Milk feeding calves
- Ideally 23 – 25% crude protein (CP) (definitely at least 18 – 20% CP)
- Minimum 11.5 – 12.5 MJ/kg DM ME
- Rumensin or Bovatec to protect against coccidiosis
- Vitamins and minerals
What do you feed calves?
Calves were fed a ration consisting of 50% corn, 30% oats, 10% cottonseed meal, and 10% molasses. It required 10.2 lb of feed per lb of gain. It adds weight and finish. Calves of the same age grow to a more uniform size. There’s less shrinkage at weaning time.
How do I choose the best Calf starter feed?
The physical feed form can influence consumption. Bigger pellets tend to work best for calf starter feeds because they are softer. Bigger pellets also allow calves to get more with every mouthful, which is essential for less aggressive calves standing at the bunk. Avoid mealy feeds, which often separate and become less appealing to weaning calves.
What do you do with feeder cattle?
Sell the feeder cattle to another rancher or feedlot operation. Feeder cattle receive high-energy feed to promote weight gain. They are usually either steers (castrated males) or heifers (females that have not given birth).
How much feed does a calf need to gain?
An Oklahoma study of fall-born calves reported that creep-fed calves consumed an average of 884 lb of feed and gained an average 87 lb more than calves not offered the supplemental feed. Calves were fed a ration consisting of 50% corn, 30% oats, 10% cottonseed meal, and 10% molasses. It required 10.2 lb of feed per lb of gain.
What is a good feed for calves?
Most experts recommend mixing alfalfa with grass hay, rather than relying exclusively on alfalfa hay. Alfalfa hay is often recommended for dairy cattle, but may not be a good fit for beef cattle, since it can lead to bloat. Legume hay is another nutritious option for cattle, since it's high in protein.
How long do you feed feeder calves?
Growing and Finishing Feeding A calf should be on the finishing diet for no less than 100 days, and likely closer to 120 days, to reach an adequate level of finish for the show.
How much feed should a calf eat per day?
Calves should be fed daily approximately 10% of their 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.
How do you feed feeder cattle?
Another option is to feed feeder cattle a mixture of roughage and grains. A typical daily diet consists of 11 pounds alfalfa hay, 6 pounds rolled barley and 1 pound of a commercially prepared supplement. The supplement contains protein, vitamins and minerals.
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.
How do you take care of a feeder calf?
It is important to start working with your calf as soon as possible. Each day it is important to provide fresh water and feed to your calf. Cleaning out the water and feed buckets will improve how your animal grows. If the animal is confined, it is important to remove manure and add fresh bedding.
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.
At what age do calves 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.
When should I start feeding my 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.
Is Cracked corn good for cattle?
Corn can be fed whole with excellent results, but cracking or rolling it will increase digestibility by 5-10%. Although this improvement in digestibility can be important, it may not be enough to pay for the cost of processing the grain.
How do I fatten up my calves?
0:222:30Cattle Fattening Techniques - YouTubeYouTubeStart of suggested clipEnd of suggested clipThey grow normally well when given the right feed adequate feeding is attained through grass pastureMoreThey grow normally well when given the right feed adequate feeding is attained through grass pasture grain and roughage is supplemented with protein minerals vitamins carbohydrates.
How old is a 500 pound calf?
During this time their primary source of food is milk from their dam, and the grass or roughage (hay) that is available. At 6-9 months of age the calves are weaned off their dams and placed in a field or pen with other calves of a similar age and weight. Most calves will weigh 500-700 lbs at weaning.
How much grain should I feed my 5 month old calf?
From grouping to 6 months, feed 5 pounds of calf grower daily and free-choice, high-quality hay. You may substitute pasture when it is available. From 6 months to 1 year, feed 0-7 pounds of herd concentrate daily; limit fed-silage, greenchop, or free-choice hay. You may substitute pasture when it is available.
What to feed calves after weaning?
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 do you feed a weaned calf?
You can increase the intake of the calves about a pound of feed every 2-3 days. Each group of calves is different, and health problems may cause some setbacks, but on a normal healthy group of calves they should be consuming 2.5 to 3.0 % of their body weight by 3-4 weeks on feed.
Are automatic calf feeders good?
If management systems are adapted to use automatic milk feeders, improvements in the labour of calf rearing could be achieved, when compared to manually feeding calves. However, this feeding system cannot compromise calf welfare, health or weight gain in order to maximise the animal's potential in later life.
How old is a cow when it is fed a feeder calf?
How to Raise a Feeder Calf. A feeder calf is a young cow that is raised until it's 6 to 9 months old and then transported to a feedlot. Once at a feedlot, the calf is fed and raised until it's old enough for slaughter. A feeder calf can be male or female.
How to keep a calf on your property?
Establish the animals on your property, ensuring they have an adequate clean water supply and ample food. Bring in a vet for regular check-ups and vaccinations, as needed. Based on your region and the calves' breed, calves can be afflicted with problems like diarrhea, bloat and parasites.
Can calves spread E. coli?
Calves can spread diseases like E. coli through their waste. If you use a your land for raising vegetables and other food, ensure the vegetables are thoroughly washed and cooked before eating. Always consult a veterinarian before administering antibiotics or other medications to your calves. References.
Can a feeder calf be male?
A feeder calf can be male or female. Raising feeder calves requires a few acres of land, and you must feed and care for the calves, until they are large enough to sell to a feedlot. This can be a good source of income for a small farmer, or it can provide a homegrown source of food for a family. Verify that your community does not ban livestock ...
What is the best starter feed for calf?
Bigger pellets tend to work best for calf starter feeds because they are softer. Bigger pellets also allow calves to get more with every mouthful, which is essential for less aggressive calves standing at the bunk. Avoid mealy feeds, which often separate and become less appealing to weaning calves. 5.
How to get calves to eat?
Second, licking stimulates weaning calves’ appetites, prompting them to look for feed and water. 2. Offer Palatable Calf Starter Feed. When calves search for feed, make sure there’s a palatable feed in the bunk. If calves like the feed, they will start eating ...
What are the challenges of weaning calves?
Suddenly, they’re faced with a plethora of stressors and challenges. Weaning calves typically includes the weaning itself, shipping, commingling, processing, a change in nutrition and – to top it off – potential swings in weather. Weaning calves are often hungry, meaning they tend to bawl for their dam. Bawling for extended periods can irritate ...
Why do calves bawl?
Bawling for extended periods can irritate a calf’s throat and potentially lead to respiratory challenges. These stressors, paired with a still-developing immune system, can ultimately lead to reduced disease resistance.
How long does it take for a calf to eat starter feed?
A quality, palatable starter feed will get calves eating quickly during the first 10 to 14 days post-weaning and help them stay healthy.
What happens when a calf comes to the bunk?
A worst-case scenario is when a calf comes to the bunk for the first time and finds an unpalatable feed.
Why do weaning calves need creep feed?
Exposure to creep feed helps ease stress of weaning calves by priming them to start eating right away . Creep-fed calves that experience less weaning-time stress often have optimized health and weaning weights compared to calves not creep-fed.
How long does it take for a calf to eat?
However, a calf’s rumen isn’t capable of breaking down feed until it’s 2 months old. Assuming a 30-day weaning period, creep feeding calves at 3-4 months old gives them about 80-120 days on feed prior to weaning. Exposure to creep feed helps ease stress of weaning calves by priming them to start eating right away.
What is creep feeding?
Creep feeding is a great way to not only meet a calf’s nutritional needs, but it can pay dividends down the road.
Why is creep feeding avoided?
Creep feeding is sometimes avoided due to fear of overconsumption, which can cause loose stool or bloat in extreme cases. Introducing calves to Purina RangeLand ® Calf Creep and transitioning 30 days later to an Accuration ® creep product with self- limiting technology keeps calves eating snack-sized meals versus big meals.
Why is it important to keep calves eating?
“It is important to keep the calves eating because there are many times where we create more problems for ourselves in a weaning program by getting ahead of the calves and offering them too much feed ,” Waggoner said.
What is a weanling's diet?
Weanlings are often used to feedstuffs such as grass and hay, which are not rich in nutrients, so producers must find a way to balance the familiar feedstuff with new, nutrient-rich feeds.
What happens if you don't feed your cows?
If they do not eat properly there’s an increased risk of disease. * Feeding both cows and calves a small amount of a supplement or the weaning ration out of a bunk prior to weaning when the calves are with the cows can be a good way to acclimate them to those feeds.
What is the K-state Hays weaning protocol?
Waggoner referenced a series of studies called the K-State Hays weaning feed management protocol, a step-by-step process used to wean calves so it would be standardized across different treatment groups. It transitioned the calves from a grass and milk diet to some sort of a total mix ration.
What feeds are good for roughage cattle?
These high-fiber feeds cause less reduction in the fiber digestibility and feed intake of roughages when they are fed with roughage rations than do high starch grains like corn, milo or wheat. Studies at MU and other stations show that feeding 3 to 6 pounds of soybean hulls or corn gluten feed per head daily to cattle on forage gives equal or even greater performance to using a similar amount of corn grain.
How long do calves need to eat receiving rations?
Receiving rations must be palatable and highly fortified with nutrients if stressed calves are going to consume close to their daily nutrient needs the first two weeks after arrival. A variety of receiving rations have been used successfully.
What is MGA in heifers?
MGA is a synthetic hormone similar in structure and activity to progesterone, the natural pregnancy hormone.
How much weight do calves gain in winter?
Medium- to large-frame calves should not become fleshy when gaining from 1.5 to 2.0 pounds daily in winter.
How to keep death loss and sickness to a minimum on new feeder cattle?
Keeping death loss and sickness to a minimum on new feeder cattle is basic to profitable backgrounding. A good health program begins by avoiding the purchase of sick animals or those exposed to sick animals. Newly weaned calves usually have more sickness problems than yearlings.
Do weaned calves have sickness?
Newly weaned calves usually have more sickness problems than yearlings. Preconditioned calves that have received their shots and been taught to eat grain should have less sickness. This is especially true for calves stressed by marketing and transportation procedures.
Does MGA help pregnant heifers?
It has improved rate of gain for feedlot heifers by 10 percent and feed conversions by 6.5 percent and suppressed heat. MGA is not effective on pregnant heifers, spayed heifers or steers. Heifers fed MGA on pasture have a similar percentage increase in daily gain as those fed MGA in a dry lot.
What do calves eat?
The choice of feeds (barley, wheat, oats, corn, etc.) will depend on their availability and price. Calves will usually start readily on a mixture of whole oats and bran, and this is adequate at the start. Bran sticks to the muzzle and helps get calves started on feed.
How many calves can a pig feeder hold?
The feeder in figure 1 allows calves to eat from both sides and is designed to accommodate about 20 calves. It’s 8 feet long and holds 25 bushels of grain. It can be filled from outside the pen. The feeder in figure 2 is 8 feet long and holds 50 bushels of grain and can accommodate 30 calves.
What is a creep feeder?
A creep feeder that allows the calves to eat supplemental feed, while it excludes adult animals, will assist calves in growing more rapidly. The potential return of creep-feeding depends on the price of cattle and the price of feed.
What is creep in cattle?
The creep is an enclosure or lot with an opening large enough for calves to pass through, but too small for older cattle. You can build it with wire, poles, lumber, pipe, or a combination of these materials.
How old is a beef calf?
After a beef calf is 90 days old, mother’s milk will supply about half the nutrients it needs for maximum growth. Supplementing the calf’s diet should pay its cost in most commercial herds—in years of inadequate forage and in dry months when calves could use extra feed provided by creep feeding.
Why is feed supplementation important?
Why feed supplements are important. Feed accounts for about 70% of the cost for raising beef cattle. Supplementing the grass and milk available to unweaned calves with creep can be an economically sound practice, especially during a dry period when forage is short.
What is the primary criterion for evaluating a beef enterprise?
Therefore, the primary criterion for evaluating a beef enterprise should be the total weaning weight per cow exposed.
What is feeder cattle?
Producing feeder cattle is a complex, high-stakes business. Successful production relies on proper animal husbandry techniques as well as good economic decision-making. Ranchers begin the process by breeding cows (females) with bulls (males) either naturally or with artificial insemination (A.I.).
How much do feeder cattle weigh?
Feeder cattle are weaned calves that reach a weight of between 600 to 800 pounds. At this point, cattle producers feed them a diet of high-energy feed to promote weight gain. Ultimately, when they reach a weight of about 1,200 to 1,400 pounds, feeder cattle are slaughtered to produce beef.
How long does it take to raise feeder cattle?
The timeline for raising feeder cattle is as follows: First six months: Calves remain with the cow and receive their initial nutrition from nursing. Over time, ranchers supplement this nutrition with grass feeding and eventually with grain.
How many cows can a bull breed?
Feeder Cattle Breeding Process. A natural breeding process generally requires one bull for each 20 to 25 cows. Many producers prefer A.I. because they can better control the genetics of the calves. Ranchers must allocate a set amount of acres of pasture or grazing land for each cow and its calf offspring.
Why is corn important to cattle?
Corn is such an integral part of the process of raising feeder cattle that many ranchers and others dependent on cattle prices will hedge their exposure to this risk.
How long does a cattle feedlot last?
This phase generally lasts between six to 10 months. Feedlot: A rancher with feeder cattle has three options: Continue to raise the cattle on the rancher’s property until they reach the designated weight for slaughter. Send the cattle to a commercial feedlot.
How does weather affect cattle?
Weather can affect feeder cattle prices in several ways. First, weather has a big impact on grain prices. Severe drought conditions or excessive cold spells can diminish grain supply and send prices higher . This, in turn, usually has a negative effect on feeder cattle prices. Weather can also directly affect the process of raising feeder cattle.
Starting A Beef Feeding Enterprise
Facilities
Grazing and Backgrounding
Purchasing Feeder Cattle
Health Maintenance Program
Nutrition
- 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. Larger-framed cattle tend to require a ration with a higher percentage of grain to achieve the same carcass quality grade as cattle with ...
Environmental Impacts
Risk Management
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