How much grain should I feed my cow in the winter?
Ideally, they should gain 1.5 pounds per day or one-half to three-fourths points of body condition score per month. Generally, a cow eats 2.0% to 2.5% of her body weight in dry matter each day.
How much should you feed a heifer?
Feeding 4 to 6 pounds of grain and letting the heifer have free-choice access to alfalfa hay should result in 2.0 to 2.5 lb/day gain. No supplemental protein, vitamins, or mineral will be required.
What are the feed requirements for winter?
FEEDING RECOMMENDATIONS In all scenarios, in winter months horses should be given at least 1.5 to 3% of their body weight in some form of forage; it could be in the form of long stem hay, chopped hays, forage based cubes, or combinations thereof.
How much do heifers eat per day?
Cows will voluntarily consume 2.0% of body weight or 24 pounds per day. The 24 pounds is based on 100% dry matter. Grass hays will often be 7 to 10% moisture. If we assume that the hay is 92% dry matter or 8% moisture, then the cows will consume about 26 pounds per day on an “as-fed basis”.
How much grain should a cow eat per day?
Cows will voluntarily consume about 2 percent of their body weight or 24 pounds per day. The 24 pounds is based on 100 percent dry matter. Grass hays often will be 7 percent to 10 percent moisture.
What is best to feed cows in winter?
During extremely cold or windy weather, cows should be given all the hay they’ll clean up, or a protein supplement on dry pastures to encourage them to eat more. As long as protein is adequate, cows can process/ferment sufficient roughage to provide energy and body heat.
How much grain do you feed a replacement heifer?
Replacement beef heifers should attain 65 to 70% of their potential mature weight by the time they are bred at 14-15 months of age….Table 4.
| Ration 1 | 8.5 lb. good quality legume hay (18% CP) |
|---|---|
| Ration 2 | 4.5 lb. grain corn |
| Ration 3 | 8.5 lb grass hay (9.7% CP) |
| 4.5 lb. grain corn | |
| .5 lb. 40% supplement |
What do you feed cows in winter?
grazing winter wheat Wheat is an excellent source of winter time forage for cows and calves and over 2 million head of cattle will graze winter wheat every year. When grazed properly, winter wheat can provide nutrition to cattle with little to no impact on the potential yield of the wheat crop.
How do you feed a heifer in Kenya?
Feeding the lactating heifer or cow Lactating cows are fed good quality fodder/forage, and dairy meal at the rate of 1kg dairy meal for every 1.5kg milk produced above 5kg. If the quality of forage is poor, you will need to give more dairy meal, but do not exceed 40 per cent of the total feed intake per day.
Can you overfeed a cow?
Over-eating a forage will likely not hurt the cow, but will increase feed costs. Cows over-eating grains is not a good situation. This will usually result in acidosis, founder, reduction in performance, and sometimes death of the animal.
Can you feed a cow too much grain?
Grains can accumulate in an animal’s intestines because they lack starch-digesting enzymes. Thus, a high-grain diet can promote an overgrowth of Clostridium perfringens, a bacterium associated with sudden death in feedlot cattle, Russell’s article suggests.
How much grain to feed a cow in the winter?
The sample rations in this package are based on feeding cattle during normal winter temperatures which range from -10 degrees to -20º C. Feed an additional one lb. of grain or pellets per head per day for every five degrees that the temperature is below -20º C at mid-day. 60 Days Prior to Calving
How much does it cost to feed a cow in winter?
Rules of Thumb for Winter Cow Rations. If low quality forage (e.g. straw or corn stalks) and corn can be added to an alfalfa-based ration, cost can be reduced (Ration 3) to about $1.37/hd/day (if straw is $60/Ton). This savings of $0.07/hd/day equals about $10/cow during a typical winter feeding period. Ration 4,…
How do you set up a winter ration for calves?
The first step in formulating a winter ration for your calves is to decide upon the daily rate of gain you want the calves to make. (Remember, weight gain is the product you have to sell.) Calves weighing 350 to 500 pounds will cost more per pound than calves will bring when sold at a heavier weight.
How much hay to feed a cow?
If you’re thinking of substituting corn into the diet, a rule of thumb is to feed the cow at least one pound of hay per 100 pounds of body weight. For the remainder of hay, use the 1 pound of corn to 2 pounds of hay substitution guideline.