How to Feed Light Weight Cattle and Get Them Up to Market Weight

Cattle that are selected from the herd to be sold at a market for slaughter are referred to as "cull cows," as they are culled from the herd to market. For cattle farmers, cull cows can represent as much as 10 to 30 percent of the annual cattle revenue, so maximizing that value is important. Farmers also cull cows to manage their costs or to get rid of infertile cows.

Things You'll Need

  • Forage, such as grazing pasture or hay
  • Grain
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Instructions

    • 1
      Try to manage your herd so that your cull cows are at the cutter and utility categories.

      Weigh your cull cows. According to the Texas Cooperative Extension branch of Texas A&M University, "Reasonable cow weights should be 1,000 to 1,250 pounds." This will determine in what category you can sell your cows: canner, cutter, utility or commercial. Canner is the least desirable; commercial is restaurant quality. You want to avoid selling cows at the canner category and get them up to at least cutter weight and utility, if possible.

    • 2
      Cows should be allowed to graze on one acre per cow per month.

      Begin feeding your underweight canner cows high-quality forage. According to South Dakota State University, allowing the cows to graze in a field that still has some "crop residues" such as corn stalks can help with weight gain. Cows that can graze will add muscle and should be allowed one acre per cow per month; although if they are allowed more, they can gain more than a pound per day in a field with corn stalks. Older cows may have a more difficult time gaining weight.

    • 3
      Adding grain is an effective method to help cows gain weight.

      Add a high-energy feed to your cows' diet. According to Roger Johnson, president of the National Farmers Union, corn and barley are both good options. Use caution that you do not add too much too soon, increasing slowly over a two- to three-week period. Research has shown it takes almost 8 to 10 pounds of grain to equal 1 pound of weight gain in a cull cow. The website for Alberta, Canada's Department of Agriculture notes that at the end of two weeks, you can expect a 1,100-pound cow to eat 30 to 41 pounds daily of grain and forage; effective weight gain should occur when cows are eating 80 percent of this in grain and 20 percent forage.