Ration Feeding Beef Cattle

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Tue, 06/18/2019 - 19:28 #1

Member for

8 years 2 months
Urchy87
Last seen: 06/22/2019 - 18:39
Joined: 09/03/2016 - 20:20

Ration Feeding Beef Cattle

Hey

I’m wondering if anyone here has had much to do with ration feeding cattle? Do you have a formula that works? Have you tried and just can’t get it to work despite all efforts?

In particular I’d really like to know how much feed you allow for per head, per day and what you are feeding.

Thanks in advance.

Urchy87

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Thu, 06/20/2019 - 16:26 #2
admin
Last seen: 11/13/2024 - 10:09
Joined: 02/28/2011 - 14:19

Hi Urch87,

Welcome to the small farm forum, some further information will be required before i can provide you with an answer:

  • What commodities (grain/hay) do you have?
  • What are they valued at?
  • How much of each commodity do you have?
  • Do you have a mixer?
  • Do you have a roller/hammer mill?
  • What do they want to achieve? Ie fatten, grow, survive etc
     

Thanks,

Charlie

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Thu, 06/20/2019 - 17:16 #3
Urchy87
Last seen: 06/22/2019 - 18:39
Joined: 09/03/2016 - 20:20

Hi Charlie, thanks for replying.

Looking to fatten steers, say 10 to 20 at a time. Had a farm, now don’t have a farm but miss the work/reward of working with cattle so checking my options. I have acreage (25 acres of scrub) so want to pen off a section for ration feeding. The problem is I’ve never ration fed so have no real idea on the ‘winning formula’ or what to expect.

Was looking at a dry mix in pellet form from a bulk supplier and using hay (season dependent, Rhodes/Lucerne mix, oats, millet, will just buy in bulk if I can) as dry matter. I have been open to listening to the suppliers of dry mix but wanted to touch base with people that are doing it to see how it works for them.

I’m also open to other methods. I can get a hold of a roller mill, already have a tractor, 25 tonne silo and quality hay feeder with a stainless tray that I could utilise but no mixer unfortunately. I do know of one I could get but it needs work so would rather options without a mixer to begin with anyway. I will buy a grain feeder.

Any advice will be appreciated. Do you ration feed yourself?

Thanks,

Nathan

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Tue, 06/25/2019 - 12:36 #4
admin
Last seen: 11/13/2024 - 10:09
Joined: 02/28/2011 - 14:19

Hi Nathan,

Thanks for the reply, I don't have any cattle on feed myself but have a good friend who has a 5,000 head feedlot so have got to learn a little about it through him.

Rather then buying in a bulk commodity, mixing it and needing all the associated equipment a good option would be to purchase a formulated pellet. You can buy different pellets for the various stages of feeding, start, middle, end. The pre-mixed pellet will be more expensive then a bulk commodity but will be less work and also provide some labour savings. The cattle could then be feed in feeders and they will only need to be fed a few times a week rather then every day through troughs.

In addition to the pellets the cattle will still require a roughage (scratch fibre) source such as straw or hay which could be done through hay feeders.

The only risk doing it this way is that you are relying on the cattle to self regulate, so some might eat more hay and less grain and vise versa.

Hope this helps.

Charlie

 

 

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