How to Feed Cattle in a Feedyard

Feed lot finishing for cattle is an exact science that needs to be done efficiently to maximize quality and profit for the feeder and cattle owner. Commercial feed lots require continual monitoring of nutritional intake, health and weight gain of the cattle. Setting up the operation and maintaining consistent schedules both provides a healthier standard for the cattle and reliable system for the feeder. Continually adjusting the mix and amounts of rations will allow for maximizing the weight gain in the time allotted to get the cattle from feed lot to market.

Things You'll Need

Large stock pen
Feeders or trough system
Forage type feed such as hay
Grain or silage feed
Supplemental minerals
Water
Veterinary services

Instructions

- 1
  Enclose the cattle in a pen designed specifically for feeding. The space needs to be adequate for the cattle to be comfortable but not excessive. The pens are not a free range grazing space but rather a containment area for the cattle. Adequate space for the average 100 head pen is approximately 1 acre. Space per head should range from 200 to 300 square feet per head depending on if the conditions are average or dry, with very dry climates on the lesser end.
- 2
  House cattle in a pen that are uniform in size. Food requirements to finish the cattle, or bring them to marketable weight is a very exact science and all the cattle in the pen need to be on the same feeding schedule. Calves of 7 to 9 months of age coming to the feed lot will expect to be housed about 150 to 240 days or until 12 to 15 months old, however some may grow at a different rate than others varying on breed and health.
- 3
  Consult a veterinarian to assist with engineering the feed and schedules. Different cattle require different amounts of food. Provide incoming calves with 100 percent grass feed for the first few days to allow them transition to the new location and maintain rumen health. Rations should and typically contain a variety of ingredients including corn, soy, alfalfa, straw and often wet grain. The wet grains are provided as a by product of ethanol production and a good source of the corn in the feed.
- 4
  Feed cattle on a weight and goal oriented schedule. Cattle should normally receive 2.5 percent of their dry weight in rations per day. As an example, a 600-lb. calf should have 15 lbs. of ration per day. The feed however is not given individually, so intake also varies depending on the cow itself. The goal is to have the cattle gain a marketable weight in the time allotted for them to be at the feed lot. If the calf that was 600 lbs. needed to reach a marketable weight of 1,200 lbs. it would need to gain 3.3 lbs. per day.
- 5
  Set a schedule for feeding, generally either two or three times per day depending on your operation. Key is to provide all the food the cattle in a pen can eat but not waste food by over feeding. Overfeeding means food sits and goes to waste, then requires labor time to remove the waste food before fresh food is provided.
- 6
  Add mineral supplements to the feed and adjust as needed. Calcium, potassium, salt and urea are common additives. Blood testing by the nutritional engineers or veterinary staff should be done on a weekly or even bi-weekly basis to monitor the levels and effectiveness of the feed.
- 7
  Provide adequate water supply at all times to feed yard cattle. Cattle require 4 to 20 gallons of water per day, per head. Water intake is mainly dependent on the weight of the cow and the weather conditions. Colder temperatures mean less water consumption while heat increases intake considerably. Tanks in the pen should be maintained, cleaned and full at all times with fresh water.
- 8
  Monitor the pens and cattle continuously. Remove any ailing cattle to another pen to isolate them from the remainder of the herd. Feed yards need to be scraped and cleaned regularly removing the refuse, so more than one feed yard pen or a barn with housing is required to rotate the cattle while pens are restored.