Using the 1,2,3 rule:
- Use the first milk (colostrum) from the cow
- Feed the calf colostrum within the first two hours of birth
- Calves must be offered at least three litres of good quality colostrum
What is the optimal feeding level for calves?
The following practices for raising calves can:
- Decrease the exposure of calves to disease.
- Improve calf health.
- Improve calf survival rates.
- Improve growth rates.
What is the best feed for a calf?
Five Feed Tips for Weaning Calves
- Use Cattle Lick Tubs When Weaning Calves. Cattle lick tubs can be used as a free-choice supplement in calf receiving pens. ...
- Offer Palatable Calf Starter Feed. When calves search for feed, make sure there’s a palatable feed in the bunk. ...
- Select a Feed That Supports the Immune System of Weaning Calves. ...
- Find the Right Feed Form. ...
Which is better for calves hay or grass?
- For alfalfa – minimum of 3 inches
- For cool season grasses – minimum of 4 inches
- For Sudan-type grasses – minimum of 6 inches
What do calves like to eat?
What Does A Tapir Eat?
- Fruits and berries. Tapirs love fruits and berries and spend most of their time foraging for these delicacies. ...
- Twigs and leaves of shrubs and trees. Like any other herbivores, a major portion of a tapir’s diet constitutes herbs, shrubs, and leaves of trees.
- Grasses. Grasses are another herbivore diet staple. ...
- Aquatic plants. ...
What do you feed a weaned beef calf?
Examples of post-weaning diets which beef producers are using:high quality legume based silage (lucerne silage with 60 per cent dry matter)lucerne hay, 30 per cent grain and some soy protein or canola meal.lucerne pasture.high protein and energy calf or heifer rearer pellets.
How much grain should I feed my beef calf?
Calves that are gaining at a moderate rate (2 to 3 lbs/day) need about 1.5% of their body weight as grains (800 lb calf = 12 lbs of grain), whereas calves gaining at a greater rate (+ 3 lbs/day) need more grain in their diet and should consume up to 2.0 to 2.25% of their body weight as grain (800 lb calf = 16 to 20 lbs ...
What kind of grain do you feed calves?
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.
What to feed a growing calf?
22:2724:29Feeding Programs for Growing Calves - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipWith you know um start at one percent of body weight on day one and every day that they clean thatMoreWith you know um start at one percent of body weight on day one and every day that they clean that supplement up increase their feed by a pound per head per day you know with a goal if if you start
What is the best feed mixture for beef cattle?
Cattle weighing 700 pounds or more should be fed a ration containing 11 percent crude protein in a ration composed of grain (usually corn, but barley and wheat are often also used), protein sources, and roughage.
What is the best grain for beef cattle?
CornCorn, 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.
Are oats good for beef cattle?
Oats is an ideal grain for starting cattle on feed because of its high hull and fiber content. Many experienced cattlemen prefer to start weaned calves on oats as the only or major grain, gradually shifting over to higher-energy grains as the animals become adapted to grain consumption.
When should I introduce grain to my calf?
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.
Is sweet feed good for calves?
Because it contains molasses, textured cattle feed is often referred to as “sweet feed.” Today's textured cattle feed, which uses less molasses than in the past, still provides an advantage; it makes the feed more palatable, which is good news for your cattle.
How much corn should a calf eat?
To maintain maximal forage utilization, corn should not be supplemented at more than 0.25% of body weight. This equates to 2.5 lb for a 1000-lb cow, 3 lb for a 1200- lb cow, and 3.5 lb for a 1400-lb cow. These recommen- dations are based on whole shelled corn.
How much grain should a steer get per day?
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.
How much grain should a beef cow eat 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.
How much grain should I feed my 600 lb calf?
For example, a 600 pound calf will eat 15-18 pounds of dry matter (2.5-3% of body weight) and a 1000 pound calf will eat 20-25 pounds of dry matter per day (2-2.5% of body weight). A few other tips: - change rations gradually over several days, and never more than about a half- pound increase over a couple days.
How much grain should you feed a cow a day?
Minerals must be properly supplemented. Lactating Beef Cows: Feed 6 to 7 kg (14 to 16 lb) of straw per day plus 4.5 to 7 kg (10 to 15 lb) of grain if properly supplemented.
How do you calculate feed ration for beef cattle?
% feed 1 x pounds of ration = total pounds needed for ration.% feed 2 x pounds of ration = total pounds needed for ration.
1. Use Cattle Lick Tubs When Weaning Calves
Cattle lick tubs can be used as a free-choice supplement in calf receiving pens. For operations using supplement tubs in the cow herd, calves will be familiar with the tub and more likely to start eating quickly.
2. Offer Palatable Calf Starter Feed
When calves search for feed, make sure there’s a palatable feed in the bunk.
3. Select a Feed That Supports the Immune System of Weaning Calves
It’s critical to support the immune system of weaning calves during high stress. Select a feed that addresses stressors and respiratory challenges head-on.
5. Prioritize Starter Feed Quality
Evaluate your feed quality and don’t settle for the least expensive option – it might be cheaper up front, but it could also be less palatable.
Getting Started
Finishing cattle doesn’t have to be complicated, but it does take additional management to ensure the health and performance of the cattle are maintained. This article will address a few options for hand-feeding a small group of cattle to finish.
Things to Consider
Before discussing specific diets, here are some tips and things to think about prior to finishing out cattle for beef.
How Much Space Do Your Calves Need?
Take a drive through the countryside, and you will see steers, dairy herds, and more, crammed into the smallest spaces imaginable. Many of these sad looking herds are full of mud, feces, and are fed a diet consisting of corn.
Adequate Fencing for Raising Beef Calves
When raising beef calves, they should spend the first 6-8 weeks of their lives in a small, breeze-free area. However, calves also need good ventilation otherwise they end up with respiratory disorders early on.
Where to Find Inexpensive Calves
Making the decision to purchase day-old bull calves is a respectable choice. Dairies have little-to-no use for young bull calves and unfortunately, some even allow them to die on the farm.
How to Choose the Right Calves
You may have caught on to the fact that this article is built around purchasing unwanted dairy bull calves. Holsteins are going to be the most commonly “discarded” bull calf, but you can often find Jerseys and Angus as well.
Feeding Calves
If you’ve purchased your calf from the auction house, you may have a calf that is a few days old and has already taken a bottle.
The Process of Developing Steers
When your steers are finishing their milk from their buckets before you can leave the barn, it’s time to start giving them access to small amounts of hay and starter grain. The good news is, you don’t have to teach them to eat either. They naturally become interested in the grain and hay themselves and start nibbling out of curiosity.
Processing
Most wait to butcher their steers until they are around 1200 pounds. Depending on what you have decided to feed your steers (grass-fed, cornfed, grain-fed) and what breed of steer you raise, it may take anywhere from 12 months to 36 months.
Help Support CattleToday
This will be the first year to hold and feed out home raised calves, always bought 700-800lb steers to finish in past. What would be the best to feed the calves as they're being weaned and growing before I transition them to a finishing ration? My local feed store has a 12% stocker feed that is 12% protein, 2% fat, 28% fiber.
Winter cow herd feeding: Does hay or corn supplement best? - Farm and Dairy
You can research it - there have been lots of research on the subject. I have been feeding steers to finish and showing PB cattle for many years. My show string also gets WSC with pellets added. I do all right in the show circle.
Winter cow herd feeding: Does hay or corn supplement best? - Farm and Dairy
You can research it - there have been lots of research on the subject. I have been feeding steers to finish and showing PB cattle for many years. My show string also gets WSC with pellets added. I do all right in the show circle.
Starting A Beef Feeding Enterprise
- Thorough planning and preparation are essential for you to have a successful beef-feeding operation. Operators should determine where they will obtain feeder calves, which feeds will be required to finish the cattle to desired market weights and grades, and what type of shelter will b…
Facilities
- Various materials can be used for feedlot fences, including boards, wire panels, high-tensile wire, and steel cables. Barbed wire is not recommended. A seven- or nine-wire high-tensile fence is one of the most economical barriers. Another effective fence is a combination of high-tensile wire (which can be electrified) with three or four 2-by- 6-inch planks spaced between the wires. Housi…
Grazing and Backgrounding
- Some cattle feeders purchase lightweight feeder calves (350 to 550 pounds), graze them during the spring and summer, and then finish them in the feedlot starting in late summer or fall. Backgrounding is a special type of program that usually combines pasture systems and lightweight cattle. These cattle require extremely good nutrition, management, and health progra…
Purchasing Feeder Cattle
- Anyone purchasing feeder cattle must keep up-to-date on market conditions. Graded feeder-calf sales are held in both fall and spring; some feedlot operators use cattle brokers and tele-auctions to obtain their feeder cattle. Feeder-cattle prices can fluctuate considerably in almost every season of the year. Higher-grade feeder cattle sell for a higher price per pound than lower grade…
Health Maintenance Program
- Because preconditioned and heavier feeder cattle tend to have fewer health problems, purchasing preconditioned calves can be a good investment for the cattle feeder. Preconditioning includes weaning 21 to 45 days before shipping, vaccinating for diseases prevalent in the area, dehorning, castrating, implanting, treating for external and internal parasites, and starting the cattle on grai…
Environmental Impacts
- In the normal course of operations, farmers handle pesticides and other chemicals, may have manure to collect and spread, and use equipment to prepare fields and harvest crops. Any of these routine on-farm activities can be a potential source of surface water or groundwater pollution. Because of this possibility, you must understand the regulations to follow concerning t…
Risk Management
- You should carefully consider how to manage risk on your farm. First, you should insure your facilities and equipment. This may be accomplished by consulting your insurance agent or broker. It is especially important to have adequate levels of property, vehicle, and liability insurance. You will also need workers' compensation insurance if you have any employees. You may also want t…
Sample Budgets
- Included in this publication are three sample budgets summarizing costs and returns for feeding beef cattle. The first is for feeding steers; the second is for feeding heifers; and the third is for feeding yearlings. These budgets should help ensure that you include all costs and receipts in your calculations. Costs and returns are often difficult to estimate in budget preparation becaus…
For More Information
- Becker, J. C., L. F. Kime, J. K. Harper, and R. Pifer. Understanding Agricultural Liability. University Park: Penn State Extension, 2011.
- Comerford, J. W., L. F. Kime, and J. K. Harper. Beef Backgrounding Production. University Park: Penn State Extension, 2013.
- Comerford, J. W., L. F. Kime, K. E. Knoll, and J. K. Harper. Dairy-Beef Production. University Pa…
- Becker, J. C., L. F. Kime, J. K. Harper, and R. Pifer. Understanding Agricultural Liability. University Park: Penn State Extension, 2011.
- Comerford, J. W., L. F. Kime, and J. K. Harper. Beef Backgrounding Production. University Park: Penn State Extension, 2013.
- Comerford, J. W., L. F. Kime, K. E. Knoll, and J. K. Harper. Dairy-Beef Production. University Park: Penn State Extension, 2008.
- Greaser, G. L., and J. K. Harper. Enterprise Budget Analysis. University Park: Penn State Extension, 1994.
