Cattle rearing as a business requires a lot of physical and mental, but eventually, all of this pays off when it turns out to be a profitable venture. The basic trick to increase profits is by reducing the cost of producing one of which in this case is supplementary cattle feed. This doesn’t mean that we do not feed any additives to our livestock since providing the complementary cattle feed is vital for their proper growth and carcass yield.
Here are some tips to help you cut the cost of cattle feed without compromising with the health of livestock.
Pasture Grazing
Cattle can feed on almost anything which grows on the soil. Their main food consists of leaves,legumes, grass and forage. Pasture grazing is the most economical form of cattle feeding. The only thing to be kept in mind is that the herd should be moved from one pasture to another at regular intervals. This is called rotational grazing, and it is essential because changing fields will provide all the vital nutrients to the flock. Grazing at the same spot for a long term will not serve the purpose of nourished feed since the short grass will not be able to grow soon, and cattle might end up eating more soil than forage.
Alternate feeding options
Grazing on forage might not be enough for the nutritional requirements, but commercial feeding additives might burn a hole in our pockets. Hence the alternative form of feeds is introduced to maintain healthy livestock without spending a lot of money. Harvesting crops is a tedious process, but it does save some bucks and also provides the animals with a better diet. The farm animals could be fed with lots of grains which we could quickly grow in our fields. Corn, wheat, oats, rye, millet soybeans are some options. These are healthy and filled with nutrition hence reducing the need to complement their diet with commercial cattle feeds.
Set a routine
Cows are creatures of routine, so it becomes the liability of a cattleman to breed them in the way they like to. A healthy and punctual regime of water feeds, and cleaning should be followed to maintain a stress-free herd. Cattle tend to stress out a lot due to environmental and climatic changes which are beyond our control. This kind of stress affects their health too so it is quintessential for the cattleman to take proper care of the flock and set them in a routine to lower their anxiety which in turn would let their bodies to absorb all the vitamins of food and stay healthy.
Minimise Waste
The next step should be to take care while handling the supplementary feeds. There is a lot of wastage which happens due to climatic changes like wind, rain etc. Birds and rodents also feed on these open and unprotected feeds. Spillage during transit also accounts to a major form of feed wastage. All of these should be avoided, and the pastures have to be correctly stored following the instructions on it. A good quality feeder should be installed so that the herd feeds on all of it and Doesn’t spill anything on the ground. Feeders are also essential since providing food on the ground will lead to illness in the flock. These should be maintained well by cleaning from time to time. Wastage may seem like a little at a time but form a significant part of the feed at totality, so it is essential to be diligent of these and work to build a zero wastage animal farm.
Track the cattle quality Vaccinations and regular vet visits are essential for a healthy high production herd but if the business doesn’t seem lucrative enough even after taking care of all the above points it is high time To check the quality of animals on the farm. Cattle in your farm should be able to give you desired amount of production but if that’s not the case removing the dormant ones become necessary for a profitable venture.
These were the tips to lower the cost of feeding your cattle, but one thing which has to be understood is that whatever commercial supplement is being provided to the livestock should be of the topmost quality. No compromises with the virtue of feed should be made to save some penny. The best A class feed will eventually lead to better yielding cattle providing desired profits to the cattleman.
