Bull

[Judge]

How much feed should a yearling angus bull eat if you planon showing him, he is in good rig was born jan 2012 weighs 1450 pounds roughly give or take, how much pounds per day should he eat? Oh yes and his ration is about a 13 or 14 percent

 

[RyanChandler]

25-30lbs of a finishing ration. 13 or 14 percent only refers to the protein. TDN% is the number you need to know.

 

[ZNT]

This can vary quite a bit, depending on the other feed stuffs you have available and the amount of energy in your ration. 

We use a developer ration from Martindale Feed that runs 14% protein, with a moderate amount of energy.  We feed around 18-25 lbs. per day of this, along with free choice grass hay.  Amount will vary depending on how much gain you are trying to put on, or more of a maintanence ration.

 

[leanbeef]

Typically we talk about feed consumption in terms of Dry Matter Intake or DMI as a percentage of total body weight. That % number will vary depending on the size and type of the animal, stage in production, expected gain, etc. and also the nutritional value of the abailable feeds. You're usually gonna be in the 2-4% of body weight, and keep in mind all feeds have some level of moisture content, and that most cattle are consuming more than just a commercial ration, so some of that DMI will come from pasture and/or hay. The numbers you should definitely know about your feed are the protein content, fat content, and fiber level. TDN is the most representative of available energy wich is what the animal will convert to growth, development, and conditioning, and TDN is largely dependent on both the levels and sources of protein and fat in the ration.

 

[RyanChandler]

A growing bull that I was trying to get adequate fat cover on wouldn't have any pasture and very little hay.  Of course it all depends on the growth curve of the bull in question.  A 16 month old bull could be nearly mature structurally and require a lower energy ration to really fill out or he might require a higher energy ration to put true cover on a frame that has quite a bit to grow.

 

[Judge]

I would lie the bull to be roughly 2000 pounds by mid november

 

[ZNT]

That is about 100/lb/month gain you need, so you better just pour the coals to him.

 

[RyanChandler]

No reason you shouldn't get 4+lbs/day gain on full feed if you're feeding a high quality finisher.