How do you substitute hay for alfalfa hay?
Substitute 1 pound of grain or other concentrate feed for 2 pounds of alfalfa hay or 3pounds of grass hay, Feed the highest quality feeds to animals that have higher feed requirements (i.e., growing replacement heifers or growing calves),
What do cows eat in the winter?
Most of a cow’s life is spent eating grasses and hay. During the spring and summer, when the grass grows plentifully, beef cattle eat more pasture grasses. During the late fall and through the winter cattle are fed hay. In a perfect world, this rotation—grass in the growing season and hay through the fall and winter—would be enough.
What is the best alternative to feed a cow?
In many cases, the best alternative for cow/calf producers is to feed a limit-fed, high grain diet in dry lot or semi-confinement. The most expensive nutrient for a cow is energy (TDN).
Do you need forage to feed soybean hulls?
Soybean hulls can be fed without additional forage, however, the digestible energy increases when fed with hay in a 2-to-1 ratio. Wheat middlings are a good source of protein (18 percent) and energy. It is best to mix at least 5 pounds of forage with the wheat middlings.
How can I feed less hay?
Slowly adapt animals to grain diets by substituting a few pounds of grain for a few pounds of hay. For example, a 1,200-lb cow will eat about 30 lb of feed (2.5% of her body weight) each day. She could be transitioned from an all-forage diet to a diet of 20 lb of forage and 10 lb of grain.
What do you feed cattle in drought?
Several options are available for supplying energy to cattle on drought-stressed pasture. Hay, grain, and crop processing byproducts can all be used to supply energy to grazing cattle. Low quality forages can be ammoniated to increase digestibility and protein content.
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.
Can cows survive on grain alone?
Many people still think that dairy cows consume grass and grass alone. They have that idyllic image of black and white cows out in a green pasture next to a red barn. 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).
How many times a day should you feed cattle?
Traditionally most dairy producers provide a total mixed ration (TMR) to their lactating dairy cattle twice per day (2x). However, many producers are electing to feed their cows only once per day (1x), as a means of reducing labour costs.
How many cows will a round bale feed?
Baleage typically is double the weight of dry hay, due to the high moisture content. But a 4 ft. by 4 ft. bale of baleage will still contain roughly 670 pounds of forage dry matter, so you can still feed one to your 18 cows.
What does molasses do for cattle?
Feeding molasses to farm animals will improve digestion of pastures/hay; increase milk production, help maintain body condition and appetite and result in less feed waste. Cane sugar, which has similar benefits to molasses, is an inexpensive alternative to use.
Is liquid feed good for cattle?
Liquid feed is a great option for operations that like the feed dealer to deliver and refill for them as necessary. This means you don't have to handle the product at all. It's a painless and easy way to get nutrients into the cattle.
What is the best grain for cattle?
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.
Do cows need hay everyday?
Cows will voluntarily consume 2.0% of body weight or 24 pounds per day. The 24 pounds is based on 100% dry matter. Grass hays will often be 7 to 10% moisture. If we assume that the hay is 92% dry matter or 8% moisture, then the cows will consume about 26 pounds per day on an “as-fed basis”.
Is clover good for grazing?
Extend Grazing Season Clover is a valuable addition to any pasture or hay mix. Being in the legume family, they supply lots of high quality protein, relative feed value, and other nutrients and they're very palatable, too.
What do cows eat if not grass?
All cattle eat forage for most of their lives by grazing out in pasture for summer months, or as feed when pasture is under snow in the winter. Forage includes grasses as well as legume plants such as clover and alfalfa. As feed, forage will be fed to cattle dried as hay or as silage, a naturally fermented feed.
How do you feed animals in a drought?
Animal feeds conserved as either silage or fodder finds great use during drought. Because it is a time of scarcity feed saving measures must be observed at all times, hay is thus better served on hay feeders to avoid wastage.
How do cattle manage drought?
Culling. The most common method for reducing feed needs during a drought is to sell a portion of the herd. Consider pregnancy testing and culling open cows, old and low producers, and cows that calve late in the calving period. This will provide more feed for younger, more productive cows.
How can we take care of animals during drought?
Make sure that all animals have free access to clean drinking water. Separate stronger and weaker animals to reduce competition at the feed troughs. Do not feed animals ad lib over a long period. Ration the feed according to the required production levels – for example, survival, body mass maintenance or lactation.
Are alfalfa cubes good for cattle?
Alfalfa pellets and alfalfa bales benefit animals because they are high in fiber, packed with nutrients such as calcium and are a viable source of digestible protein. Alfalfa's high fiber content makes alfalfa an ideal animal feed choice due to the fibrous diet requirements of livestock.
Hay storage
Storing hay indoors is the best option for avoiding spoilage. But if you cannot keep all of your hay inside, other strategies can also help reduce spoilage. Reducing spoilage reduces waste, so it is important to remember that the outer portion of a bale contains a large proportion of the total hay in the bale.
Limit access time to round bale feeders
When given free choice access, cattle waste a significant amount of the hay available. Round bale feeders are a staple of feeding hay, but producers should consider limiting access to the feeders to reduce waste.
Limit feed in a bunk or on frozen ground
Limiting feed on a per head basis is best done with the help of a nutritionist to ensure your cattle maintain the proper body condition and meet their nutrient requirements. Success with limit-feeding is entirely dependent on having adequate bunk space.
Test your hay
Measuring your forage quality allows you to target nutritional goals more effectively by matching forages to animal requirements. This targeted approach improves efficiency and gives insight into the need for supplementation. Work with your nutritionist to develop the most efficient plan.
What to do if cattle have insufficient forage?
With insufficient forage, cattle need feed. You should take action right away if you know that your herd’s grazing will be limited. You could simply reduce the number of cows in your herd, which would immediately reduce the amount of supplemental feeding the remaining cows require.
What do cows eat?
Most of a cow’s life is spent eating grasses and hay. During the spring and summer, when the grass grows plentifully, beef cattle eat more pasture grasses. During the late fall and through the winter cattle are fed hay. In a perfect world, this rotation—grass in the growing season and hay through the fall and winter—would be enough.
What happens when cattle eat less forage?
In short, when the forage is depleted and they eat less of it, the need to give your cattle supplemental feed increases dramatically.
Why do cows need cubes?
Cattle Cubes. Cattle cubes help your herd maintain both their weight and condition because they are formulated to supplement fair and low-quality forage. Cattle cubes provide the protein, minerals, and vitamins a cow’s forage sometimes lacks. Cattle cubes come in several different sizes, making them easier for your cattle to eat.
Why do cattle need supplemental feed?
Protein and nutrient deficiencies are the other main reasons your herd may need supplemental feed. Low-quality forage is defined as forage that contains less than 7% crude protein (CP) and has lower than 50% total digestible nutrients (TDN).
What is textured feed?
Textured cattle feed is made from flaked corn, molasses, protein pellets, and several other energy sources. It is also fortified with macro and micronutrients, vitamins, and other natural ingredients. 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.
What are cattle cubes?
Cattle cubes come in several different sizes, making them easier for your cattle to eat. Most cattle cubes contain 20% crude protein but also can be found in higher protein percentages. TIP: To reduce competition among your herd, your best choice is to feed them with ground, free-choice cattle cubes.
What feeds alfalfa?
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. Cottonseed hulls should be fed with 2 to 3 pounds of 30 percent to 40 percent all-natural protein supplement and mineral. The crude protein in soybean hulls ranges from 10 percent to16 percent. Soybean hulls can be fed without additional forage, however, the digestible energy increases when fed with hay in a 2-to-1 ratio. Wheat middlings are a good source of protein (18 percent) and energy. It is best to mix at least 5 pounds of forage with the wheat middlings. Corn gluten feed is a byproduct of the corn wet milling industry and is available in wet or dry form. It is high in protein (25 percent) and should be fed at a rate of 0.5 percent of body weight, with a forage source. A calcium-phosphorus mineral mixture and salt should always be available to cows, especially when utilizing any alternative feeds. Vitamin A may need to be supplemented, also.
What to plant in spring forage?
Spring forage is always a premium. Small grains, such as cereal rye, triticale, or oats, can be used to fill the void of spring forage. In planning for next year, plant these varieties in August or September to provide forage the following spring. Keep in mind that nitrates may be an issue if the annual forage has been stressed (drought, wind, excessive soil nitrogen, shade, frost, certain herbicides, acid soils, low growing temperatures, and nutrient deficiencies), and be sure to have the forage tested for nitrates. Up to a threshold, high nitrate forages are consumable by diluting them with other feedstuffs and supplementing with energy (fact sheet 1.610, Nitrate Poisoning ).
Why are nitrates in my forage?
Keep in mind that nitrates may be an issue if the annual forage has been stressed (drought, wind, excessive soil nitrogen, shade, frost, certain herbicides, acid soils, low growing temperatures, and nutrient deficiencies), and be sure to have the forage tested for nitrates.
Why is it important to plan for fall forage?
Planning for fall forages can be critical during drought years as lack of water and forage may force some producers to come off of the rangelands and summer pastures early. Planning in advance ensures that there is ample grazable forage available for the livestock.
How long does it take for a cow to adjust to high grain diet?
Cattle should adapt to high-grain diets in seven to ten days and should be observed closely during that time. A minimal amount of roughage is required to maintain rumen function. Generally, cows should receive at least 0.5 percent of their body weight as roughage (90 percent dry matter basis).
What percentage of body weight should cows eat?
It is high in protein (25 percent) and should be fed at a rate of 0.5 percent of body weight, with a forage source. A calcium-phosphorus mineral mixture and salt should always be available to cows, especially when utilizing any alternative feeds. Vitamin A may need to be supplemented, also.
How long does it take for cattle to become hungry?
Since intake on concentrate diets is restricted, cattle may appear gaunt and behave as though hungry, however, after 14 to 21 days, they will adapt to the reduction in feed intake. Consider the full cost of alternative feeds.
What is the extra feed energy required in a windy wet lot?
The extra feed energy required in a windy wet lot is much higher than in a dry, wind-sheltered lot. For example, a clean, British breed (thick-skinned) cow in a sheltered wintering yard with 1.6-km/hr (1-mph) winds at –12°C needs:
What is limit fed cow ration?
By introducing grain or any supplemental feed, a cow ration typically becomes a limit-fed (restricted) diet. This means there must be enough bunk space for each animal in the group to eat at the same time. If bunk space is limited, the timid animals will not get their required share. Just like the “rich get richer,” the fat cows get fatter. With limit feeding, beef cows and heifers each require 65–75 cm (26–30 in.) of bunk space, compared to less than one-third of that amount with self-fed (free-choice) systems. Although their nutrient needs will be met with a smaller volume of feed, the animals will still feel hungry.#N#Other opportunity feeds such as dried corn distillers’ grains (DDG or DDGS) present themselves in the hay-reducing equation. This product has the added benefit of being pre-ground, higher in protein and with less acidosis-causing potential when compared to ground corn for beef cows. It is an ideal choice in cases where a small amount of a high-energy, moderate protein source is needed. Similarly, barley should be valued at about 90% of corn as an energy source, while wheat is equal to or slightly higher than corn. Corn silage — half corn grain and half forage, for these purposes — is another possible substitute.#N#Grain should not exceed one-third of the total ration. For example, a diet for a 635-kg (1,400-lb) beef cow that was eating 13–14 kg (28–31 lb) of hay/day can be changed to 9 kg (20 lb) of hay plus 2.5 kg (5 lb) of grain. That means the ration would be: 2.5 kg grain ÷ 11.5 total x 100 = 22% grain. The upper limit for grain would be 7 kg (15 lb) of hay plus 3.5 kg (7.5 lb) of grain, making the ration 3.5 kg grain + 10.5 kg total ration x 100 = 33% grain. This latter scenario requires the division of the grain into at least two feedings per day, or the use of a total mixed ration (TMR) delivery and good management. Keeping the hay replaced at one-third, rather than half, will also help keep the hunger response from being too extreme. Some ration ideas and associated limitations are given in the tables in this Factsheet.#N#Table 1 gives example rations to replace 13–14 kg (28–30 lb) hay intake per 635-kg (1,400-lb) cow per day. This assumes mid-bloom grass hay at 57% total digestible nutrient (TDN) and 10% crude protein (CP). In addition to the ingredients listed, all rations should have mineral included. This can be either mixed in with the grain, fed free choice or mixed in a TMR.
