What are the misconceptions in cattle fattening? Master these techniques to raise cattle well
Beef is rich in protein and amino acids, and is better suited to human needs than pork. Eating beef in cold winter also has a warming effect on the stomach, making it an excellent tonic for winter. In recent years, due to the high price of beef, the number of large-scale cattle farmers has begun to increase, but some cattle farmers still lose money. Many loss-making cattle farmers ask, why is the beef market so good, yet they still lose money? What causes this? How can cattle be raised well? What are the fattening techniques? Regarding this issue, it comes down to the following points:
One: No reasonable price level, weak ability to withstand market fluctuations.
When the market cattle price fluctuates, most cattle farmers show unstable mindsets. When cattle prices rise, they hold back for a better price, and the higher the price, the more reluctant they are to sell; when cattle prices fall, fearing further declines, the cheaper the price, the more they sell. Because they buy high and sell low, the economic loss per head of cattle is at least several hundred yuan, and at most over a thousand yuan. Cattle price fluctuations also directly affect enthusiasm for beef cattle improvement. The more expensive cattle are, the more willing farmers are to carry out improvement; when cattle are not worth much, they are unwilling to carry out improvement. In the face of market changes, cattle farmers should maintain a good mindset, strengthen their ability to respond to market changes, and grasp a reasonable price level; when the market fluctuates, promptly adjust marketing strategies to minimize risk.
Two: Weak commodity awareness.
Some cattle farmers do not treat cattle raising as an important project for becoming rich, but as a sideline, with a relatively strong reluctance to sell. For customers who come to buy, they either refuse to sell or ask exorbitant prices, turning customers away at the door; in production, this practice needs to be changed, and the selling price should be reasonable.
Three: Crossbred bulls used for breeding.
Some cattle farmers lack scientific knowledge and, for convenience and to save money, use crossbred bulls for breeding. Although crossbred bulls are tall and strong, their heredity is unstable, and they very easily cause inbreeding, degeneration of offspring, and low economic returns.
Four: Raising cattle without deworming.
Cattle are susceptible to infection by many kinds of parasites. After infection, daily weight gain can drop by 33 percent and feed conversion rate can drop by 30 percent. When parasite damage is severe, it can cause cattle death.
Five: Ignoring science and using extensive management.
Most cattle sheds in rural areas are simple and crude. Some fattening cattle sheds have relatively low temperatures, manure and urine are not cleaned up promptly, the shed is humid, the cattle are not brushed, and no attention is paid to sun exposure. To raise cattle well, first build the cattle shed properly, constructing sheds that are warm in winter and cool in summer according to local conditions. In winter, keep them warm; in summer, pay attention to cooling; remove manure at fixed times every day, ventilate at noon, brush the cattle, and regularly take the cattle outside the shed to bask in the sun, strengthening their physique and helping them put on fat.
So what should be done to raise good cattle and obtain high profits?
One: Beef cattle have the characteristic of “fearing heat but not cold.” Controlling the environmental temperature well can effectively improve the growth, weight gain, and production performance of beef cattle.
Two: The greater the air humidity, the smaller the range within which beef cattle can regulate body temperature. High temperature and high humidity make it hard for cattle to dissipate body heat, easily causing body temperature to rise rapidly; low temperature and low humidity cause cattle to lose too much heat and lower body temperature. Therefore, the relative air humidity in the cattle shed is most suitable at 55%-80%.
Three: Under normal circumstances, cattle sheds often use natural lighting. Appropriate sunlight helps the cattle body produce vitamin D3 and promotes calcium absorption. Too much harmful gas such as ammonia, hydrogen sulfide, and carbon dioxide in the cattle shed easily affects the normal production of beef cattle. Therefore, the cattle shed should be strengthened with ventilation.
Four: The cattle shed should be kept as clean as possible, disinfected frequently, and reduce indoor microorganisms, lowering the occurrence and spread of disease.
Five: Fattening cattle should be fed 2 to 3 times each day at fixed times, with each feeding lasting 1.5 to 2 hours. When feeding, feed according to the feed amount determined by the nutrition that should be supplied to each fattening cow, and it must not be increased or decreased arbitrarily. The general feeding order is coarse feed first, then concentrated feed, that is, first feed dry grass (corn stalks), then feed distillers' grains, concentrated feed, and water. In winter, provide water once each after feeding every day, and once more at noon. In summer and autumn, in addition to the winter watering frequency, add one nighttime watering.
Also, it is best to weigh fattening cattle once a month in order to understand the cattle's weight gain, analyze the feed effect according to the weight gain, and adjust the daily ration to achieve the best fattening effect. Therefore, the vast number of specialized cattle farming households and free-range households should do the above points well. Of course, each place and each cow's situation will differ, so adjustments should be made according to actual conditions, and you must not proceed blindly!