North Dakota's variety of supplemental feeds include DDGs, field peas, lentils and different oilseed meals such as soybean, canola, sunflower and linseed. Carlson said managing cattle in a drylot situation can be difficult as increased management is needed.
Full Answer
Can you feed corn to cattle in North Dakota?
Corn commonly is used as a feed grain in beef cattle diets throughout the U.S. However, until recently in many parts of North Dakota and other northern-tier states, feeding corn was less common.
Is custom feeding right for your cattle?
Custom feeding refers to the practice of sending calves, stockers or yearlings to a commercial feed yard for feeding to slaughter weights. Custom feeding is not without risks. It should be viewed as a potential means to add value to your calf crop and/or evaluate the genetic merit of your cow herd.
What do commercial feed yards feed cattle?
Commercial feed yards are specialists in feeding cattle high-concentrate finishing rations. Rations vary from region to region, but all feed a diet high in grains or grain byproducts. However, no matter what the ration, the manager should have experience feeding high-concentrate diets to slaughter cattle.
Should I consider feeding my cattle to slaughter weights?
Cattle producers should work closely with their lender to evaluate their financial position before placing cattle on feed. When cattle are fed to slaughter weights, marketing dates are delayed because calves are not sold directly following weaning or after backgrounding.
What do you feed cow 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 the best food for a calf?
Feeding solid feedThe calf should have access to hay and concentrates from one week to stimulate rumen activity. ... They can be fed high quality baby calf meals or pellets after about five weeks of age.Avoid giving excessive green grass in the first 6–8 weeks of age to prevent any digestive upsets.More items...•
What is the best grain for calves?
Alfalfa or other high-quality legume hay, silage, or haylage can be used to supplement corn silage for protein in calf rations. It will take 3.5 to 4.5 pounds of alfalfa hay to supply the amount of protein contained in 1.2 to 1.5 pounds of soybean meal.
What do you feed a new born cow?
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 do farmers feed calves?
Calves are fed by dairy farmers so that they get the right amounts of nutritious milk! Calves get fed milk or milk-replacer. Milk-replacer is the equivalent of feeding your baby formula instead of breast milk – it's a personal choice.
When should a calf start eating grass?
about 2 weeks oldWhen Do Calves Start Eating Grass? Calves normally start to nibble on grass or hay within 1 or 2 days of being born. Calves start ruminating to some degree when they're about 2 weeks old, with their rumen fully developed by 90 days of age.
Can you feed whole corn to calves?
Even though corn can be fed whole with satisfactory results, cracking or rolling prior to feeding will increase digestibility by 5 to 10 percent. In most instances, grinding or rolling corn will not markedly improve average daily gain, but proper processing will improve feed conversion efficiency.
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.
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.
How do you keep a newborn calf alive?
Getting the calf dry and warm will help it to survive. Calves that get chilled or have a low food intake are prone to pneumonia and scours. A hotbox or area with a heat lamp can be invaluable, but even bringing that chilled calf up to the house until it is dry and given colostrum will suffice in a pinch.
How cold is too cold for newborn calf?
Cold stress in these calves can occur when temperatures remain below 50°F. Between one month and weaning, the comfort zone is much wider and includes temperatures from 46 to 80°F. At this age, cold stress is not likely until temperatures drop below 28°F.
How often should calves be fed?
Twice a day feeding is a common practice among cattlemen. Calves should consume 8 to 10 percent of their body weight daily. Divide your calf's meals between morning and evening, feeding an equal amount each time—between 4 and 5 percent of his body weight.
What should a 3 month old calf eat?
A 3-month-old calf does not have the rumen capacity or digestive capability via rumen microbes to utilize diets with free-choice hay or large amounts of fibrous feeds like soybean hulls, wheat midds, cottonseed hull, and corn gluten feed.
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.
What should I feed my 2 month old calf?
Young calves need a ration that is highly palatable and highly nutritious -16 percent crude protein and 70 percent TDN—total digestible nutrients, she says. “There are many options including a commercial calf starter or a corn-oats-barley mix with molasses.
What are the best feeds for 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 is the key to feeding cattle?
One of the keys to successful feeding is to start with a pen of cattle that are uniform in weight, body type, age, breeding and previous nutritional management. When a pen of cattle is as similar as possible, the feedlot manager has an easier time feeding the cattle to an optimum endpoint.
How many head can a cow have for feed out?
Producers can consign as few as five head to some feed-out programs. This reduces risk and still allows the producer to learn how the cattle will perform in the feedlot. Cow-calf producers should be aware of the tax implications of retaining ownership.
How much equity do you need to own a cattle feedlot?
Almost all feedlots will require you to retain 25 to 30 percent equity in the cattle. When the cattle are marketed, the feedlot will deduct charges for feed, financing, yardage and other items immediately. You then will be forwarded a check for the proceeds, provided the cattle made enough money to cover all the costs.
What is custom feeding?
Custom feeding refers to the practice of sending calves, stockers or yearlings to a commercial feed yard for feeding to slaughter weights. Custom feeding is not without risks. It should be viewed as a potential means to add value to your calf crop and/or evaluate the genetic merit of your cow herd.
What is commercial feed yard?
Commercial feed yards are specialists in feeding cattle high-concentrate finishing rations. Rations vary from region to region, but all feed a diet high in grains or grain byproducts. However, no matter what the ration, the manager should have experience feeding high-concentrate diets to slaughter cattle. Many feedlots will use the services of private or feed industry nutritionists to formulate rations and provide technical advice on feeding management.
How much is feed markup?
Feed is sold to the customer with a markup ($/ton) included. In yards that only charge feed markup, the markup typically runs $30 to $40 per ton of feed. Be sure you understand how a particular feed yard charges for these services before placing cattle on feed.
What is the most important service a commercial feed yard provides?
Marketing your finished cattle is one of the most important services a commercial feed yard provides. The feed yard manager should have experience in feeding and marketing the kind and type of cattle you are sending to the feed yard. Questions to ask include:
Why is corn needed in cattle?
However, supplemental protein is needed in most corn-based backgrounding and finishing diets because of corn’s low crude protein content.
Why should corn be avoided in beef cattle?
Fine grinding corn should be avoided in beef cattle diets because fine-ground corn ferments quickly in the rumen. When feeding high levels of finely ground corn, digestive disturbances, acidosis and founder can occur.
Why is corn used as a forage supplement?
When corn is used as a forage supplement, ensuring adequate rumen-degradable protein is available is important to prevent any depressions in forage digestibility. Corn can serve as the sole grain source in backgrounding and finishing diets. Depending on desired cattle performance, the level of corn can be varied to supply additional energy in ...
How to store high moisture corn?
High-moisture corn must be stored in an airtight silo (bunker, silage bags or oxygen-limiting structure). For optimum storage and utilization, it should be processed (ground or rolled) prior to storage. Grinding or rolling and subsequent packing of the corn facilitates oxygen exclusion in the silo.
What is the recommended calcium to phosphorus ratio for corn?
The recommended calcium-to-phosphorus ratio in backgrounding and feedlot diets is a minimum of 2-to-1 (two parts calcium to one part phosphorus).
How much moisture is needed to harvest corn?
Corn can be harvested wet and stored as high-moisture corn. For corn to be used in this manner, it should be harvested at 22 to 32 percent moisture for optimum storage. High-moisture corn is similar in energy and protein content to dry corn and offers several harvest advantages:
Does corn have rumen?
Ruminal microorganisms require rumen-degradable protein for use in growth and protein synthesis. Most research with corn indicates a substantial benefit to providing rumen-degradable protein in diets containing corn.
Advantages of Creep Feeding
- Weaning weights are increased. Producers can expect 30 to 60 pounds of added gain with creep feeding. It usually takes 8 to 12 pounds of grain to produce one pound of added gain. However, feed conv...
- Calves which have been creep fed usually suffer less setback at weaning and tend to adapt to feedlot rations quicker than calves which have not been creep fed.
- Weaning weights are increased. Producers can expect 30 to 60 pounds of added gain with creep feeding. It usually takes 8 to 12 pounds of grain to produce one pound of added gain. However, feed conv...
- Calves which have been creep fed usually suffer less setback at weaning and tend to adapt to feedlot rations quicker than calves which have not been creep fed.
- Milk is an important source of nutrients for the nursing calf. Herds with low milk production or high numbers of first-calf heifers or aged cows may benefit the most from creep feeding.
- Calves with above average growth potential will respond better to creep feeding. Likewise, bull calves will respond better than steer or heifer calves.
Disadvantages of Creep Feeding
- Creep feeding generally will not pay, if calves will be wintered or backgrounded on low energy diets before going to summer grass as yearlings.
- The calf price relative to feed price ratio does not always favor creep feeding.
- For producers planning to retain ownership, much of the value of creep feeding may be masked by compensatory growth of non-creep fed calves. Calves which do not receive cree…
- Creep feeding generally will not pay, if calves will be wintered or backgrounded on low energy diets before going to summer grass as yearlings.
- The calf price relative to feed price ratio does not always favor creep feeding.
- For producers planning to retain ownership, much of the value of creep feeding may be masked by compensatory growth of non-creep fed calves. Calves which do not receive creep feed will catch up or...
- Genetic differences in maternal milking ability may be masked. Creep feeding tends to minimize differences in weaning weight. Calves from cows with poor milking ability may consume more creep, redu...
Types of Creep Feeds
- Grain-based Creep. Grain can be creep fed alone. When an adequate amount of good to high quality forage is available, conversions will usually not be economical. Acceptable conversions (5:1 to 10:1...
- Limit-Fed High Protein Creep Feeds. Calf gains can be increased by limit feeding high-protein feedstuffs such as soybean meal, cottonseed meal, or blends of other high protein meals. Ok…
- Grain-based Creep. Grain can be creep fed alone. When an adequate amount of good to high quality forage is available, conversions will usually not be economical. Acceptable conversions (5:1 to 10:1...
- Limit-Fed High Protein Creep Feeds. Calf gains can be increased by limit feeding high-protein feedstuffs such as soybean meal, cottonseed meal, or blends of other high protein meals. Oklahoma and N...
- Green Creep. High quality forages can be used as "green" creep feeds. Generally fields adjacent to pastures which the cow-calf pairs will graze are planted to annual forages and calves are allowed...
- Commercial Creep Feeds. Many different commercial creep feeds are available and can give …
Locating The Creep Feeder
- Place the creep feeder in an area which will be frequented by the cow herd. Locating the feeder near watering areas or areas where cows normally loaf will ensure that calves are exposed to the feeder. Calves generally will not leave their mothers even for the most palatable creep feed. Providing salt and mineral for the cows in the same location can also help attract the herd to th…
Creep Feeders
- Allow 3 to 4 inches of feeder space per calf. Ten feet of feeder space will handle 30 to 40 calves. Commercially built creep feeders can be purchased from feed dealers, lumber yards, and livestock equipment companies.