No-roughage Diet?

[WildRoseBeef]

haha I guess what I'm really asking is if there needs to be anything else in there diet such as grain? Or is that not really a necessity?

Grain is only necessary if you have the money to buy it and if the cattle you own need it as a supplement since they are not gaining as well as you like on hay and/or pasture. It's also useful for times when the feed you have stored does not have the nutritional value you would like it to have, and as a result they are loosing weight on it instead of maintaining weight or gaining weight. This is important if you are feeding lactating cows during the winter, or are raising growing stock through the winter and do not have access or stored silage. It can also be useful if, like I had mentioned above, you want your finished steer to have a little or some marbling and not have such a strong taste or the yellow fat that occurs with grass-finishing them.

However, grain is not necessary if you have a proper criteria for selecting those animals that have great feed efficiency on forage, and cull out those that are what producers call "hard-keepers:" those who are or have to eat A LOT in order to maintain the same condition those cows are maintaining or gaining on just forage. And cow-size isn't the main indicator of feed efficiency: it's gut capacity, weight gain, and body condition score that a cow has and can maintain, respectively, on forage. Of course, the issue on cow-size in regards to feed/forage efficiency and "grass-fed genetics" is a different topic altogether.

Basically, if you have a breeding herd you do not want to have to supplement with grain all the time, cull, cull, cull! Unfortunately, with stocker calves, you do not have this advantage, and instead you have to adjust your feed rations according to what each calf needs in order to get good ADG (average daily gain). This is where the issue of graining them comes into play. Grain only if they need it, or, as mentioned above, you want to get the type of steaks you have in mind.

 

[Year of the Rooster]

haha I guess what I'm really asking is if there needs to be anything else in there diet such as grain? Or is that not really a necessity?

Grain is only necessary if you have the money to buy it and if the cattle you own need it as a supplement since they are not gaining as well as you like on hay and/or pasture. It's also useful for times when the feed you have stored does not have the nutritional value you would like it to have, and as a result they are loosing weight on it instead of maintaining weight or gaining weight. This is important if you are feeding lactating cows during the winter, or are raising growing stock through the winter and do not have access or stored silage. It can also be useful if, like I had mentioned above, you want your finished steer to have a little or some marbling and not have such a strong taste or the yellow fat that occurs with grass-finishing them.

However, grain is not necessary if you have a proper criteria for selecting those animals that have great feed efficiency on forage, and cull out those that are what producers call "hard-keepers:" those who are or have to eat A LOT in order to maintain the same condition those cows are maintaining or gaining on just forage. And cow-size isn't the main indicator of feed efficiency: it's gut capacity, weight gain, and body condition score that a cow has and can maintain, respectively, on forage. Of course, the issue on cow-size in regards to feed/forage efficiency and "grass-fed genetics" is a different topic altogether.

Basically, if you have a breeding herd you do not want to have to supplement with grain all the time, cull, cull, cull! Unfortunately, with stocker calves, you do not have this advantage, and instead you have to adjust your feed rations according to what each calf needs in order to get good ADG (average daily gain). This is where the issue of graining them comes into play. Grain only if they need it, or, as mentioned above, you want to get the type of steaks you have in mind.

Great! Wonderful explanation, thank you!

 

[WildRoseBeef]

haha I guess what I'm really asking is if there needs to be anything else in there diet such as grain? Or is that not really a necessity?

Grain is only necessary if you have the money to buy it and if the cattle you own need it as a supplement since they are not gaining as well as you like on hay and/or pasture. It's also useful for times when the feed you have stored does not have the nutritional value you would like it to have, and as a result they are loosing weight on it instead of maintaining weight or gaining weight. This is important if you are feeding lactating cows during the winter, or are raising growing stock through the winter and do not have access or stored silage. It can also be useful if, like I had mentioned above, you want your finished steer to have a little or some marbling and not have such a strong taste or the yellow fat that occurs with grass-finishing them.

However, grain is not necessary if you have a proper criteria for selecting those animals that have great feed efficiency on forage, and cull out those that are what producers call "hard-keepers:" those who are or have to eat A LOT in order to maintain the same condition those cows are maintaining or gaining on just forage. And cow-size isn't the main indicator of feed efficiency: it's gut capacity, weight gain, and body condition score that a cow has and can maintain, respectively, on forage. Of course, the issue on cow-size in regards to feed/forage efficiency and "grass-fed genetics" is a different topic altogether.

Basically, if you have a breeding herd you do not want to have to supplement with grain all the time, cull, cull, cull! Unfortunately, with stocker calves, you do not have this advantage, and instead you have to adjust your feed rations according to what each calf needs in order to get good ADG (average daily gain). This is where the issue of graining them comes into play. Grain only if they need it, or, as mentioned above, you want to get the type of steaks you have in mind.

Great! Wonderful explanation, thank you!

Pleasure's all mine.

 

[Rdandersom]

I have been feeding holstien bulls to 650 lbs this way for years.I use shelled corn and Shur Gain Steakmaker supplement.This is for the experienced cattle feeder.Around here just about all holstien bulls are fed this way.A lot of things can go wrong when feeding no roughage rations from digestive and feet problems as well as pneumonia and ringworm are common with these calves.It is an unnatural way to feed calves.Their bodies are running at maximum all the time.

True no roughage rations use slatted floors or sawdust bedding.I bed with wheat straw or corn stalks daily so I guess I am not truly no roughage.