That’s why cattle need supplemental feed. In short, while your herd does get some nutrients and energy from grasses and hay, it’s often not enough. In fact, this lack of grazing time is in most cases a more significant cause of your cattle’s insufficient energy consumption than the low-quality winter pasture grass. The harsh weather also causes cows to graze far less. The problem is that several factors affect the protein and energy content of grass and hay, which change depending on the season and the sun.įor example, summer pasture grasses are high in protein at the beginning of the summer, but the protein content declines rapidly towards the middle of the summer.ĭuring a drought or in the winter, pasture grass is severely lacking in energy (calories). In a perfect world, this rotation-grass in the growing season and hay through the fall and winter-would be enough. During the late fall and through the winter cattle are fed hay. During the spring and summer, when the grass grows plentifully, beef cattle eat more pasture grasses. Most of a cow’s life is spent eating grasses and hay. Some require more feed and some need feed that provides more (or less) nutrients than others. Some cattle are easier to feed than others. In this article, we’re talking specifically about beef cattle (a.k.a.
If you have these questions too, then read on. What they need is straightforward advice about what to feed their cattle, when, and why. Producers can easily account for cost differences in transportation, feeding and waste in addition to purchase price of various supplements by using the " Feed Cost Cow-Q-Lator" found on the West Central Research and Extension Center Ag Economics Decision Aids page.Cattle owners come to us every day needing simple, actionable advice about the different types of cattle feed that are available. For example, alfalfa hay does not cost the same amount to deliver to cattle and results in more waste than feeding cubes but may still be the more economical supplement. And different supplements cost different amounts to feed and result in different amounts of waste. With today's fuel prices purchasing a supplement with a greater concentration of crude protein may decrease delivery cost since fewer tons would be needed to supply the same amount of protein. There are other factors to consider when purchasing supplements. When all supplement options are priced on a cost per pound of crude protein the most economical supplement can be identified. The result is the cost per pound of crude protein. To calculate cost per pound of crude protein, simply divide the cost per ton of the supplement by the number of pounds of crude protein in a ton of the supplement. Therefore when choosing among various supplements a good strategy is to calculate the cost of each supplement on a cost per pound of crude protein then purchase it in the most economical way. The objective of a good supplementation program should be to supply the required amount of protein rather than a specific amount of supplement. price per lb of protein basis, or price per pound of energy basis. After that we compare prices of the feeds on a per nutrient basis.
We then locate feeds that can be fed to meet the nutrient deficiency and what they cost. If not, do we need to supplement protein, energy, or both. Then we determine if the forage meets the nutrient needs of the cow. When I work with producers, first we determine the quality of the forage that we are feeding using a forage analysis. If the diet is slightly deficient in both protein and energy, then the cube may be the route to go. So if you are needing to supply a lot of energy to meet the needs of the cow, then hay is likely the most economical choice.
My rule of thumb is that a protein supplement has a protein percentage of between 28% and 36% and is fed in small amounts to meet a protein deficiency. The 20% protein cube fits more as an energy cube and I would consider using it as a supplement when the diet is slightly deficient in both protein and energy. If the hay is alfalfa that is average quality or better, it would also be a good protein source. Depending on the quality, it could also be a good protein source, but in most situations hay would be fed to meet the energy needs of the beef cow. Can you tell me how many pounds of 20% protein cubes I would need to feed per week to keep my late-term cows in their current body condition or if this is even a good or bad idea? My cows weigh 1000 to 1150 pounds. Producer Question from 2009 Q: I have been told that it is less costly and just as beneficial to feed protein cubes to my herd instead of hay.
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