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In a typical feedlot, a cow's diet is roughly 62% roughage, 31% grain, 5% supplements (minerals and vitamins), and 2% premix. High-grain diets lower the pH in the animals' rumen . Due to the stressors of these conditions, and due to some illnesses, it may be necessary to give the animals antibiotics on occasion.
Total mixed ration (TMR) is a method of feeding beef and dairy cattle. A TMR diet achieves a wide distribution of nutrients in uniform feed rather than switching between several types. A cow's ration should include good quality forages, a balance of grains and proteins, vitamins and minerals. [1]
In feedlot cattle, a diet containing a high proportion of cereal grain can lead to primary ruminal tympany. [5] The main signs of bloat in cattle are distension of the left side of the abdomen, dyspnea (difficulty breathing) and severe distress. If gas continues to accumulate, the right side of the abdomen may also become distended, with death ...
Cattle reared on a primarily forage diet are termed grass-fed or pasture-raised; meat or milk may be called "grass-fed beef" or "pasture-raised dairy". [6] The term "pasture-raised" can lead to confusion with the term "free range" which describes where the animals reside, but not what they eat.
Backgrounded calves and feedlot animals tend to have different diets that contain more grain than the pasture type. Grain is more expensive than pasture but the animals grow faster with the higher protein levels. Since cattle are herbivores and need roughage in their diet, silage, hay and/or haylage are all viable feed options. [14]
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A feedlot in Texas, USA, where cattle are "finished" (fattened on grains) prior to slaughter. Animal feed is food given to domestic animals, especially livestock, in the course of animal husbandry. There are two basic types: fodder and forage. Used alone, the word feed more often refers to fodder.
As there is no protein or amino acid storage provision, amino acids must be present in the diet. Excess amino acids are discarded, typically in the urine. For all animals, some amino acids are essential (an animal cannot produce them internally) and some are non-essential (the animal can produce them from other nitrogen-containing compounds).