Feed Your Way to Healthy Beef Cattle
If you are raising healthy beef cattle, it is important to ensure they receive the property nutrients to grow and thrive. While most feeding plans offer a mixture of hay, grain and free choice minerals, it is essential to make sure your beef cattle receive all of the following nutrients in order to enjoy good health.
Protein
Cows are very good at extracting the protein they need from vegetable plants. While protein is found in hay and various grasses, they typically get most of their protein from legumes. Soybeans are the most common protein source, though cottonseed meal and linseed are also good options.
Minerals
Beef cattle need calcium, potassium, phosphorus and salt along with trace amounts of copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt and selenium. The amount of minerals found in hay is dependent upon the mineral content in the soil where the hay was grown. Therefore, you should also provide your cattle with a mineral block in order to ensure they get enough of the minerals they need.
Vitamins
Beef cattle also need to get plenty of vitamins A, D and E. Thanks to the bacteria living in the rumen, which produce vitamins K and B, there is no need to worry about those particular vitamins with most cattle. Stressed cattle, such as those that have been recently weaned or those that are being transported long distances, however, do benefit from a vitamin B supplement.