Beef Cattle Nutrition

Feeder and Stocker Cattle

Market Beef Lifecycle

Age of animal, months

Weaning

Birth

Growing Finishing

0 6-7

Stocker

9-10 12 14 and older

Harvest

Calves Yearlings

Preconditioning

Nutrition guidelines:Creep feed and bring feeder into feedlotPalatable diet, not dustyFeed long-stem hay and topdress grain for a

few daysFeed in a bunk to get used to it

Preconditioning

Free-choice watering systemLoose free-choice salt Increased mineral needs prior to shippingAvoid silage or fermented feeds-smell will

drive them offCaution with lots of grain: acidosis, bloat,

founder

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 fescueWinter on stocks (corn or milo) until gone, then

feed silage with CP (legume/supplement) in feedlot

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)

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

Backgrounded Cattle

Transition Rations

First time calves into feedlot-goal is to minimize disease and death loss

Get them eating!Medium quality roughage free-choicePlus protein supplement if neededAfter 2-3 days-add grain at rate of .5 lb/100

lbs

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

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

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)

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

Feedlots in Iowa

Feed Additives

Feed Additives

Non-nutritive ingredients added to the diet Examples commonly used:

MedicationsFlavoringsColoringsGrowth promotantsAntioxidants (preservatives)

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

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!

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%

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

Questions?