How Can you...?

[Iowa77]

How can you tell if cattle have been getting a lot of grain?

 

[cypressfarms]

Not sure why your asking this type of question (sometimes it helps to know where someone is coming from), but I don't think there is a sure fire way to tell that a cow has been grain fed. If you go to a pasture, and there is no grass, or other supplements, and the cattle are in good shape, the farmer could be using grain. Too many if's though.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Look thru their manure.

 

[aplusmnt]

How can you tell if cattle have been getting a lot of grain?

Look in their poop. But not sure if that will tell if they are getting a lot or just some. Have had a cow that was going down hill tried feeding her grain and she still looked bad so we shipped her. And then have one that is getting so fat I thought she might be bloating and she was getting nothing but low quality pasture. So it is hard to tell by condition, some are easy keepers and some could eat lots of grain and still look bad.

 

[Farmhand]

The only way is to look at their poop. You can tell if they are being fed cracked, whole, ear corn etc, by the condition of the corn in their poop.

 

[JAH]

Cattle fed much grain will have a "sour" smell. You can smell it when they come into the sale ring. They also might be slicked off when green cattle have "hair like a bear." It'll be in their deposits and often stuck to their backside.