Winter graining

[pmitch10]

Have been traming the wild beasts (Highlanders) cow and calf with three double handfulls of grain at the end of the day.

The cow gets two double handfulls in two differant tubs so the calf has time to eat her portion without get rocked by a 34" spread of horns.

My grain is a mixture of 'milk maker' 'flattened out corn' and 'course sweet 16' (don't make me go out to the barn to look at the technical names on the bags); I also mix in garlic powder (good for whatever ails any of us).

My question is how much grain is suggested for a six year old pregnant cow, and separately for a six month old calf.

I of course want to encourage the grazing during the day and supplement with hay as the nights get colder.

Rob the Celt.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I'm not familar with Highlander needs, as we have milk cows but, I would start with 2 pounds a day for each. Watch the body condition and go from there. If they are getting skinny add more and if they are getting fat backoff some. A fat cow isn't good either as it can bring health problems.

 

[wynedot55]

if my memory is right highland cows are like longhorns.it doesnt take much to maintain their condtion.so you can feed them 3 or 4lbs of grain ea an hay when it gets real cold.an tad more grain if it gets super cold.

 

[amysflock]

I have Scottish Highlands, too, and understand 3-4 lbs is reasonable per day. At the suggestion of other Highland owners, we're feeding a mix of beet pulp (soaked), a bit of alfalfa pellets and a little bit of 16% grain (b/c our cow is picky and won't eat the beet pulp mixture without a little "sweetness" thrown in...and it really is just a little - when I feed her, anyway...DH is a sucker!).

This, of course, is in addition to their timothy hay (going through 1 bale per day between the cow and heifer, both in late pregnancy), plus whatever they're currently grazing on pasture, PLUS whatever handout we might toss them (corn stalks/cobs, handful of swiss chard, some apples).

Seems this feeding thing is a very imperfect science and everyone does things a little different.

(Edited to note that we feed the above mixture in two separate buckets, and because the beet pulp mixture seems to take them longer to eat, the heifer doesn't really end up being ran off by the cow, unlike when we feed them grain only.)

 

[Farmer Kitty]

Seems this feeding thing is a very imperfect science and everyone does things a little different.

Yep! So much depends on what your weather is like, the quality of the forage your feeding and what you grain mixture is. Example: You have the beet pulp as part of your grain and I was thinking more corn.

 

[pmitch10]

What does the beet pulp do and is that bought in a bag like grain?

 

[Farmer Kitty]

I asked DH who works in a feedmill.

Beet pulp is good to shine and slick up their coats. It's 12% protein.

 

[amysflock]

Yes, the beet pulp is for extra protein, and it comes in pellets that must be soaked before feeding. It turns into a crumbly mixture...doesn't smell too good, but it fills them up and gives them some extra protein.

We do it because the beet pulp and alfalfa don't mess with their rumen pH and doesn't interfere with their grazing behavior, whereas feeding too much grain can do both.

My DH fed beet pulp last night while I was gone, and I noticed the girls getting some last licks out of their buckets this morning in the frost...so they don't wolf it down like they do the grain.

 

[allenacres]

You dont need to grain them. Give them plenty of grass hay, and if you want to increase your protein levels give them haylage, alfalfa hay or beet pulp. Beet pulp is considered a forage feed, not a grain. If alfalfa hay is too hard to get, give some alfalfa pellets. But typically Highlands do not need grain. It is important that you provide salt and minerals. We use Purina Wind and Rain for the minerals. The only thing these cattle are currently being fed are grass round bales and free choice minerals and a salt block.

this cow gets pulled down by her calf and she is also at the bottom of the herd order. The calf will be weaned at the end of this month and she will start to gain again.

 

[Farmer Kitty]

allenacres-Don't you think that cow/calf pair would have been better off with some grain so she wasn't pulled down by the calf so much? Not only does she look thinner than the others but, her coat is shabbier looking-which would indicate to me that she is lacking.