A Quick Guide to Cattle Feeding From Buckwild Innovations
Whether you’re an experienced cattle farmer looking for a refresher or are just getting into the farming business, the process of feeding your cattle properly is key to a successful operation. Be sure to follow our tips for cattle feeding and farming for the best possible results.
Provide Your Cattle With the Right Amount of Hay
As a cattle farmer, your goal is to put the perfect amount of weight on the cattle. At the same time, you need to keep your costs under control, so your cattle feeding process must be as inexpensive and efficient as possible.
This then comes down to providing your cattle with the correct amount of hay to feed on. If you feed your cattle far too much hay, they will become wasteful. Of course, if you feed your cattle too little hay, they will become hungry and you will have a difficult time putting weight on them. In addition, when hungry, cattle become aggressive when fed, fret about food, and end up losing weight — which is the last thing you want.
Cattle Feeding Advice to Avoid
As a cattle farmer or a newcomer to the farming industry, you might have heard the old expression “They will eat if they are hungry”. This stems from the practice of putting hay out for your cattle, and not replacing it even when the weathered hay is all that is left on the bottom of the hay ring. This practice is traditionally used to help cattle get over their pickiness.
However, when the cows see the less desirable hay and are not inclined to eat it, this practice actually promotes the irritability and aggressiveness associated with not feeding your cattle enough hay. The “they will eat if they are hungry” practice actually ends up making your herd lose weight in the long run.
Instead, feed your cattle the correct proportions and install a hay ring cover from Buckwild Innovations. These covers are designed to eliminate weather-ruined hay at the bottom of the ring and allow cattle to safely eat quality hay during undesirable weather.
Move Feeding Locations
This common practice is in place to keep cattle out of the mud for their health and the health of the field. Studies have proven that cattle standing in mud and eating will put on less weight than cattle standing in grass. This weight loss or lack of weight gain will occur due to the stress and irritation the cattle feels from being in an unpleasant feeding situation. Therefore, moving your feeding location to a better quality piece of land on a rotational basis will actually help your cattle gain weight.
Poor Quality Hay Rings
If you use cheap, low-quality hay rings on your cattle farming operation, chances are that the rings are broken down and actually dangerous to your cattle. Remember, the last thing you want to do is stress out or irritate your herd, causing them to eat less and gain less. Instead, opt for a high quality hay ring.
When moving feeding locations, rely on the hay spear ring mover available from Buckwild Innovations. This product is easy to use and helps to cut costs on a cattle farming operation by reducing the amount of hay spears/rings you have to purchase over periods of time. To learn more about the Hay Spear Ring Mover, contact Buckwild Innovations today.
