Livestock Rations

1
Livestock Rations
2

Objectives

• Create a balanced feed ration
• Design a feeding regimen for lamb, swine, and
  cattle
• Describe the difference between nutritionally
  balanced ration and an economically balanced
  ration

3
A balanced ration is

• A ration is the feed allowed in a 24 hour period,
  whether it is fed at once or at different periods
  in a day
• Contains more than one feed to ensure nutritional
  requirements are met
• Furnishes the required nutrients in a proportion
  so the animal is nourished for the 24 hour period

4
Feeding Swine

• Identify animals to be fed by age, weight,
  function, and specific conditions under which
  they are fed
• Select nutrient requirements and allowances
• Make ration palatable, safe, economical, and
  nutritionally balanced
• Determine fixed amount of vitamins and minerals
  then mix grains relative to protein supplement to
  get desired protein level

5
Feed additives for swine

• Used for more than 25 years
• Increase growth rate and feed utilization
• Decrease mortality
• Classified as antibiotics, chemotherapeutics, and
  anthelmentics(dewormers)
• Have been thoroughly tested and are increasing in
  performance

6
Beef cattle

• Fattening Cattle2.1 lbs. or more of concentrates
  and dry roughage daily per 100lbs. Concentrates
  range from less than 1lb to 1.7lbs. or more per
  100lbs.
• Breeding cowsIf roughage is low in protein 1lb.
  Per head daily of protein supplement should be
  fed along with a small amount of grain

7
Dairy Cattle

• Lactating cows2.lbs of dry roughage daily per
  100lbs of live weight. 2 to 3 lbs of
  concentrates per head
• Dairy Heifers2 to 3 lbs of concentrates per head
  on good roughage. 4 to 5 lbs on poor roughage.
  Over a year old 2 to 4 lbs of concentrate on fair
  roughage

8
Sheep

• Breeding Ewes good roughage 4-6 weeks before
  lambing. During 4-6 weeks .5-.75lbs of
  concentrates per head
• Nursing ewes Ewes not on pasture need 1lbs of
  concentrates per head in addition to roughage
• Fattening Lambs 1.5lbs of roughage per day and
  all the grain they can eat.

9
Computing cost

• Cost of feed per pound ton price divided by
  2000
• Multiply the amount by the pounds of feed used
  per day in the ration
• Add together the figures for all of the feeds
  used and divide by the number of animals to get
  the cost of feed for each animal

10
Least cost balanced rations

• The animals must like the feed to be economical
  so they stay in good health, grow, fatten, and
  produce
• Available lowest cost feeds
• Use proper proportions of concentrates and
  roughage in your ration
• Sometimes a balanced nutrition ration is not the
  most economical

11
Web sites

• Www.cals.ncsu.edu
• animalscience-extension.tamu.edu
• www.allensarena.com
• www.csi.cc.id.us/