Potatoes

[madbeancounter1]

I was told today that cutting up a small potato and feeding it to our show calves at about 5 day intervals will enhance feed conversion.

Starch in the potato converts to sugar or something like that and then all the nutrients in food are absorbed and there is no waste.

I trust the source... just never heard of doing such a thing before.

Anyone else?

 

[Anonymous]

Do not know about feed conversion improvement, but back in the days of old - a now long dead gentleman told me they used to feed potatoes and turnips to cows and horses in the winter if they had no hay.

He came into the country on a sled - pulled up the Peace River by an old horse - he was born in the winter of 1895 in a tent on the edge of Slave Lake Alberta and we had many interesting talks about how the country we both lived in was broken - his job at the ripe old age of 6 was to set forest fires off the back of an old horse - they then planted root crops in the burned out areas for simple survival.

He used to take potates, carrots and turnips by the sack and just dump them on the ground for his animals.

He owned a pile of animals when he died and still fed them the same way - and his animals were top notch.

So, why not try it?

Bez'

 

[farmer rich]

Potatoes are an exellent feed for cattle. They have a comparable energy and protein content to cereals on a dry matter basis and are a lot cheaper to feed, although not always availiable. I have fed them to bulk out grass silage when Ive been short. I wouldn't think one small potatoe every five days would have much of an effect on feed conversion.

IMO diet structure is the most important factor in rumen development in young cattle as well as maximising feed conversion in all classes of cattle. That means sufficient long fibre to build the rumen matt and provide the scratch factor to stimulate the rumen.

 

[Anonymous]

Potatoes are an exellent feed for cattle. They have a comparable energy and protein content to cereals on a dry matter basis and are a lot cheaper to feed, although not always availiable. I have fed them to bulk out grass silage when Ive been short. I wouldn't think one small potatoe every five days would have much of an effect on feed conversion.

IMO diet structure is the most important factor in rumen development in young cattle as well as maximising feed conversion in all classes of cattle. That means sufficient long fibre to build the rumen matt and provide the scratch factor to stimulate the rumen.

Farmer Rich - what are you doing up at this hour?

Bez'

 

[farmer rich]

Cant sleep bez, well spotted, the time here is 3:45

 

[Anonymous]

Cant sleep bez

(Farmer Rich - Edited out of courtesy to your edit)

Sorry to hear that - spent more than a few early hours at the George Pub in Waddington - surgeons knife had nothing to do with it though - just liked the beer! We used to force the manager to lock the door and let us keep at it.

Tough to keep up with the RAF guys and gals.

Stay well,

Bez'

 

[farmer rich]

Cant sleep bez.

Sorry to hear that - spent more than a few early hours at the George Pub in Waddington - surgeons knife had nothing to do with it though - just liked the beer! We used to force the manager to lock the door and let us keep at it.

Tough to keep up with the RAF guys and gals.

Stay well,

Bez'

where is waddington?

(thanks Bez)

 

[Anonymous]

Cant sleep bez

Sorry to hear that - spent more than a few early hours at the George Pub in Waddington - surgeons knife had nothing to do with it though - just liked the beer! We used to force the manager to lock the door and let us keep at it.

Tough to keep up with the RAF guys and gals.

Stay well,

Bez'

where is waddington?

Royal Air Force Waddington is located 3 miles south of Lincoln between the A607 and A15 trunk roads.

I have some Canuck flight time under my belt and used to know quite a few folks there.

Lovely part of the world.

Traveled to Arundel Castle a few times - love the history.

Bez

 

[farmer rich]

Sound like you enjoyed your time here Bez.

Take care,
Rich

 

[Anonymous]

Actually, the place I stayed at all the time was called the George Hotel in Wallingford - a few short minutes from Waddington - only 35 or so miles from Heathrow - and yes it was a grand time - must run myself - have water running outside.

Will probably be there again next year.

The pub is one of those places where you feel right at home.

Haunted as well - though I never did see the lass - she died in the late 1500's.

My best,

Bez'

 

[madbeancounter1]

I wouldn't think one small potatoe every five days would have much of an effect on feed conversion.

So then, if I hear you and Bez' correctly increasing qty might improve feed conversion?

Same fellow that told me about the potato told me that beet pulp would help fill out but not add fat :?: or weight :?: Not sure I understand that one.

The other thing he told me... and then told me he wasn't trying to tell me my business... shoot, tell me I need all the help I can get I know where to go to ask for public opinion... was that as soon as I can after the fair I need to cut her feed with crimped oats. I think I understand the concept. Too much corn and she gets fat. Add the oats and she grows up without getting fat... thus no breeding problems when she reaches appropriate age. Which brings up another question... but I'll put that in another post on the health board. This one's getting off the subject.

With the recent problems I've had at the mill and getting the right feed it's a wonder Sam's heifer is eating at all.

I finally got my show feed mix sans barley + oats but now she wants the 16% 50/50 that she wouldn't touch earlier and doesn't want the show feed that I ran out of. Doesn't even want the straight 12% Beef mix that I brought home. She plowed through about 15 lbs of the 50/50 tonight... She's been eating well though throughout.... just have to find what she wants... she's more picky than my boy and that's saying quite a bit. His menu consists of about 4-5 items ... well that's a bit understated but you get the drift.

 

[Anonymous]

I wouldn't think one small potatoe every five days would have much of an effect on feed conversion.

So then, if I hear you and Bez' correctly increasing qty might improve feed conversion?

Same fellow that told me about the potato told me that beet pulp would help fill out but not add fat :?: or weight :?: Not sure I understand that one.

The other thing he told me... and then told me he wasn't trying to tell me my business... shoot, tell me I need all the help I can get I know where to go to ask for public opinion... was that as soon as I can after the fair I need to cut her feed with crimped oats. I think I understand the concept. Too much corn and she gets fat. Add the oats and she grows up without getting fat... thus no breeding problems when she reaches appropriate age. Which brings up another question... but I'll put that in another post on the health board. This one's getting off the subject.

With the recent problems I've had at the mill and getting the right feed it's a wonder Sam's heifer is eating at all.

I finally got my show feed mix sans barley + oats but now she wants the 16% 50/50 that she wouldn't touch earlier and doesn't want the show feed that I ran out of. Doesn't even want the straight 12% Beef mix that I brought home. She plowed through about 15 lbs of the 50/50 tonight... She's been eating well though throughout.... just have to find what she wants... she's more picky than my boy and that's saying quite a bit. His menu consists of about 4-5 items ... well that's a bit understated but you get the drift.

You are delving into an area that I have no interest in - showing cattle. So I cannot give you much of an answer other than to restate my comment:

He owned a pile of animals when he died and still fed them the same way - and his animals were top notch.

So, why not try it?

But, Rich seems to have had similar results - so there is at least a little confimation for you.

Good luck with the animals,

Bez'

 

[certherfbeef]

Mad bean,

After the last show I bring the heifers home and they get wet pulp and oats. They don't like it and raise some cain for a day or so. Bout a week and a half of pulp and oats and free choice hay...and out to the real world they go.

 

[farmer rich]

What I said was that potatoes are a good source of energy as a cattle feed not that they are a kind of magic ingredient to improvr FCR. I can see no reason why feed conversion would be any better with potatoes than corn. The decision on which to feed would for me come down to cost per unit of energy.

Beet pulp is a high fibre low energy and protein feed unless it is fed as molassed pellets. Oats are high in fibre and lower in energy than other cereals. A ration based on oats and beet pulp is lower in energy but very rumen friendly due to its high fibre content.

Feeding a lower energy diet to bulling heifers is not always a good idea as conception rates are higher on a rising plane of nutrition, however, if your show heifer is over conditioned then you cant continue feeding her the same ration as before, she is just going to get fatter.

 

[certherfbeef]

I can see no reason why feed conversion would be any better with potatoes than corn.

Is the corn hotter than the potato? Can you get them heavier on the potato with less internal heat than the corn?
For example:
From a hair growing standpoint...If I feed a hot corn ration, I'm gonna have problems getting and keeping a decient coat of hair.
Will I have that same problem with the potatos?

 

[farmer rich]

Sorry Cetherbeef havnt got clue about hair growth, I was not talking from a show point of view, just general nutrition.

Potatoes are about 22% dry matter, similar to good grass silage but a lot higher in energy and low in protein and fibre. If you are pushing cattle for high daily rates of gain then potatoes will not give you any advantage as intakes will not be high enougth compared to a concentrate diet. Cattle fed potatoes will also be looser and produce more urine than those on full corn, not so good if your trying to keep them clean. Supplimentation with vitamins and minerals is also essential as roots are poor suppliers of these, pottasium exepted.

 

[madbeancounter1]

OK... I understand what you are saying.

The fellow that told me this was telling me that if I feed her a potato that the starch would convert to sugar and then it would help to fully utilize all nutrients.

I'll see him again this week and make sure that I understand what he was telling me.

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Madbean - from what I understand, you have VERY young heifers. I WOULD NOT drop their feed quality after showing if you want them to grow into breeding heifers at the age of 14 months old. Certherf is most likely talking about bred, well grown out heifers. I turn my bred show heifers out with all our other bred heifers (which would be on either grass or baleage). But you are talking very small, young growing heifers that are not showing any fat. I would continue keeping them seperated (unless you have other young stock equal in size) and keep up the good feed. As they grow, you may want to adjust their ration and lower the protein content around 600-700#. If they start showing any fat deposits around their tail head, back them down on feed. You DO NOT want to get heifers overly fat. Every fat cell deposited in the udder, replaces milk cells & will never produce milk in that cell. Therefore, fat udders PRIOR to breeding, will reduce their lifetime milk production. (After the heifer is pregnant, the fat cells do not affect her production - strange, but true, according to lots of dairy research.)

 

[cattlemom]

madbean,

I'm not sure about feed conversion, but we used potatoes on our steer this year to keep him eating. He would slow down a little & we could chop up some potatoes in a food processor & within two days have him on more feed than he was eating originally. I have been trying to figure out how the potatoes helped & all I can come up with is that the starch turns to sugar & it used faster by the body so it makes him feel more hungry. Kind of like if I eat donuts for breakfast - I'm hungry again quicker because my body uses the sugar faster than if I ate something with more protein in it. I don't know if this is true, but it's how I've justified it.....

 

[farmer rich]

Cattle mom, that is an interesting observation, it set me wondering why that would happen. One possibility is that as intake potential is proportional to ME (Metabolisable energy). By increasing the ME of the ration with a high energy ingredient like potatoes you are seeing an increase in intake.