A feed tag is a very informative but often overlooked item on a commercially produced feed. Other than looking at the Crude protein or maybe the energy content not many people really look at them. With some of the confusing numbers and such listed on them, it is understandable how that can happen.
Attached to every bag of feed is this little colored tag. In these modern times, many regional or national feed companies now provide the same information on their websites. Tags contain vital information such as the product weight, guaranteed analysis, and list of ingredients. and feeding instructions. The feeding instructions tell you how best to use the product.
Now while initially what is on the feed tag can be overwhelming, the information is typically pretty to the point. If you have ever looked at one and felt that you needed a Ph.D. to understand fear not for I am here to help. I will be giving you a breakdown of each section and what they mean.
Colostrum is one of, if not the, most important thing for newborn calves. It lays the very foundation for their health and well-being throughout the remainder of their life. Through the dam, the calf takes in all of the antibodies it will need to fight off disease. But what if they are not able to get it from their mother?
Producers tend to have a love/hate relationship when it comes to supplements. On the one hand, they love how it improves the performance of their cattle but on the other, they hate that it adds to their expenses. It is for this reason that producers tend to not feed supplements unless they absolutely have to.
Cattle producers, like any other business, are always looking for ways to reduce costs. As any producer will tell you there is no greater expense than that feed costs. A management tool used quite often to regulate feed intake is using salt. Though it can have some impact regulating feed intake with salt is not precise and will require some tinkering in order to get it right.
Formulating a ration for cattle is key to any successful beef operation. There are times when forages alone will not supply what the cows need for the stage they are in. When it comes that time you will need to provide a supplement that will fill in the gaps to keep them producing.
Roughages are an important but often overlooked part of a cow’s diet. Most of the time people only focus on things like crude protein, energy, and mineral content. While those are vital for the overall production of cattle roughages play just an as important role. Consuming a certain amount of roughage is important to keep the rumen functioning in allowing the digestion of things like protein, energy, and minerals.
Dietary minerals are necessary for optimal growth and reproduction. The amount needed depends on forage mineral content. the age of the animal, and the stage of production. Just knowing what the cow requires is only 1 component in evaluating its mineral status. Even the soil type, fertilizer used, and rainfall can affect what mineral is available at a certain time.
Hay is a very important part of any winter feeding program. It is used to supplement cattle’s nutritional needs when forages become dormant. However, when it comes to feeding harvested forages you need to know what you have in order to know what to feed.
Protein supplements are often needed during the fall and winter months. This is because during this time most of your tame pasture forages go into dormancy. When this happens things like their protein content will go down.
Nutrition is a big factor affecting your herd’s health during the cold winter months. In order to meet this need producers should plan ahead when it comes to their fall and winter forages. There are many factors to consider when figuring out how much hay will be needed.
