Feeding bred cow

[Anonymous]

I recently purchased a 6 months bred cow. She is older and weight's about 990. I'm currently feeding her 12% range crubs everyday. I wanted to know does it make a differences if I switch to sweet feed? Does feeding her any of this makes a difference at all. She has plenty of grass and water.
Also when is the best time to start on hay? I'm in Houston Tx and the grass is still green here. Any comments will help.

 

[txshowmom]

If she has plenty of grass to eat then I would not feed her. Especially in her last trimester because all you are doing is making the calf grow and she could have calving problems.

 

[hillbilly]

We feed a salt/minerial mix that also has soy bean meal in it.
free choice, self limiting, 20% protien. They average about 1 lb per day.
They eat more when they need it and less when they don't.

Hillbilly

 

[Scotty]

I would keep free choice mineral out at all times. Lmit the protein of cubes maybe by puting out a protien tub. Besure not to "starve" the animal down. She needs some to maintain her protien level and stay in a positive energy state. You can cause problems sometime worse than having to pulling a calve by not nurishing one. Some other people will chime in her and correct me or fill in where I left off. Hope I helped.

Scotty

 

[txshowmom]

I was not suggesting the he not feed her, he said there was plenty of grass. And yes free choice minerals are great and should be avaliable. She should get everything else she needs from the grass.

 

[Scotty]

No she might not be getting all she needs. IF it is unfertilized grass she my only be getting a small % of the protein and other things shee needs. Even with an all purpose mineral and cake or tubs a cow can still have holes in her diet. The only way to know is to test. This may be unpractical if it is only one animal.

Scotty

 

[hillbilly]

We feed a salt/minerial mix that also has soy bean meal in it.
free choice, self limiting, 20% protien. They average about 1 lb per day.
They eat more when they need it and less when they don't.

Hillbilly

 

[Scotty]

Sorry I didn't reference your post. And also sorry if I came on harshly to you Show Mom. Some time I do that and since you can't see me it makes it even worse.


Scotty

 

[txshowmom]

No need to apologize. We've all been there.

 

[la4angus]

Sorry I didn't reference your post. And also sorry if I came on harshly to you Show Mom. Some time I do that and since you can't see me it makes it even worse.


Scotty

Scotty, if you apoligize every time someone disagrees with you you will spend all your time apoligizing.
Who is to say that you are wrong and the other person is right. Each situation is different.

 

[J Baxter]

I feed my cows along all during pregnancy w/spring calvers especially. Just keep an eye on their tailheads. If the tailheads start to gather much fat then cut back the feed. I'd rather them be healthy come feeding time.

JB

 

[PASS]

This is just my 2 cents but I also live near Houston. The grass is still here, but it really doesn't have much nutrients in it this time of the year. I wouldn't feed her a lot but I would be getting some protein in her. She needs to keep a good body score in this last stage of pregnancy.

Pat

 

[txshowmom]

This is just my 2 cents but I also live near Houston. The grass is still here, but it really doesn't have much nutrients in it this time of the year. I wouldn't feed her a lot but I would be getting some protein in her. She needs to keep a good body score in this last stage of pregnancy.

Pat

You can get that with hay and a mineral/protien block. She does not have to be on sack feed.

 

[Jake]

don't refrain from feeding her sweet feed or cubes in the last trimester. She should be fine on them being an older cow, and anyways you don't want to starve a small calf out of her.

 

[dun]

don't refrain from feeding her sweet feed or cubes in the last trimester. She should be fine on them being an older cow, and anyways you don't want to starve a small calf out of her.

You can't starve a small calf out of her. What you can do is starve a weak poor doing calf from a cow that won't breed back

dun

 

[Bamabeef]

If you have a cow or cows that can not keep their condition and calve on grass, then you have the wrong kind of cows. Cows do not need anything other than grass.

What I would like to know is how did cows make it before feed stores came along to provide them with all their needs.

 

[fellersbarnoneranch]

What I would like to know is how did cows make it before feed stores came along to provide them with all their needs.

The fittest survived, until we fenced 'em all in and over-grazed/over-stocked.

 

[dun]

What I would like to know is how did cows make it before feed stores came along to provide them with all their needs.

The fittest survived, until we fenced 'em all in and over-grazed/over-stocked.

Great answer, but I would throw in changed the genetics

dun

 

[jcarkie]

i am always having a dicussion with people about feeding protien and making the calf too big. one of my friends says he had one weigh 120 lbs because of too much feed high in protien. if this is true why weren't all of his calves 120 lbs instead of just one. i feed my bred cows 12% protien supplement and increase it at the last 60 days .free choice hay

 

[dun]

http://muextension.missouri.edu/explore/agguides/ansci/g02035.htm

http://www.beefimprovement.org/BIFfactcalving2.html