why feed corn?

[piedmontese]

why do people feed corn when fattening a beef for butcher? u can get 20% cubes for less and they have more protein.

 

[larryshoat]

When trying to make cattle or hogs fat you need energy. Corn has a lot of energy.

Larry

 

[piedmontese]

so is corn better than cubes? or maybe both? what is the best? i have a yearling bull that i want to grow out for slaughter.

 

[larryshoat]

I would feed both 1/3 cubes and 2/3 corn would give you about 12% protien.

Larry

 

[TexasBred]

so is corn better than cubes? or maybe both? what is the best? i have a yearling bull that i want to grow out for slaughter.

Cubes are fed as a source of supplemental protein. The protein will be there but the remainder of what goes into the cube can be pretty junky. Corn will have 8% protein but almost twice the energy of cubes. Weight gain comes from meeting and exceeding the animals energy needs. If you want to raise the protein add another ingredient to the corn but I wouldn't use cubes. Weigh out what you plan to feed each day...don't just measure it.

 

[piedmontese]

i have 8 bottle calves that have been weaned for 2 weeks.they are almost 3 months.i have them on pasture and have been giving them 25lbs of purina stocker grower 14% pellets each day.they seem to be doing well and gaining weight.should i add some corn to the stocker and if so is whole corn or cracked better?

 

[TexasBred]

i have 8 bottle calves that have been weaned for 2 weeks.they are almost 3 months.i have them on pasture and have been giving them 25lbs of purina stocker grower 14% pellets each day.they seem to be doing well and gaining weight.should i add some corn to the stocker and if so is whole corn or cracked better?

Sure you can add corn. Mix it half and half...they'll do well. Personally I prefer cracked/chopped corn. It doesn't cost that much more than whole corn.

 

[Hey you]

What is the fat content of the cubes. If they are high in fat might be a bonus. If you feed too much protein it will be lost out the south end. Corn offers the energy that most Protein cubes lack

 

[rcstokes]

I'm going to butcher a steer. How much corn will I need to feed him everyday and how many days will need to do it. He weighs about 7 or 800 lbs now. Thanks for the help on this issue.

 

[larryshoat]

I'm going to butcher a steer. How much corn will I need to feed him everyday and how many days will need to do it. He weighs about 7 or 800 lbs now. Thanks for the help on this issue.

For colored cattle I usually figure about 1.5% of their body weight with free choice grass hay. Work them up gradually on the corn. You can expect about 3 lbs per day gain.

Larry

 

[Jeanne - Simme Valley]

Protein is needed for young growing calves, and dairy cows producing milk. The heavier the calf gets, the less protein it needs. As mentioned, cattle need ENERGY & corn is the best source of energy.
I feed whole shell corn to my showstring (with added protein pellets making a 14.7 protein ration).
We had an orphaned calf at 2 months of age. I didn't want to go the milk route, so I purchased really good 18% dairy ration. Calf slowly started looking pot bellied & was getting thin. I switched to whole shell corn with calf manna added & calf is blooming - almost caught up to contemporaries - I call her Peanuts.
WSC is great for finishing steers. An 800# steer does not need more than the 7-8% protein in the corn. Start out with 1 - 1.5% of his body weight, increasing up to 3-4% of his body weight (SLOWLY) along with good grass hay as previously mentioned.

 

[novaman]

An 800# steer does not need more than the 7-8% protein in the corn.

I wouldn't go quite so far as to say they don't need additional protein. They should still be at 12% protein on the final rations. I guess it depends on the other feed/forage they are getting.

 

[backhoeboogie]

An 800# steer does not need more than the 7-8% protein in the corn.

I wouldn't go quite so far as to say they don't need additional protein. They should still be at 12% protein on the final rations. I guess it depends on the other feed/forage they are getting.

It also depends on the temperature.

 

[TexasBred]

An 800# steer does not need more than the 7-8% protein in the corn.

I wouldn't go quite so far as to say they don't need additional protein. They should still be at 12% protein on the final rations. I guess it depends on the other feed/forage they are getting.

I'd look at this calf like a feedlot calf. Rations are formulated anywhere from 10 to 13% crude protein for the TMR.(The entire diet) The high corn content will kick the digestible energy up to a level where you can get the increased gain per day that you're looking for. Provide plenty of water and some shade and he should be very content as he awaits his date with the butcher. ;-)

 

[Alan]

"Corn is the best source of energy". "to get growth the calf needs to exceed it's energy needs" (theses are quotes or close to them). where does energy in feed come from..... Fat content in the feed?

Thanks Alan

 

[novaman]

where does energy in feed come from..... Fat content in the feed?
Thanks Alan

Starch, fat, and sugar are the big three energy sources. Corn is mostly starch (70-some %). Fats and sugars are used more sparingly.

 

[TexasBred]

"Corn is the best source of energy". "to get growth the calf needs to exceed it's energy needs" (theses are quotes or close to them). where does energy in feed come from..... Fat content in the feed?

Thanks Alan

The amount of energy in a finished feed will be determined by the energy content of all the various ingredients making up the feed. Feeds high in grains will typically have much higher energy than feeds formulated with roughage products (especially low quality roughage products) although there are some high quality roughage products that are relatively high in energy. All ingredients contain some fat but some have a higher level of fat and grains contain carbohydrates. (Corn oil, Canola oil, etc). If you decide to feed some of the products or by-products that are lower in energy you can make up the energy deficiency by adding fat (the same corn, canola, soy oil) that was extracted from the raw material. This ordinarily is not economically feasible as fat is very expensive. It would take a thesis to go into very much detail on how various energy levels are determined by the National Research Council for each feed ingredient.