Alternative Feeding

Strategies

Tim Mize
ANR Agent
Fauquier county
Why?

Late spring/early
summer rains made for What kind of winter will we see?
weather damaged
and/or mature hays.

Drought-reduced first
cuttings in some areas,
second cuttings (?),
pasture late spring and
summer, corn yields.

Last winter reduced
carry-over.

High nitrate feeds Keep the cows?

Feed = >60% annual cow cost: 50% of these cost occur in the winter!
Group livestock by nutritional
requirements.

Most critical period =
calving through
breeding.

Dry cows have the
lowest demands.

Young livestock are very
efficient at converting
feed into muscle.

Now is the time to look
at culling under
performing cows.
Spring calving herds vs. Fall
calving herds

Spring
Fall

Breeding is over
Calving

Cow condition (3 Yr)
Conception rates

Calf weights
Growth to weaning

Winter feed supplies
Winter feed supplies

Decisions, Decisions, Decisions

1. Feed the lactating cow and let her

feed the calf.
2. Creep feed the calf and minimal feed
to the cow.
3. Wean and feed calves and dry cows.
4. Sell the calves and feed dry cow.
Fall calving Spring calving
What are your options? What are your options?
1. Feed hay to make up 1. Feed hay to make up
for pasture. Buy for pasture. Buy hay?
hay? 2. Limit feed and
2. Limit feed and supplement with
supplement with grain/byproduct
grain/byproduct 3. Wean if you haven’t

3. Creep feed 4. Make plans for

4. Early wean winter grazing

5. Make plans for 5. Rent more

winter grazing pasture/crop residue

6. Rent more
pasture/crop residue
 Feed hay save pasture

Don’t open the all the gates. Sacrifice a
field. Every drought is followed by a rain.

Over grazing now is going to cost down the
road. Follow normal grazing height
recommendations.

Calculate amount forage needed/on hand

Test the feed value of the hay.

Value the hay crop and feed it accordingly

Don’t waste it.

Outside storage can result in losses of 20%

Control access.
Supplement (forage
replacements)

Grazing
 Grazing is a moving target
 All of the piedmont pastures seemed to be
affected this summer.

What is the value of harvested feeds? CP
or TDN
 Forage samples have been all over the board.
 Corn silage results are very localized.
 Fauquier County forage
Supplementing for

samples
Hay Quality
OG 1st cutting:

CP 13.1%

TDN 61.7%

Mixed hay – Fertilized:

CP 10.8% OK?

TDN 56.6% 2#SBH

Mixed hay – no fertilizer:

CP 8.3% 1.79 pounds P
1200# lactating cow
55.8 % 12.0 pounds TDN
DMI 24.1 Pounds 28 pounds
Mixed hay
CP 1.9 Pounds (8%) 3.0 (11.%) 5 pounds
CP 7.1%
TDN 12.8 Pounds (53%) 16.9 (61%)


Distillers

TDN 50.6%

Pearl Millet:
1.45 pounds
1200# mid-gestation cow
Protein
DMI 23.3 Pounds
CP 7.9% 4.45 pounds
CP 1.6 pounds (7.0%)
TDN 61.8 % TDN
TDN 11.4 pounds (49%)
Supplementing Energy

Cost should be
Starches and sugars

the primary are rapidly
selection criteria. fermented.
Base it on the
Feeding at levels of
nutrient(s) > ½% BW may
needed decrease forage

TDN makes up the intake and
largest portion of digestibility.
the diet.
 Effect of increasing corn on hay intake
and digestibility
Corn, lbs/day

None 2.2 4.4 6.6

Hay DMI, lbs 19.3 18.0 14.1 11.2

Total DMI, lbs 20.9 21.1 18.6 17.2
DOMI, lbs 7.5 8.4 7.1 7.3
Hay OM Digest, % 36.5 35.1 23.6 18.9

JAS 65:557
Supplementing Protein

Normally CP
By products that

adequate for mature are high in CP and
cows. TDN.

Lactation and growth  Wheat midds
raises demand.  Brewers/distillers

Usually if protein  Commodity pellets
needs to be
supplemented,
energy will need to
be also
 Limit feed (substituting grain for
hay)

Requires secure facilities.

The most deficient and expensive nutrient
is energy.

Need minimum of ½ % BW as roughage.
(1/2 pound hay per 100 pounds BW)

Lactating cows can require 30% more feed.

Provide plenty of bunk space.
 Limit feed/low roughage

Most grains can

substitute 1# for
every 2# hay

Slowly adapt to high
concentrate diets.

Minerals- grains are
lower in Ca an higher
in phosphorus than
forages.

Urea? Ionophore?
Limit feeding
Alternative feeds (by-products)

Hay can be the most expensive feed per

pound of TDN

Ingredient for human consumption or use
has been removed.

Most cases the starch has been removed.

Remaining components are concentrated.

Processing affects nutrient levels.
By-products

Soy hulls- fiber is highly digestible (good
mix for high forage rations; 1;1 w/corn).
Should not be the only fiber source.
Protein is variable. Don’t exceed 1%bw.

Corn Gluten- protein and energy
supplement. High concentrate diets is 85%
energy of corn. Can be self fed. >50%
ration S problems

Brewers’/Distillers’ Grains-protein and
energy supplement, may be source of
mineral and vitamins. There are limitations.
By-products

Wheat midds-good supplement for grazing.

High in energy and CP. Pelleting will
increase palatability. Contain starch.

MSG/Commodity pellet-normally equal
parts Wheat midds, soy hulls, corn gluten.
14-16% CP, highly digestible fiber,
palatable.

Whole cottonseed, cottonseed hulls,
peanut skins.
High energy / low starch supplements
UIP TDN Starch
Feed CP % CP % %
DDG 30.4 52 90 18
DBG 29 50 66 10.7
SBH 12 25 77 6
CGF 23.8 22 80 25.4

NRC-Beef 2000 updates, PAS

16:69-99
Creep Feeding

Reduce roughage
consumptions.

Increase ADG by 0.5-
1.0

Will not reduce milk
consumption. The only
way to lighten the load
on cow is early wean.
 Early Wean

Can reduce the cows
demands by >30%.

Can increase conception
>10% if done during
breeding season.

After breeding; decrease
cows appetite.

3-4 month old calves; can
weaned as early as 65
days

The earlier the better if
conditions dictate. Cows will
generally recover 0.5 to
1.5 BCS.
What about the calf?

Health concerns.
 Vaccinations, coccidia, worms, implanting.
 Keep groups small <20

Rations.
 Needs to palatable and nutritional dense.
 Avoid calves filling up on hay.
 Rumens not developed.
 Eating 1 ½% bw calves can continue on a growing
ration, or a grazing ration. Fescue probably
won’t do it.
Will they grow?

Calves weaned at 2-5
months should weigh at
least as much as when
you would normally
wean.

3 pound gains seen on
young calves on high
grain diets

Calves that continue on
high grain diets
through slaughter have
heavier finished
weights an carcass

Higher marbling
Spring calving cows and body
condition

5-6 is ideal

it takes 75 to 100
pounds to move up a
BCS

If she gains ½ pound
day you need 150
days minimum.

That’s an extra 333
pounds of corn, $24

If cows are being
pulled down, wean
early
Let the cattle do the work!

Stock pile fescue. Forage test continue to

show that nutrient levels are higher than
most of the 1st cutting hays. Quality can be
maintained through early spring.

Small grains

Crop residues
 1 AU for 1.5 months
 Every bushel shelled leaves 50 pounds residue.
 Watch for grain related problems.
Managed grazing

Efficiencies:
 Continuous = 35%
 4 Days = 50%
 3 days = 60%
 1 day = 75%

Good stand = 300 lbs per inch. Measure growth this year = 8 inches fertilized
1500 pounds of potentially harvestable forage/acre

Take 5 leave 3

35% = 525 lbs per acre (1500 * .35)

10 acres = 5250 harvested forage

50 cows will eat 1250#/day = 4 grazing days

60% = 900 lbs per acre

10 acres = 9,000#

50 cows = 7 grazing days

75% = 1,125 lbs per acre

10 acres = 11,250#

50 cows = 9 grazing days

That is the equivalent of getting an extra

7.5/800 pound round bales for every 10
acres grazed.
 At the beginning of
Cattle consume the
grazing pasture is a mix
highest quality first
of grasses and forbs
Grazing corn stalks

Graze it early. TDN

Grain(9/90)> leaves> Husk> cobs> stalks

Snow? Mud?

Best outcome = maintenance to .5 pound

Fall calvers move often/early wean

Supplement with natural proteins

Excess grain(>8-12 bu/acre)= acidosis,
founder. Experience matters.

Cost; next years effect?