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Beef Cattle Nutrition

Beef Cattle Nutrition. Feeder and Stocker Cattle. Stocker. Birth. 9-10. 12. 14 and older. 0. 6-7. Growing. Finishing. Market Beef Lifecycle. Calves. Yearlings. Weaning. Harvest. Age of animal, months. Preconditioning. Nutrition guidelines:

geoffrey-kristian
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Beef Cattle Nutrition

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  1. Beef Cattle Nutrition Feeder and Stocker Cattle

  2. Stocker Birth 9-10 12 14 and older 0 6-7 Growing Finishing Market Beef Lifecycle Calves Yearlings Weaning Harvest Age of animal, months

  3. Preconditioning • Nutrition guidelines: • Creep feed and bring feeder into feedlot • Palatable diet, not dusty • Feed long-stem hay and topdress grain for a few days • Feed in a bunk to get used to it

  4. Preconditioning • Free-choice watering system • Loose free-choice salt • Increased mineral needs prior to shipping • Avoid silage or fermented feeds-smell will drive them off • Caution with lots of grain: acidosis, bloat, founder

  5. Stocker Cattle • Weaned calves that are forage-fed for a period of time before being sold to enter a feedlot • For spring born calves bought in fall: • Winter on high-roughage diets in drylot • Winter graze on wheat/winter oats, or fescue • Winter on stocks (corn or milo) until gone, then feed silage with CP (legume/supplement) in feedlot

  6. Other Feedstuffs • High energy supplementation, but need low starch • Soy hulls • Wheat midds • Brewers grains • Fed up to 6 lbs/day to 500 lbs calves • Protein supplementation • Limited by energy, so CP may not get response • Balance between expected performance and cost of supplementation (Feed:Gain = 5:1)

  7. Bar F Cattle Company • Stocker cattle and preconditioning operation in north central Arkansas • ~1200 head at a time • ~9000 head move through in a year • Calves range from 400-650 lbs at start • Calves from TN, AR, NC, KY, MO, GA, AL

  8. Backgrounded Cattle

  9. Transition Rations • First time calves into feedlot-goal is to minimize disease and death loss • Get them eating! • Medium quality roughage free-choice • Plus protein supplement if needed • After 2-3 days-add grain at rate of .5 lb/100 lbs

  10. Market Cattle Requirements • Generally 2-3% of BW for DM intake • CP-between 9 and 14% • Feedlot cattle average 12-14% • TDN-65-85% • Calcium-0.3-0.6% • Phosphorus-0.2-0.4% • Considerably higher with byproducts • Ca:P ratio of 2 (or greater):1 to avoid urinary calculi

  11. Backgrounded Cattle • Weaned calves placed in drylot or pasture with more emphasis on growing than stocker calves • Fed grain + roughage • Target finish is 800+ lb • Move straight to finishing ration

  12. Growing Cattle • Growing calves in feedlot until switched to finishing ration • More roughage than concentrate generally • Phase 1 feeding-50-60% concentrate from 450-800 lb • Traditionally mostly silage diet now stalks, hay • Phase 2 feeding->75% concentrate over 800 lb (mostly grain diet)

  13. Finishing Cattle • Target is to increase marbling-improve quality • Concentrate:roughage ratio of 85:15 or higher • Faster gains on higher concentrate diet • Increase in TDN by 10% may decrease intake by 10% • High concentrate diets can lead to problems like acidosis, founder, and liver abcesses

  14. Feedlots in Iowa

  15. Feed Additives

  16. Feed Additives • Non-nutritive ingredients added to the diet • Examples commonly used: • Medications • Flavorings • Colorings • Growth promotants • Antioxidants (preservatives)

  17. Antibiotics • Inhibits growth of some (not all) microbes • Continuous inclusion-in diet all the time • Coccidiostats • Short-term inclusion-used to cure/treat a disease • Examples: Tetracyclines, Tylan, Penicillin • Should antibiotics be utilized in livestock feeds? • Bacteria become resistant to antibiotics • Super bugs, antibiotic treatment becomes useless

  18. Ionophores • Commonly fed to cattle, kill certain rumen bacteria • Beef cattle (cows and feedlot) • Changes rumen bug population so can improved feed use • Considered an antibiotic • Examples: Rumensin, Bovatec • TOXIC to horses!

  19. Ionophores • Commonly used: • Ralgo, Synovex (S,H), Compudose, Revalor • Active for 60-100 days after insertion into ear • Increased gains • Steers 8-12% and heifers 6-10% • Increased efficiency (feed to gain) • Steers 5-8% and heifers 4-7%

  20. Hormonal Effect Additives • MGA-fed to feedlot heifers, to suppress heat • Acts like progesterone in female cattle • P4 is pregnancy hormone- MGA tricks body • Increases gain because heifers will go off feed during estrus- riding, etc • Approved for use to synchronize estrous cycle in breeding females • Feed continuously and then withdraw-->estrous

  21. Questions?

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