Why grain feed???

[Fairlight]

Sorry folks me again. Sheep girl trying to learn about calves fast........

I have been reading and reading about giving grain. We are renting a 40ac place with beautiful lush green grass that has browned off a bit in winter but all in all we are very blessed to lve on a piece of paradise. Big difference after living in outback in drought

The owner has 10 cows on his place and 4 calves that are between 2-8 months old now. He comes out every week on Monday to check fences etc but I have never seen him give grain once as a nourishment. He shakes a bucket and they follow him to the yards so he can drench them etc occasionally but not as a daily or a weekly feed at all. Now these calves and cows are fat and healthy. They are gorgeous belted galloways!!

Question: why give grain. Is this a supplement because they are not being fed by mama cow? Or do you give grain because pasture is not good?

Many thanks

Fairlight

 

[username taken]

Why give grain?

1) As an occasional treat, this trains the animals to come running when you call them, much easier if you need to pen them up to work on them, or just check them over out in the paddock

2) If the pasture and/or hay is lacking, as part of a complete diet, but only a small part. Cattle (and all ruminants) need more hay/forage/grass than they do grain

3) For high producing animals, such as heavy milking dairy cows, often the grain is needed for extra nutrition, the hay or grass isnt enough to maintain the high production

4) For young animals, especially bottle raised ones, grain will help them grow bigger, quicker.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

In addtion, here's something that WRB posted a while back about graining.

Explaination about why we feed calves grain by WildRoseBeef:

From an Animal Scientists' perspective (at least an undergrad An Sci's perspective), grain is best for developing the calf's rumen. In comparing milk, grass (or hay) and grain, grain is the feedstuff to use because of its energy and protein content which aid in developing rumen microflora and the lining of the inside. Ever seen the inside of a rumen? It looks like shag rug, with these papilleae (not cillia, like that found in the small intestine) for absorption of nutrients and other functions. Grain is also more coarse than grass or hay or milk, which also helps in getting the rumen to really start working, contracting and building in size as the calf grows.

 

[MReit]

All of the above answers are super, and I cannot emphasize enough that young calves need grain even if you have the best pasture in the world. If the calves are nursing like "the owners" are then they are getting tons of nutrients from momma, including fats and protiens which make them grow so well. The grains have those fats and protiens to help if there is no momma, but in my findings and experience, calves grow the fastest and best with mom.