I want to learn more about nutrition

[TTBHG]

My Brangus herd is rapidly expanding and I really want to learn more about cattle nutrition. Does anyone have a reliable YouTube channel, blog, etc, they'd like to share? I have googled different versions of "beef cattle nutrition for beginners" and there's a lot of nonsense to step through in those results. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

 

[Brute 23]

I feel the same. Especially when it comes to calculating what the animals needs and converting that to your grass or what is on a feed label.

 

[4hfarms]

My Brangus herd is rapidly expanding and I really want to learn more about cattle nutrition. Does anyone have a reliable YouTube channel, blog, etc, they'd like to share? I have googled different versions of "beef cattle nutrition for beginners" and there's a lot of nonsense to step through in those results. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

This is the reason I joined CT.

 

[Stickney94]

Excellent question. First, what is your operation -- cow/calf/stockers/fed to slaughter?

Cattle are remarkably adaptable -- they will survive on grass/plants. If they need minerals they will go lick rocks.

Much of cattle nutrition marketing has its roots in the dairy industry and feedlot industry. A great deal of research has been done to optimize milk/beef production for those rather man-made environments.

If you are running cows on grass (some would say as God intended) -- access to clean water is really all you need (I'd recommend a mineral program -- but I'm just saying cattle lived for millenia without man delivering them bags/tubs of minerals).

If you are raising feeder cattle or fat cattle nutrition gets a bit more complicated -- but not that much.

It gets more complicated if you are trying to use a wide array of feedstuffs to optimize efficiency and reduce costs. But let's start with what kind of operation you are running?

 

[Lucky_P]

It's not gonna be A+B+C... More like A+B... but if G happens, then L,M,N,O,P. It's an irregular continuum; You won't get it all in a 10 minute YouTube video; but there's some good stuff out there... if you can weed it out from the BS.

Yes, in a perfect world, grass and water are all they need. But most of us don't do it in a perfect world. Management-intensive grazing can help to optimize nutrition during the grazing season, by managing grasses, forbs, legumes, etc., in the sward and managing grazing practices, but mineral supplementation needs are going to be driven by local soil conditions, forage species (for example, orchardgrass is better at extracting copper from soils than is tall fescue), stage of growth/pregnancy/production (calcium and magnesium needs of lactating cows, etc.), etc.

But... at some point, most of us run out of available forage material for grazing, or weather conditions end the growing season, etc., and we're relegated to feeding stored forages (hay, silage, baleage, etc.) and grains/co-products/commodity feeds, etc.
Hay tends to be the 'base' for most beef cattle overwintering... but if you don't test your hay, you have no idea 'what's in there'... and all hay is NOT created equal. Believe me.
There are some very useful 'plug and chug' ration balancers online, like CowCulator, UofMN's, ration balancer, etc. You can plug in variables such as TDN, CP, ADF, NDF, etc. of your hay, established or customized values for supplemental feedstuffs, breed/frame score/BCS/stage of pregnancy/laction of cows, how much BCS you're willing to allow them to lose, etc. These can be used to determine how much hay, how much corn/ddg/cgf, etc. you need to feed to meet minimal or optimal dry matter, energy and protein levels.

Sorry, Stick... licking rocks is NOT going to provide minerals(and yes, I'm sure you were kinda tongue-in-cheeking it). Heck, they can't even get enough of most of what they need licking one of those red 'trace-mineral' salt blocks. Not to mention that in some parts of the country, even if they could get something from 'licking a rock' when they're deficient in something... those rocks are most likely deficient in the minerals they need... like selenium, copper, magnesium...

 

[Nesikep]

@Lucky_P From my research, I saw that cows lick rocks, etc when they're short on phosphorus, and they don't necessarily lick the stuff that gives them the right minerals

Something I compiled a while back when I was diagnosing mineral deficiencies and couldn't find any good reading material that had everything in one place.. It doesn't cover things like fat, TDN, fiber, etc though

A compilation of mineral deficiencies.pdf

Shared with Dropbox

www.dropbox.com

 

[SBMF 2015]

University of Minnesota has a great down loadable program that you can plug your feed stuffs in and it will balance your ration.

 

[Stickney94]

Sorry, Stick... licking rocks is NOT going to provide minerals(and yes, I'm sure you were kinda tongue-in-cheeking it).

Yes tongue in cheek err tongue on rock

The OPs operation goals/market I think are needed to answer appropriately.

I've noticed on another message board a lot of adherents to fancy cattle rations. If the OP's operation is show cattle or high marbling wagyu or some other market that delivers a premium than complicated rations may be necessary. But if the operation is running stock cows and selling weaned calves much of that would be unnecessary expense.

A good local vet in anyone's area should be able to provide some guidance on what/if any local mineral deficiencies there may be (selenium/copper etc).

 

[Stickney94]

University of Minnesota has a great down loadable program that you can plug your feed stuffs in and it will balance your ration.

I second this. Here is a link to a page that has info and the downloadable cow version (there is also a feedlot version). You do need to have a bit of MS Excel knowledge and be willing to read the instructions.

Beef nutrition

Managing nutrition for cattle including feedlot cattle, mother cows and calves

extension.umn.edu

 

[TexasBred]

My Brangus herd is rapidly expanding and I really want to learn more about cattle nutrition. Does anyone have a reliable YouTube channel, blog, etc, they'd like to share? I have googled different versions of "beef cattle nutrition for beginners" and there's a lot of nonsense to step through in those results. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

I"m sure most of it will appear as nonsense but if you're serious about learning you'll need to hang onto much of it. It can get pretty technical depending on what you're doing. I've always tried to make sure I get away from the big fancy classroom words and try to convey information in a manner folks can grasp what you're saying. As far as being able to calculate values etc. must of that is done by a feed ration/ration balancer computer programs. Some of it can be done manually but most folks are too lazy (me especially) to do it. Anything in animal science would be a help and you could get more specific as you progress. There is an old book out there "Morrison's Feeds and Feeding" that has been out there for ages. A real good primer to get good basic information.

 

[Banjo]

Not to hijack a thread but what about vitamin C? yea i know cattle make their own vitamin C but recently i read an article about how some animals are better at making it than others. C helps in the healing process. i have a handful of calves about every year that can't seem to get over pinkeye even after treatment. I was wondering if a high dose of Vitamin C in the treatment might possibly help in the recovery time.....anybody tried it?

 

[Rydero]

I second this. Here is a link to a page that has info and the downloadable cow version (there is also a feedlot version). You do need to have a bit of MS Excel knowledge and be willing to read the instructions.

Beef nutrition

Managing nutrition for cattle including feedlot cattle, mother cows and calves

extension.umn.edu

I third this. I don't use this particular software but I use another program. If you're feeding cattle it's a huge benefit not to guess. Get your feed tested, put the info in and see where you're at. The one I use - Cowbytes you can put the cost of everything and see how much the ration is per/h/d. I love tweaking the different feeds and seeing if I can save money while still providing the right nutrition.

It's also great for seeing where you're wasting money - I may get roasted for this but....Protein lick tubs. See what 1 lb/day of 30% protein does in a ration vs what it costs and you might be shocked.

 

[TTBHG]

Excellent question. First, what is your operation -- cow/calf/stockers/fed to slaughter?

Cattle are remarkably adaptable -- they will survive on grass/plants. If they need minerals they will go lick rocks.

Much of cattle nutrition marketing has its roots in the dairy industry and feedlot industry. A great deal of research has been done to optimize milk/beef production for those rather man-made environments.

If you are running cows on grass (some would say as God intended) -- access to clean water is really all you need (I'd recommend a mineral program -- but I'm just saying cattle lived for millenia without man delivering them bags/tubs of minerals).

If you are raising feeder cattle or fat cattle nutrition gets a bit more complicated -- but not that much.

It gets more complicated if you are trying to use a wide array of feedstuffs to optimize efficiency and reduce costs. But let's start with what kind of operation you are running?

Right now I've bought all yearling heifers and bred heifers. The goal is to eventually be a cow/calf operation but I also have enough room to run some stockers/feeders. In the last month I've added 39 head and I'm still trying to find another 50 or so.
My ultimate goal is to get to 150-200 brood cows and then sell the steers at weaning and get the heifers bred at breeding age and sell them as bred heifers.

 

[Stickney94]

Right now I've bought all yearling heifers and bred heifers. The goal is to eventually be a cow/calf operation but I also have enough room to run some stockers/feeders. In the last month I've added 39 head and I'm still trying to find another 50 or so.
My ultimate goal is to get to 150-200 brood cows and then sell the steers at weaning and get the heifers bred at breeding age and sell them as bred heifers.

There are others on here that can give you more specifics -- brangus and I assume living where it is much warmer than where I am present different challenges than my experience.
My angus/wagyu stock cows survive on pasture with only grass/water/mineral (fancy ConceptAid and local milled).

 

[Mgutzwiler]

My Brangus herd is rapidly expanding and I really want to learn more about cattle nutrition. Does anyone have a reliable YouTube channel, blog, etc, they'd like to share? I have googled different versions of "beef cattle nutrition for beginners" and there's a lot of nonsense to step through in those results. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

I feel the best way to learn about nutrition in your herd is to talk to the bigger/respected ranchers in your area. In my part of the country we offer free choice minerals and also iodized salt. In the late fall we put out protein tubs. We also inject Multimin twice a year. January and May. Just my two cents worth

 

[TTBHG]

There are others on here that can give you more specifics -- brangus and I assume living where it is much warmer than where I am present different challenges than my experience.
My angus/wagyu stock cows survive on pasture with only grass/water/mineral (fancy ConceptAid and local milled).

Yep, Brangus cows in South Florida. They're not for the faint of heart. Thanks for taking the time to respond. Merry Christmas!

 

[Allenw]

Learn about the grasses and forbs in your pasture and area as well as they're life cycle and nutrition value as they grow and mature. Learn about body condition scores and how to read the cow patties your animals leave behind. Get a book on livestock feeds and feeding, they're a good reference on different feed products you might come across.

Use the information you gather and your own observations to make your own disisions.

If I was planning on selling replacement heifers I would concentrate on genetics adapted to your area that don't need propped up with a lot of imputs.

 

[Dave]

I will echo what TB said. Get a copy of Morrison's Feeds and Feeding. That can give you a real good grasp on the basics. That was my college text book in animal nutrition class.

 

[Lisagrantb]

Ok I started playing with the ration balancer sheet and have a question. What is it telling me I should do. I see the proposed diet but how do you translate that to a feed. The hay is free choice 24/7 and I'm basing the 30lbs/day on how much they are eating on average. Thanks

 

[sim.-ang.king]

My Brangus herd is rapidly expanding and I really want to learn more about cattle nutrition. Does anyone have a reliable YouTube channel, blog, etc, they'd like to share? I have googled different versions of "beef cattle nutrition for beginners" and there's a lot of nonsense to step through in those results. Any guidance would be greatly appreciated.

Read books. Some you might think are more feedlot centric, but the feedlot is the best place to learn to feed, even pasture cattle.