produce more milk, they eat more. A typical diet for a dairy cow could include about 30 to 35 pounds of baled hay (26-30 pounds DM) and 25 pounds of grain mix (22 pounds DM).
How much grain should I feed my Holstein calf?
Two Phase Feeding Systems Usually, steer calves are fed one percent of bodyweight in grain and full-fed hay, corn silage, or pas- ture up to approximately 700 pounds. From 700 pounds to slaughter weight (1,000-1,300 pounds), steers are fed free choice shelled corn and a protein supplement to bal- ance the ration.
How much grain should I feed my Holstein steer?
In a similar study using Holstein steers fed a corn-based diet and started on feed at 483 lb and taken to 1288 lb with 243 days on feed, the steers averaged 3.4 lb/day gain with a conversion of 5.5 lb of feed per pound of gain on a DM basis.
What grain should I feed my dairy cow?
Cereal grains (barley, corn, sorghum, rice, wheat) are the typical "high energy" feeds for dairy cows, but they are low in protein. Rolled or cracked cereal grains are excellent sources of readily fermentable carbohydrates (starch) which increase the concentration of energy when included in the diet.
What do farmers feed dairy cows?
Grass: More than 50 percent of cow feed is actually grass (farmers call it hay and silage). While people often think dairy cows are fed a high-grain diet, in reality they eat the leaves and stems from corn, wheat and oats far more often than they are eating grain, like corn kernels.
What can I feed my dairy cow to increase milk production?
Good forages for dairy cows include grasses such as Kikuyu and napier, Boma Rhodes, lucerne hay, Brachalia, sweet potato vines, desmodium, sorghum, maize, and so on. Good quality maize silage leads to other forages in the nutrition quality.
How much does it cost to feed a Holstein cow?
How affordable is having a family milk cow? Feeding and caring for a family cow will cost you $4.06 per day, which is $1,709.70 per year for 610 gallons of real milk.
How many bales of hay does a cow need for winter?
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. Multiply this by the total number of weaned cattle in your herd. For example, 45 cows multiplied by 8.5 bales per cow results in a total need of 383 bales.
How long do Holstein cows live?
While the natural lifespan of a cow is 15-20 years, most dairy cows are not permitted to live more than five. They're sent to slaughter soon after their production levels drop.
How long do you bottle feed a Holstein calf?
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. Have you had success bottle raising calves?
How do you raise a Holstein calf?
0:304:59Raising Calf-Fed Holsteins: Feedlot Nutrition - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThe answer has to do with grain. And more specifically corn corn is the primary ingredient in usMoreThe answer has to do with grain. And more specifically corn corn is the primary ingredient in us feedlot diets it makes up as much as 80 to 90 percent of the total diet in most feed Lots.
How long does it take to feed out a Holstein steer?
300 to 400 daysIt's a practice in patience. You can expect these animals to be on feed for 300 to 400 days.” Because of their frame size and gut metabolism, Holsteins have higher maintenance requirements. It takes more feed just to meet the calf's daily nutritional needs than it does to keep a native beef steer alive.
How much corn do you feed a Holstein steer?
Feed conversion will be between 7.5 and 8.5 pounds of feed/lb of gain. This will require about 6,400 pounds of ear corn on a dry matter basis or 7,500 pounds on a 15% moisture basis.
How does Holstein cattle reduce maintenance costs?
With Holstein cattle, reducing maintenance energy costs through feeding a highly-digestible, grain based diet will improve the efficiency of gain, carcass characteristics, and allow animals to achieve a USDA Choice carcass, while reducing the chance of discounts for carcasses that are too heavy.
What is the dressing percentage of a dairy steer?
In general, dairy steers have a dressing percentage between 55 to 62%, with an average of 58 to 60%, compared with beef steers that normally range between 58 to 65%, with an average of 62 to 64%. The factors that tend to lower dressing percentage are cattle being lighter muscled, having less fat, having a greater gut fill ...
How much energy does a ruminant need?
In ruminants, maintaining the digestive organs (rumen, reticulum, omasum, abomasum, small intestine, and large intestine) plus the liver and kidneys can take as much as 40 to 50% of the energy and 30 to 40% of the protein consumed in a day. Forage diets that are very bulky and only 40 to 60% digestible increase the weight of the digestive tract.
What breed of cow is the Holstein?
Holstein Cattle Breed – Everything You Need to Know. When we think of dairy cow usually a large black and white cow that usually has some patchwork of spots of white color marking breaking the black comes to mind. That is because one of the most iconic dairy cow breeds around is the Holstein dairy cow. They produce large amounts of health milk rich ...
Who imported Holstein cows to the United States?
Winthrop Chenery was so impressed with the cows milking production and quality that he imported more Holstein to the United States of America in 1857, 1859 and again in 1861. Soon a whole lot of breeders joined him in the plight to establish Holstein cows in America.
What is the number one milk producing cattle breed?
The breed genetically evolved over time into what we know as the Holstein or Holstein-Friesian which is the worlds number one milk producing cattle breed. Settlements in the New World (or as we know it today America) had a need for dairy and as such markets opened up for dairy in America.
What is the best cow in the world?
Holstein cattle are a breed that has a medium to large frame and a very distinctive color pattern on their skin. They are known as the world best dairy cows and produce large amounts of nutritious milk. They have the usual blockish cow figure, soft rectangular faces that end in a slightly uptilted nose and medium-sized fuzzy black ears. They have medium to long sturdy legs and either a small tight dewlap of none at all.
How often do cows calve?
Cows only calve once a year and should have 12 to 14-month inter-calving cycle. The Holstein cow is the worlds best dairy cow and the breed holds the world record for the amount of milk produced by one cow in a year. They are also very good mothers with excellent maternal instincts and are quite fertile.
Which dairy cow breed produces the most milk?
That is because one of the most iconic dairy cow breeds around is the Holstein dairy cow. They produce large amounts of health milk rich in both butterfat and protein content.
What does ALC stand for in cows?
They have claimed the award 35 times in the last 51 years. Note: * ALC stands for American Livestock Conservancy.
What is the feeding program for Holstein calves?
At the feedlot stage, feeding Holsteins is similar to feeding any beef breed. It is the calf stage feeding program that primes the Holstein rumen for a high-grain diet. For calves not weaned to a high-grain diet, adjustment to the feedlot diet will be needed.
What is the primary goal of feeding calves grain?
A primary goal in feeding the calves grain from a young age and not feeding forage, is to develop the rumen to adapt it to a grain-fed diet. Rumen papillae are developed with grain feeding and are needed to increase the ADG. Having the most ADG, from the start, is the goal.
What is calf fed?
The calf-fed feeding program requires starting the calves on milk or milk replacer and plenty of fresh water, with very little or no hay. The calves transition from milk to grain to the total mixed ration (TMR) that they will receive in the feedlot.
How often do Holsteins turn over?
Gut cells turn over every 24 hours. The larger the gut, the more energy devoted to this activity. Holsteins require more energy to put on the same gain as beef breeds. This greater maintenance requirement means they need more feed, more water and produce more manure.
How old do calves have to be to be in a feedlot?
The program depends upon healthy calves entering feedlot environments at 20 weeks of age. Before then, the calves need to be protected from disease — particularly scours and respiratory illnesses — and acclimated to a grain-based, high-energy diet.
When do calfs get mixed rations?
The calf-fed diet is meant to “get them ready for the feedlot setting,” Cassie Youst, Penn State Extension Dairy Educator said. After three or four weeks of rumen development , total mixed rations can be introduced. At 16-20 weeks of age, the animals are ready to be moved to the feedlot.
Is Holstein beef profitable?
But that doesn’t mean that Holstein beef can’t be a profitable venture. Instead, it means that even experienced beef producers, or dairy farmers seeking to diversify into raising their own beef steers, need to learn how to get the most gain, for the least cost, while producing a Holstein carcass that grades well.
