12/2/2023 0 Comments Low waste goat hay feeder![]() ![]() Using stocker cattle to consume excess downed corn can be a cost-effective way of adding gain while minimizing founder/acidosis issues with your cow herd. It may be necessary to step stocker cattle up to five pounds of corn before turning out. However, stocker cattle do not initially seek out downed ears and can slowly adapt to excess downed ears. Cows with experience grazing cornfields will seek out downed ears. Cornfields with excess downed ears can create potential issues with founder/acidosis when grazing corn residue. Depending on the number of animals and the acreage, stocker cattle can graze on residues until cattle performance declines or feed quantity or quality becomes limiting. Younger cattle should be removed from the field or supplemented with protein and energy feeds once high-quality residue components are consumed. Stocker cattle may have acceptable gains if allowed to selectively graze residues. ![]() This is an important consideration when developing diets based on crop residues. In grazing scenarios, ruminants will preferentially consume grain and leaves before consuming lower quality stalk material. Grazing crop residues allows animals to select a higher-quality diet than would otherwise be obtained by harvesting and mechanically feeding. Grazing is the easiest way to harvest crop aftermath. Whatever feed products are used, the ration must be balanced to meet livestock needs and producer goals on a least-cost basis. If near infrared spectroscopy (NIRS) is used, ensure that the laboratory has calibrated its equipment for your specific feed otherwise, the analysis will not provide accurate data. With alternative feeds, we recommend wet chemistry analysis to determine nutrient content. Producers must know the energy, protein and major mineral levels of these feeds to develop balanced, least-cost diets for livestock. Many of the alternative feeds vary widely in nutrient content, making an analysis or some assessment of the feed value necessary.
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