How to Raise Fattening Cattle? Breeding Methods and Key Technical Points

Fattening cattle are a type of cattle mainly raised for beef production. In China, the main breeds of fattening cattle are Charolais cattle, Limousin cattle, Luxi yellow cattle, Qinchuan cattle, Yanbian yellow cattle, etc. So how do you raise fattening cattle?

1. Seed selection

First, choose healthy cattle breeds suitable for local breeding. It is recommended to choose purebred Simmental, Limousin or Angus beef cattle that are strong, healthy and disease-free, or the first hybrid generation of the above high-quality beef cattle and local yellow cattle, with bulls preferred.

2. Breeding environment

Then prepare a suitable breeding environment, ensuring the cattle shed is well ventilated and well lit, and a temperature of 10-21°C is relatively suitable.

The quality of the cattle shed environment directly affects the growth rate of beef cattle. In order to create a good living environment for beef cattle, old cattle sheds should be repaired early, equipment and instruments should be adjusted well, and the cattle shed and exercise yard should be cleaned frequently. Regular disinfection and pest control should be carried out, the cattle shed should be kept quiet, and good lighting and smooth ventilation inside the shed should be ensured. Temperature and humidity control equipment should be appropriately configured to keep the temperature inside the shed at 10-21°C, so as to promote rapid growth of beef cattle.

3. Fattening methods

Use appropriate methods for fattening and feed the cattle at fixed points.

Fattening methods commonly used by farmers include continuous fattening of calves, short-term fattening of feeder cattle, and short-term fattening of culled cattle, which can be selected according to needs.

Fattening cattle are fed 2-3 times a day at fixed times, with each feeding lasting 1.5-2 hours. During feeding, feed according to the feed amount determined by the nutrients that should be supplied to each fattening cow, and it must not be increased or decreased arbitrarily. The general feeding order is roughage first and concentrate later, that is, feed hay (corn stalks) first, then distillers' grains, concentrate, and water. In winter, provide water once after each feeding and once more at noon. In summer and autumn, in addition to the winter watering frequency, add one night watering.

The feed formula during the fattening period should also be designed according to the staged nutritional needs of beef cattle.

4. Other management

During the breeding period, management and disease prevention and control should also be done well.

1. Cattle need to be brushed. Brushing can keep the cattle body clean, promote skin metabolism and blood circulation, increase feed intake, and help with the management of fattening cattle. Brushing must be done regularly 1-2 times a day, and after the fattening cattle are full, brushing should be carried out in the exercise yard.

2. The feeder should pay attention to the hygiene of the feed trough, cattle body, forage and drinking water, and clean the ground every day. Observe the cattle's feeding, rumination and defecation, and deal with any abnormalities in a timely manner.

3. Disinfection and epidemic prevention must also be done well. If suspected infectious diseases are found, isolate them in a timely manner, focus on prevention, and carry out immunization well. Inject blackleg formaldehyde alum vaccine, anthrax vaccine, tetanus toxoid vaccine, foot-and-mouth disease vaccine, Clostridium welchii inactivated vaccine, etc.