Weekly, Oklahoma State University Extension Beef Cattle Nutrition Specialist Paul Beck offers his expertise on the beef cattle industry. This is a part of the weekly series known as the “Cow-Calf Corner.” Today, he offers advice on feeding weaned calves this winter.
With the dry weather we have had for the past few months the prospects of wheat pasture this winter are slim. Calf prices remain fairly strong, but there are indications that feeding calves to heavier weights next spring may have economic advantages.
We had a good hay crop earlier in the summer and the quality of much of the alfalfa hay grown this summer was outstanding. Feeding free-choice hay with a concentrate supplement has the potential to add gain to growing calves without large investment in additional equipment. The number of nutrition program alternatives is virtually unlimited.
We recommend feeding an ionophore to increase gains and efficiency and help with coccidia control. See our OSU Fact Sheet “Feed Additives for Beef Cattle Production” (AFS-3038) for more information on use of ionphores and other feed additives. The supplement could be designed to provide all minerals and an ionophore or a commercial complete mineral could be provided free-choice.
The following Table includes several rations for calves receiving free-choice hay, with target gains of 1.0, 1.5, and 2.0 pounds per day. Separate rations are suggested for alfalfa hay (mid-bloom, 17% CP and 58% TDN), and good quality grass hays (> 10% CP and 56% TDN), and low-quality grass hay (containing 7% CP and 52% TDN).
| Table 1. Rations for supplementation of growing calves fed free-choice hay in dry lot. | |||||||
| Level of Performance | |||||||
| 1.0 lbs/day | 1.5 lbs/day | 2.0 lbs/day | |||||
| Mid-bloom alfalfa (17% CP and 58% TDN) | |||||||
| Expected hay intake, lbs/day | 16.0 | 17.0 | 15.0 | ||||
| Supplementation rate, lbs/day | None required | 1.0 | 3.5 | ||||
| Supplement Protein, % | – | 8% | 8% | ||||
| Supplement composition, % as-fed basis | |||||||
| Cracked corn | – | 100.0 | 100.0 | ||||
| Salt/mineral mix | Free choice salt only | ||||||
| Grass hay (10% CP and 56% TDN) | |||||||
| Expected hay intake, lbs/day | 14.5 | 12.5 | 10.0 | ||||
| Supplementation rate, lbs/day | None required | 2.5 | 5.4 | ||||
| Supplement Protein, % as fed | – | 14.6% | 18.3% | ||||
| Supplement composition, % as-fed basis | |||||||
| Cottonseed meal | – | 20.0 | 22.2 | ||||
| Soybean hulls | – | – | 33.3 | ||||
| Cracked corn | – | 80.0 | 44.4 | ||||
| Salt/mineral mix | Free Choice Complete Mineral | ||||||
| Grass Hay (7% CP 52% TDN) | |||||||
| Expected hay intake, lbs/day | 13.0 | 11.4 | 9.1 | ||||
| Supplementation rate, lbs/day | 2.5 | 4.6 | 7.0 | ||||
| Supplement Protein, % as fed | 32.6 | 22.0% | 19.1% | ||||
| Supplement composition, % as-fed basis | |||||||
| Cottonseed meal | 60.0 | 32.6 | 24.6 | ||||
| Soybean hulls | 40.0 | 26.1 | 31.9 | ||||
| Cracked corn | – | 41.3 | 43.5 | ||||
| Salt/mineral mix | Free Choice Complete Mineral | ||||||
Notice, as the quality of the hay decreases the supplement requirements increase for each expected level of performance. Also, as performance expectations increase, supplementation rates and quality of the supplements also increase. These are just some suggested diets with commonly available ingredients. There are many ways to get to the same desired level of performance. Be mindful of the costs of feeding and the breakeven value of your calves and use appropriate price protection for your calves to ensure profitability. See your feed company representative or local Cooperative Extension office for more specific assistance in developing supplementation programs for your calves this winter.
A Rancher’s Thursday Lunchtime Webinar Series from November 2021 covered “Growing Calves Without Wheat Pasture” https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/beef-extension/ranchers-thursday-lunchtime-series/growing-calves-without-wheat-pasture.html
Marty New, SW Oklahoma Livestock Extension Specialist, discussed feeding programs using long-stem hay on youtube at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vn1xPE-6WO4&t=3s
Reference: Beck, P. and D. Lalman. 2021. Beef Cattle Manual 8th ed. Chapter 22 Supplementation and feeding calves and stocker cattle. Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service E-913.
The OSU Beef Cattle Manual is available at https://extension.okstate.edu/programs/master-cattleman/beef-cattle-manual.html
