Livestock Feeding Practices

Livestock Feeding Practices Objectives • Explain need to have a feed plan. • Define some of the feed types that are used. • List the different feeding practices used between beef and dairy cattle. • Discuss different feeding practices for other livestock. Why do we need a feed plan? • Nutrients are only a piece of the puzzle when determining a balanced diet for animals, other considerations include the proper ratio of nutrients and feeding practices. Most people have some knowledge about feeding dogs and cats, but feeding livestock and horses is quite different. Unlike house pets these species don't just get a bowl of complete and balanced feed from a can or pouch. Most are fed a mixture of different feeds from several sources. There are very limited sources of "complete" feed available for livestock or horses, so owners have concerns beyond the label. Types of feed • Forage • Forage includes hay, grass and silage and makes up the major part of the diet for horses and livestock • Also known as roughage. • Ruminants and horses can obtain a large part of their energy needs and some of their vitamins from forage • Just as there are many protein sources for carnivores (meat eating animals) there are different types of pasture grasses and hays, which provide varying levels of protein, vitamins and minerals. Types of feed: Forages • Legumes • The most important forage crop in the US. is alfalfa, it is used as pasture and made into hay. Alfalfa is part of the leguminous family of plants (beans and peanuts are from the same family). Legumes are higher in protein and calcium than "grasses", they are generally over 10% protein and .9% calcium. Clover (red and white) is another well known legume popular as both pasture and hay. • Grasses • The other type of forage is termed grass, and is non leguminous. Grasses are used as pasture and harvested for hay. Some of the popular grasses in this area are timothy, fescue, bluegrass and orchard grass. Types of feed: Grasses • Pasture Quality • Pasture and hay quality depends on soil quality, the amount of rain, the number of weeds and the quality and variety of plants. Often pastures and hay fields are sowed with a mixture seeds, a popular horse pasture mixture in this part of the country is clover, orchard grass and bluegrass. • Hay Quality • An important added factor in hay quality is the proper harvesting of the hay. Hay has to cut and dried before being baled. Hay should have 15% or less moisture, too much moisture will cause mold growth and be toxic to animals, especially horses. • Ruminants are able to digest types of forage unsuitable for horses, including silage, non protein nitrogen sources and very rich types of alfalfa. Types of Feed • Silage • Silage is a moist feed often made from the entire (corn) plant, which is chopped while green and stored in a large enclosed area called a silo. The silage ferments over time and the fermentation process preserves the feed. Silage is about 45% water, it can not be digested by horses. • Commonly fed to dairy cattle • Concentrates • Concentrates include high energy grains like corn, barley, oats, and high protein feeds such as soy bean and cottonseed meal. • Different concentrates can provide high levels of energy, protein or fat. • Concentrates are fed to enhance performance or weight gain. Feeding Cattle: Beef • There are two types of cattle in the U.S.: Dairy and beef. The feeding practices between the two types is very different but in both cases the cost of the feed is the most important factor in the cattle business. • Sometimes a low cost nitrogen source will be used in ruminate diets instead of expensive natural protein, such as soy bean and alfalfa. Ruminants have the ability to take non protein nitrogen, such as urea found in chicken droppings, and convert it to usable protein. • Beef Cattle • Beef cattle are usually raised on pasture and open range. The cows have been bred to sustain themselves and to breed and raise calves on pasture. After calves are weaned they are usually kept on pasture until they are about 15 months then are shipped to feedlots for "finishing". Finishing involves feeding a high percentage of concentrate plus roughage to add weight and muscle to the animal before slaughter. Feeding Cattle: Dairy • Dairy Cattle • Feeding dairy cattle is the most expensive part of maintaining them • In progressive dairies, the feed for each cow is measured/calculated and milk production per cow is monitored to determine if the cow is producing the desired (optimum) amount of milk. If production is lower than expected the diet is increased to get more milk production. • There are some cows that gain weight but do not produce more milk, these cows are usually "culled" from the herd and replaced with more productive cows. • Dairy rations require high protein levels as reflected in the soy bean and alfalfa amounts. The limestone and phosphate has to be balanced to insure the proper calcium and phosphorus ratio for milk production. The rations are usually calculated using computer programs. Feeding Horses • Unlike the ruminant, the horse can not digest poor quality forage and often becomes ill on the same feed that cattle or sheep can live on. • Horses require: • High quality hay or pasture alone • Horses should eat 1% of their body weight (on a dry matter basis) as forage, either hay or grass • Concentrates, such as corn, oats or "sweet feed" are added to the diet for increased energy, protein and weight gain • Most horse owners start feeding with established guidelines in mind, then alter the feeding regimen based on the condition and performance of their horse. Feeding Hogs • Hogs are omnivores, similar to humans, they can obtain protein from both meat and vegetable sources. Hogs do not have fore stomachs or a digestive vat and can not synthesize vitamins and protein from roughages, such as hay and grass. • Hogs are more difficult to feed than other classes of livestock. The vitamin, mineral and protein needs of hogs have to very carefully met and balanced or many deficiency diseases will occur. • Commercial hog feed comes in several forms: 1) a complete feed with all nutrients included 2) a complete supplement which has vitamins, minerals and protein 3) a supplement only containing vitamins and proteins Objectives • Explain need to have a feed plan. • Define some of the feed types that are used. • List the different feeding practices used between beef and dairy cattle. • Discuss different feeding practices for other livestock.