Angus Diet

Angus cattle are ruminants, meaning that they have four stomach compartments and chew their cud. The four compartments of a ruminant's stomach are the rumen, reticulum, omasum and abomasums, or true stomach, which is similar to the human stomach.
Angus do well on a wide variety of feeds. To some extent, what you feed your animal depends on whether it is a beef or dairy calf or mature beef or dairy animal. Make sure the feed for an Angus calf contains a balance of the basic ingredients for good nutrition: protein, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins and minerals.

  1. Proteins

    • Protein is necessary for growth. Good sources of protein include high-quality legume hay, such as alfalfa or clover; pasture grasses; and high-quality grass hay. Protein supplements include cottonseed meal, soybean meal and linseed meal. Angus that are feeding on good hay or pasture do not need supplements.

    Carbohydrates and Fats

    • Carbohydrates and fats provide energy for body maintenance and weight gain. Barley, wheat, corn, milo (rain sorghum), oats and grain byproducts, such as mill run or molasses, contain a high proportion of carbohydrates and a small amount of fat. High-fat products designed for ruminants, such as calf manna, provide extra fat.

    Vitamins

    • Vitamins are necessary for health and growth. Green pasture, alfalfa hay and good grass hay contain carotene, which the animal's body converts into vitamin A. Overly mature, dry hay may be deficient in carotene. The other vitamins an Angus calf needs are in its feed or created in its gut, except for vitamin D, which the calf's body synthesizes from sunshine. An Angus calf gets adequate vitamin D unless it spends all of its time indoors.

    Minerals

    • Minerals occur naturally in roughage and grain. Angus do not normally need mineral supplements beyond those found in grass or hay. Always provide salt for your calf, either in a block or as loose salt in a salt box. Trace minerals include copper, cobalt, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc.

    Proper Amount of Feed

    • An Angus calf needs good feed to reach puberty at an early age and be ready to breed by the time she is 15 months old. She needs to reach 65 percent of her mature size, typically 1,000 pounds, by 14 months of age. If your Angus calf is not gaining weight fast enough, increase the amount of grain.