Most beef cattle feed plans include different ratios of hay, grain and free choice minerals to help cattle grow and develop. As cattle transition from open fields to feedlots prior to slaughter, many are given ground shelled corn to À˜sweeten' the meat and add fat that makes meat cuts tender. Beef cattle need the following nutrients for health:
What do you feed baby calves in a bucket?
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. Calves ranging in age from 1 day to 12 weeks old have different nutritional needs, and calf starter needs are no exception.
How do you feed a calf starter?
How to Feed Calf Starter. 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. Calves ranging in age from 1 day to 12 weeks old have different...
How much should I Feed my calves?
During the first couple of weeks, calves will just nibble calf starter; only give about six ounces and remove the remaining feed daily. At three to four weeks of life, this intake will increase considerably.
What do you need to raise bull calves?
However, calves also need good ventilation otherwise they end up with respiratory disorders early on. If you have a small barn or shed you can create all kinds of little cubbies inside for your bull calves. Another option is calf hutches, which can be pricey, but if you plan on raising beef calves yearly, you may find them useful.
What do you feed beef calves?
Calf starter feeds should be dust-free, highly palatable feeds containing 75 to 80 percent total digestible nutrients (TDN), 15 to 20 percent crude protein, and adequate minerals and vitamins. They should be coarsely ground, rolled, or pelleted to facilitate feed intake and rumen development.
What is best feed for beef 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.
What do you feed a newborn beef calf?
For the first two weeks of life, calves receive most of their nutrition from milk. From four days of age, calves can be fed either whole milk, waste milk, reconstituted milk replacer, or fermented or fresh colostrum (Table 3). The type of milk fed is determined by price, availability, and convenience.
How much grain should I feed my beef 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.
Do calves need a salt block?
Calves need salt to help their body's to build strong bones. It also helps them to have regular heartbeats. Salt helps with blood clotting. It also helps with muscle movement.
How much grain should I feed my beef cow 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.
What helps a weak calf?
“You can likely raise the calf's internal temperature by feeding him two quarts of some warm colostrum or milk. Blowing some warm air on him and placing him inside the barn or house and letting him breath in some warm air from a heater can also facilitate warmth.”
When should I introduce calf pellets?
Eight to 12 weeks old Don't limit intake at this stage of development and don't allow calves to go periods of time without calf starter. Once calves reach 12 weeks old, introduce a calf grower feed.
When can a calf start eating hay?
Heinrichs and Jones suggest holding off on hay feeding until calves are consuming 5 to 6 pounds of texturized starter grain per day, at around 7 to 8 weeks of age. If the starter grain is in pelleted form with high amounts of ruminally digestible forage, hay should be introduced a bit earlier, at 5 to 6 weeks of age.
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. It's up to them on if they eat the grass or grain.
What is the best feed to finish a steer?
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. If you do not have access to pasture or if you are finishing during the winter, you might increase the amount of grain to 15-18 lbs. per day.
Are whole oats good for cows?
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.
What do you feed a steer for slaughter?
For finishing beef cattle prior to slaughter, most are fed a mixture of ground, shelled corn or millet. These grains are inexpensive, nutritious and add fat to the meat to make it tender.
What do they feed beef cattle?
Beef cattle can utilize roughages of both low and high quality, including pasture forage, hay, silage, corn (maize) fodder, straw, and grain by-products.
Is corn silage good for beef cattle?
Beef cattle weighing 300 pounds and up can effectively utilize corn silage as part of their diet. Cattle will commonly consume corn silage at a rate of 5 to 7 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight. A 500-pound feeder calf may consume 25 to 35 pounds of corn silage as-fed daily.
What do they feed cows to fatten them up?
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.
First two weeks of life
Within the first two weeks of life, calves typically consume little calf starter and are more dependent upon liquid nutrition.
Three to four weeks old
You’ll likely notice an increase in calf starter intake by three to four weeks of age. Monitor feed intake closely. If you don’t notice the intake increase and adjust feeding accordingly, calf growth may suffer due to inadequate nutrition.
Four to eight weeks old
By the time calves reach weaning age they should be consuming higher amounts of calf starter. Calf starter intake may even double. Be aware of potential spikes in consumption and be ready to meet calves’ increased appetites.
Eight to 12 weeks old
As calves continue to grow, calf starter consumption increases significantly. Don’t limit intake at this stage of development and don’t allow calves to go periods of time without calf starter.
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.
