How to save forage when raising cattle? These practical tips are worth learning

Long grass fed short, as the saying goes: “Cut inch grass three times, and it will gain fat even without feed.” Feeding cattle with chopped forage saves about 20% compared with feeding it whole. This is especially true for coarse, hard stalks that cattle eat less of or find difficult to eat when fed whole; if they are chopped short and fed, they can be fully utilized, and digestibility is also somewhat improved. Generally, stalks should be chopped into 3 cm to 5 cm pieces to feed cattle.

Coarse grass fed fine: If crop straw used as forage can be treated with salting, alkalization, or ammoniation, or crushed and mixed with concentrate to feed cattle, it can improve the utilization rate of the forage and increase palatability, thereby saving forage.

Feed less and add more often: If fed all at once, cattle easily develop the habit of being picky about palatable forage, causing waste. Feeding less and adding more often can save forage.

Feed in the trough: Change the bad habit of throwing forage directly into the cattle pen for feeding, and put the forage in the trough instead. In this way, the forage will not be contaminated by manure, the cattle will be more hygienic after eating and avoid disease, and forage can also be saved.

Coarse first, fine later: Feed coarse feed first, and the cattle will eat whatever is available and consume more coarse feed. After that, feed concentrate or high-quality pasture according to their nutritional needs. In this way, the ruminant cattle's characteristic of utilizing coarse feed is fully brought into play, and forage is saved.

Modify the feed trough: Because the trough is often too shallow, cattle push feed outside while eating grass, causing considerable waste. When making the trough, simply making it deeper can avoid this. Generally, a cattle trough depth of about 40 cm is best.

Process leftover grass: In the past, the coarse, hard stalks left after cattle ate were often burned as fuel. If they are dried, collected, crushed into grass meal with a grinder, and then fed, they can be effectively utilized.

Save bedding straw: Keep the barn clean and hygienic, and use discarded weeds as cattle bedding as much as possible to reduce forage waste.

Watch the cattle eat: Many cattle raisers just put the forage into the trough and leave. As a result, when the cattle eat, they push the forage outside the trough, and once the fallen grass is stepped on by the cattle, it can no longer be fed. Therefore, keepers should stay and watch the cattle finish the forage as much as possible before leaving. If forage falls to the ground, pick it up promptly and give it to the cattle; this can save a lot of forage.