# Cattle feed mix



## MrHank (Sep 12, 2007)

I'm looking for some advice. We are looking at having feed mixed at a mill instead of buying by the bag due to price. What does everyone feed their cattle? They have hay free choice all the time but when it's cold we give them 10% stock feed and cracked corn mixed. It's getting quite pricey to feed that mixture. 

Thanks in advance for your help!


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## bruce2288 (Jul 10, 2009)

cows hay only unless the;y are losing condition.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

we need to know ...what kind of cattle your feeding and how many 400 lbs calfs ... 900 lbs calfs... bred cows.. and what you are wanting to do with them....bred them...put in freezer... maintain..or fatten them


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## MrHank (Sep 12, 2007)

We have a mix of cattle. We've got a Jersey that is a nurse cow for our bottle calves. We are getting ready to pull 2 off of her and let her dry up to breed. We have a couple of red/white face herford heifers aprox 900 lbs will be breeding them this spring along with a couple of black angus heifers around 900lbs same with breeding in the spring. We have a black bull for breeding prob 1500lbs, 5 holstein steers for fattening they are probably around 600lbs, 1 jersey steer prob around 400lbs and 1 jersery/charlois mix that is prob around 700-800lbs they are also destined for the freezer.

Thanks again.


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

With such a mix it might be best to get ground corn, and a selection of concentrates and mix your own as you feed it. The beef cows shouldn't need any, the milk cow would get dairy concentrate, and the steers beef concentrate.


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## myersfarm (Dec 24, 2004)

see why you need something cheaper but you will need to seprate in different pens to save money..then feed the group in that pen to do what you want them to do...1500 bull just need to maintain..cow when pull calfs needs very little after bred.....400 lbs needs more feed then others if you want them to finish closer together.... they also need a higher protien then 10% with corn



3 % of body weight if you want them to gain...I feed DDG with soy hulls and hay mixed in a verticale mixer


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I have a horse mixture made up, I order the lowest amount which is 500 pounds.
And that is what I feed my steers. The last 6 months they get nothing but that grain mixture, so much so that one steer can go through that 500 pounds in one month.
But boy is that meat tender, flavorful, just a wonderful tasting beef.
So much so that a friend of mine that has been a gourmet head chef for many years has me raising a steer for him as he hasn't tasted such tender flavorful meat like that for many years. That was quite a complement coming form a guy like that.
So that is what I am doing in just a few months i will get another calf, and start raising him up for my friend.


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

Mr. Hank, sorry I didn't read all the above posts....but do want to throw out that most hays equal 8% protein or higher. So feeding grain at 10% protein is accomplishing little....Just my opinion...Topside


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## topside1 (Sep 23, 2005)

To answer your question I feed 13% goat ration to my steers simply because I have more goats than steers. Used to buy 18% dairy ration but discovered little or no change in goat milk production so 13% for everyone...I buy bulk 1000 pounds per visit...Used to pay 11.25 per hundred, 90 days later I'm now paying 14.25 per hundred...times are changing prepare for the worst...


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## arabian knight (Dec 19, 2005)

I believe the mixture that I mentioned in my post is about 14% maybe a little higher but not by much. A good over all mix for horses and steers imo.


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## sammyd (Mar 11, 2007)

the only ones I'd grain were the steers. They'd get 6 pounds of a 16% mix around here.
Being winter everyone else would get a smidge maybe once a day just cuz I'm a softie.
But I'd keep an eye on them. We are a bit colder up here and things change quickly...


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## tinknal (May 21, 2004)

topside1 said:


> Mr. Hank, sorry I didn't read all the above posts....but do want to throw out that most hays equal 8% protein or higher. So feeding grain at 10% protein is accomplishing little....Just my opinion...Topside


That's true for protein, but corn has much higher energy than hay.


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