Recommendation on how to feed

[rjbovine]

Purchased two 3yr old 3rd stage hereford cows today. Cows were wormed and given all shots need before leaving sale barn by the vet I use on my other cows . These cows are thin and need some groceries . I've pinned them up by themself . How much feed would you feed ? And the type of feed that you would recommend . Thank you for your help .

 

[grubbie]

(You will certainly get several opinions on that one......) Free choice hay. Any decent hay will do. Around here we have brome, wheatgrass, timothy, and alfalfa. Can't speak to some of the grasses in the southern states. Being in 3rd stage, I would set out a mineral tub for them as well for some extra protein. That's what works for us. Good luck.

 

[Stepbystep]

Purchased two 3yr old 3rd stage hereford cows today. Cows were wormed and given all shots need before leaving sale barn by the vet I use on my other cows . These cows are thin and need some groceries . I've pinned them up by themself . How much feed would you feed ? And the type of feed that you would recommend . Thank you for your help .

What is 3rd stage?

Thanks

 

[3waycross]

3rd Trimester bred.

 

[hillsdown]

How thin ,do you have pics ?

The last 3 months you have to be really careful about what you feed as that is when most of the feed goes to the calf so you can get a higher birth weight than expected as well as fat cattle can have calving issues ..

 

[CKC1586]

How thin ,do you have pics ?

The last 3 months you have to be really careful about what you feed as that is when most of the feed goes to the calf so you can get a higher birth weight than expected as well as fat cattle can have calving issues ..

:nod: Agree! Be very careful. I would use the free choice hay and protein tub advice given here. Also are you offering mineral??

 

[1wlimo]

How thin ,do you have pics ?

The last 3 months you have to be really careful about what you feed as that is when most of the feed goes to the calf so you can get a higher birth weight than expected as well as fat cattle can have calving issues ..

:nod: Agree! Be very careful. I would use the free choice hay and protein tub advice given here. Also are you offering mineral??

I agree too, just keep them happy now, then when they calf up the feed then.

 

[greatgerts]

The feed does not just go to the calf. The protein also goes to the milk and too much can cause adema. Keep plenty of hay out for the cows and put a minimal amount of grain out for them. Once she calves, I would wait a week to start increasing the feed back up, but that is just my opinion. Some may say to go ahead and increase right away.

 

[Limomike]

Purchased two 3yr old 3rd stage hereford cows today. Cows were wormed and given all shots need before leaving sale barn by the vet I use on my other cows . These cows are thin and need some groceries . I've pinned them up by themself . How much feed would you feed ? And the type of feed that you would recommend . Thank you for your help .

If they have already calved once before, then I would say feed them what they can handle. If they havent calved previously, then go lightly with the feed.

 

[TexasBred]

The feed does not just go to the calf. The protein also goes to the milk and too much can cause adema. Keep plenty of hay out for the cows and put a minimal amount of grain out for them. Once she calves, I would wait a week to start increasing the feed back up, but that is just my opinion. Some may say to go ahead and increase right away.

All the hay she can eat is all she needs if it's good hay. Keep out a good mineral at all times.

 

[rjbovine]

This will be the second calf for both cows. How would a corn/suppliment mix be different than a 24%protein tub . Just tring to learn . thanks rj

 

[grubbie]

I like the tubs cause they have several types of minerals, its like a multi-vitamin for your cows. If they are on a lot of green grass I get the tubs with added mag to prevent grass tetany (staggers), in your case you will want to look for selenium (good for calves before, during, and after birth). If you have horses, keep them away from selenium. The tubs I use are 18% protein. But like I said, this is what works for us. Corn/ supplement mix Im sure would work too, I would just caution not to feed too much of it. I have no experience with that really, maybe someone else could give you some actual numbers on how much corn to feed.

 

[TexasBred]

This will be the second calf for both cows. How would a corn/suppliment mix be different than a 24%protein tub . Just tring to learn . thanks rj

Feeding a commercial feed containing a good % of corn in the mix would give you a huge advantage in energy over the molasses tub and would supply supplemental protein if your hay is low quality. This would be the advantage up in your area if the weather is very cold. Otherwise you're just increasing expense. One 50 lb. bag of loose mineral will contain more vitamins and minerals than a ton of tubs.

 

[B&M Farms]

This will be the second calf for both cows. How would a corn/suppliment mix be different than a 24%protein tub . Just tring to learn . thanks rj

Feeding a commercial feed containing a good % of corn in the mix would give you a huge advantage in energy over the molasses tub and would supply supplemental protein if your hay is low quality. This would be the advantage up in your area if the weather is very cold. Otherwise you're just increasing expense. One 50 lb. bag of loose mineral will contain more vitamins and minerals than a ton of tubs.

I agree. Tubs are easy. They are not cheaper or as beneficial as feeding feed and a good loose mineral. I wouldn't worry about feeding more than good hay and possibly a protein based feed with a little corn at a low rate and see how they do. It is possible that they just didn't have good enough hay where they came from.

 

[rjbovine]

Thanks to all that have repied to my question . I'm keeping the two seprate from the rest in a small corral . Plan on keeping them seprate for two weeks before turning them out . Hope the pampering pays off . I understand that feeding to much,will cause larger calves . With a body condition score of 3-4 just feel these girls need some good feed for alittle while .

 

[Stepbystep]

Thanks to all that have repied to my question . I'm keeping the two seprate from the rest in a small corral . Plan on keeping them seprate for two weeks before turning them out . Hope the pampering pays off . I understand that feeding to much,will cause larger calves . With a body condition score of 3-4 just feel these girls need some good feed for alittle while .

Good luck and let us know how it turns out.

 

[rjbovine]

Follow up , up date one of the girls had a nice bull calf . Waiting on the other one . Mommas still on the thin side but look healthier .

 

[gonzo]

Good news

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

I'm late getting in on this thread. But -- although it is true that the calf grows the most during the last trimester, it is advantageous to try to put weight on a thin cow PRIOR to calving. If you full feed a cow during last tri, at most the calf may weigh 10# more. All the research has proven that the added weight on the calf is less detrimental to getting a live healthy calf than calving a thin cow.
If you have decent hay, the cow does not need a protein tub. They need more ENERGY which you will get with some corn. A protein tub is great when you have stockpiled (low protein) pasture or poor quality hay.
A thin cow (3-4 BCS) has more dystocia, poorer quality colostrum, thin weak calves, cycles back late.
I'm glad to hear you had a healthy baby. You were right to be concerned about their condition when you purchased them. Hope all goes well with the 2nd. Hopefully, you will be able to continue putting weight on the cows for rebreeding.