Tips for Feeding and Managing Beef Cattle to Gain Weight in Cold Seasons
Beef Cattle Farming
Winter weather is cold and green feed is scarce, which is very unfavorable for beef cattle to gain weight. However, as long as concentrate and roughage are scientifically combined and feeding and management methods are appropriate, beef cattle can still grow and gain weight rapidly during the cold winter season.
1. The cattle shed must have good insulation. The shed must not leak rain, must not let in wind, must have a non-damp floor, and must be clean and sanitary. The room temperature should reach above 5°C, and it is best to keep it at 10°C-18°C.
2. Scientific feed formulation and careful feeding. Feed is the material basis for cattle to gain weight and grow meat. In order for beef cattle to eat their fill and eat well, feed must be scientifically and reasonably combined. The daily ration formula is: 10 kg high-quality hay, 7 kg distillers' grains, 3.5 kg cornmeal, 0.5 kg soybean cake, 100 g urea, 50 g salt. Feed 3 times a day, that is, once each at 6 a.m., 12 noon, and 6 p.m. Feed roughage first and then concentrate, give less and add frequently, and feeding them until they are about 80 to 90 percent full each time is sufficient, which helps the cattle maintain a strong appetite at the next feeding.
3. Provide sufficient drinking water. In winter, cattle mainly eat hay, so sufficient drinking water must be provided. Insufficient drinking water not only affects the cattle's feed intake, but also affects the beef cattle's digestion and absorption of feed, making the cattle's coat and skin dry and their spirits low. As the saying goes: hay fills, feed gives strength, water gives spirit, which shows the importance of water supply. The water provided should be clean and at a suitable temperature, with 20°C being ideal.
4. Expose cattle to more sunlight and brush their bodies frequently. At noon when the wind is calm and the sun is warm, take the cattle out to bask in the sun, and at the same time brush their bodies. In this way, it can not only prevent the occurrence of skin diseases and external parasitic diseases, but also promote blood circulation and enhance the beef cattle's resistance to cold.
5. Supplementing with compound feed doubles the effect. 10% corn, 10% dried melon, 8% sorghum, 10% oil cakes (soybean cake, cottonseed cake, peanut cake, etc.), 60% bran, 1.5% bone meal, and 0.5% salt. Crush the above various feeds, add water and mix them so they bind together, then place them in the sunlight to dry, and they become irregularly shaped and not very firm pelleted compound feed. This feed has a loose and crisp texture and good palatability, and cattle especially love to eat it.