Jerseys for beef cows?

[kfacres]

Interesting posts.

We raise Jersey for beef since twelve years ago when we couldn't find any Holstein calves. In comparison, every other meat we've eaten has been dry, tough, and flavorless.

We feed about 6 lbs of sweet feed and 2 quarts of soaked beet pulp per day to each steer once they are over six months old, gradually working them up to that amount of grain and beet pulp. They get free choice alfalfa/grass hay. They don't grow huge - our most recent hung at 469 lbs at 18 months old - but they are the best beef.

We don't have any grazing, as we have only two acres total of property. I think we do pretty darn good. Oh, they are started for 3 months on raw milk, too, as we have a cow that we foster calves onto once her calf is weaned. She can easily raise us four extra calves a year.

why are you feeding beet pulp? That is nothing but a filler. I could see if used as a roughage-- but you say you offer free choice hay?

 

[elevan]

Beet pulp is most certainly not just filler. It's used for several different species from horses to cattle to goats and beyond.

Calcium
Beet pulp contains more calcium than many other feeds, including corn grain and oat bran. Calcium is important specifically in horse nutrition. According to Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, for every gram of phosphorous in horse feed, there needs to be at least as much calcium. This prevents calcium in the horse's bones from leeching. Horses that do not get enough calcium tire easily and can develop muscle cramps when riding.
Potassium
Like humans, horses and other animals require potassium for nerve function, muscle control and blood pressure. Pressed beet pulp contains potassium at approximately the same levels of other roughage. Adequate potassium levels are important for animals used in sport, because the nutrient contributes to overall strength and endurance.
Protein
Beet pulp contains 10 percent crude protein and 18 percent crude fiber. With this ratio, beet pulp is ranked in between the two categories of feed: forage feed and energy feed. The protein in beet pulp contains essential amino acids and is easily digested by animals. Because the pulp is also low in sugar, it is low on the glycemic index, making it an efficient fuel source for animals.
Fiber
The bulk of what makes up beet pulp is carbohydrates. Beet pulp is 81 percent carbohydrate and can be used to replace more expensive sources of calories in an animal's diet. The highly soluble fiber content in beet pulp also ensures that animals are able to digest the feed properly, breaking down the pulp into usable energy.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/512111-nutrition-of-beet-pulp/#ixzz1wIzmU3Hl

 

[kfacres]

Beet pulp is most certainly not just filler. It's used for several different species from horses to cattle to goats and beyond.

Calcium
Beet pulp contains more calcium than many other feeds, including corn grain and oat bran. Calcium is important specifically in horse nutrition. According to Susan Garlinghouse, DVM, for every gram of phosphorous in horse feed, there needs to be at least as much calcium. This prevents calcium in the horse's bones from leeching. Horses that do not get enough calcium tire easily and can develop muscle cramps when riding.
Potassium
Like humans, horses and other animals require potassium for nerve function, muscle control and blood pressure. Pressed beet pulp contains potassium at approximately the same levels of other roughage. Adequate potassium levels are important for animals used in sport, because the nutrient contributes to overall strength and endurance.
Protein
Beet pulp contains 10 percent crude protein and 18 percent crude fiber. With this ratio, beet pulp is ranked in between the two categories of feed: forage feed and energy feed. The protein in beet pulp contains essential amino acids and is easily digested by animals. Because the pulp is also low in sugar, it is low on the glycemic index, making it an efficient fuel source for animals.
Fiber
The bulk of what makes up beet pulp is carbohydrates. Beet pulp is 81 percent carbohydrate and can be used to replace more expensive sources of calories in an animal's diet. The highly soluble fiber content in beet pulp also ensures that animals are able to digest the feed properly, breaking down the pulp into usable energy.


Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/512111-nutrition-of-beet-pulp/#ixzz1wIzmU3Hl

I thought we were feeding cattle- not horses.

At my place- a simple Ca supplement works the best to raise my Ca levels to 2:1. not to mention is much, much cheaper.

P is not deficient- in any part of the country, and is very rarely deficient in nearly every feed ration known to mankind.

I BOLDED a statement- read that and ask yourself what's in your free choice hay.

I underlined another--- that's about the highest fiber sourced feed I've ever heard of- second to maybe Cottonseed hulls. Like I said-- filler.

I didn't see anywhere, that beet pulp has a specific function other than a filler to allow other feed ingredients to do their job better. Yes, it add some protein- but only 1% more than corn adds. Corn is 8.8% C.P if you didn't know-- on average. Corn is a pitiful protein source- perhaps the poorest feed stuff known to mankind.


Here's something for you to read:
Feeds are most commonly categorized as either a forage, an energy feed or a protein supplement. Feeds with fiber content higher than 18% crude fiber are considered a forage and include feeds such as all types of hay (including dairy-quality alfalfa or meal made from alfalfa), soybean hulls, almond hulls and ground corn cobs. Feeds that contain less than 18% crude fiber and less than 20% crude protein are categorized as an energy feed and include all cereal grains, wheat and rice bran, fats and molasses. Feeds which contain less than 18% crude fiber and more that 20% crude protein are categorized as a protein supplement and include feeds such as meals derived from soybean, linseed or cottonseed, brewers yeast, fish meal, sunflower seeds and dehydrated milk.

Familiarity with these simple definitions is very helpful when comparing commercial feed mixes which often have vague or elusive label names or descriptions. Rather than trying to puzzle out whether a bag of Aunt Tilly's Super Barnyard Rocket Fuel is really going to help your horse gain weight or is just another bag of lawn clippings, a quick look at the crude fiber and protein content will identify whether the product is an energy feed or just fifty pounds of high-priced hay.

So where does beet pulp fit into these categories? In fact, beet pulp doesn't quite fit neatly into either the forage or the energy feed categories. At 10% crude protein and 18% crude fiber, beet pulp sits right on the edge between being a forage and an energy feed. Most nutritionists will refer to and utilize beet pulp as a forage, and therein lies much of the advantage. Compare the energy content of beet pulp with other grain and forage sources:

Feed Type Energy
(Mcals/kg) Comparison
to beet pulp
Vegetable oil 8.98 385%
Corn grain 3.38 145%
Wheat bran 2.94 126%
Oat grain 2.85 122%
Beet pulp, dry 2.33 100%
Alfalfa hay, early bloom 2.24 96%
Alfalfa hay, full bloom 1.97 85%
Bermuda hay, 29-43 days growth 1.96 84%
Timothy hay, mid bloom 1.77 76%
Oat hay 1.75 75%
Orchardgrass hay, late bloom 1.72 74%

 

[elevan]

Regardless of who you are feeding the nutritional content remains the same.

 

[kfacres]

Regardless of who you are feeding the nutritional content remains the same.

but the requirement of the livestock species greatly varies.

 

[elevan]

Regardless of who you are feeding the nutritional content remains the same.

but the requirement of the livestock species greatly varies.

The following quotes are from this research article: http://www.fao.org/DOCREP/004/X6512E/X6512E21.htm

Our experiments have demonstrated that in diets fed to young steers for fattening, the feeding value of dried beet pulp is identical to that of rolled barley, irrespective of whether it is used as a staple food or as a supplement.

All the results reported here show that beet pulp is an excellent source of energy for ruminants during the growing-finishing period and during lactation. In compounding high-energy rations, beet pulp may be used as the sole source of energy or as a replacement for some of the grain, whether it be barley or maize. Levels of beet pulp as high as 90 percent of the ration have no detrimental effects on animal performance.

In feeding for beef production, dried sugar beet pulp may therefore be used as an energy source to replace a substantial part of the grain component of the ration. In practice, the ration will be fed at a level equivalent to 0.65 percent of the live weight of the animal. The quantities of supplements that should be fed to animals of different weights and the average intake of dried pulp fed ad libitum are shown in Table 2.

The capacity of young bovines to utilize dried beet pulp with remarkable efficiency makes it possible to conserve a considerable portion of the grain crop for direct use by humans and thus helps to reduce the competition between man and animals in meeting energy requirements.

 

[Royd Wood]

BEET PULP is just the best

 

[Stubbornhillfarm]

Royd, you crack me up. Just say'n!