feeding cows

I was wandering what kind of feed everybody feeds their cows. I dont really have alot of experience feeding cows. I would like to gring up some feed for them and wandering like how much of what I should add? Can I mix in the same protein that I fed to my steers?

Normally we just feed regular hay to them then once they start calving we start supplementing the corn silage to put weight back on. Its a lot cheaper than feeding grain all winter.

This year with the hay prices skyrocketing, we got CRP hay which doesnt have the protien like regular hay because of its maturity. We will be supplementing corn stalk bales and liquid mollasses tubs and again corn silage after calving. I dont care to have 100+ pound calves.

What kind of minerals should I be giving them

What age cows are you feeding and what condition are they in? If they are running age cows then hay should be fine, we keep on grass hay that averages 12% protein until they calve, as they calve we sort them off into a separate pasture and feed them alfalfa that averages 18% protein. Depending on what grazing is available makes up a difference in how many pounds we feed if it's open and not to cold we start out around 22 pounds if it's snow covered and cold maybe as much as 28 pounds. After they calve we feed between 30 to 35 pounds of alfalfa. You can get by with grass and put protein tubs out for supplement if your hay does not have the protein content.


First calf heifers might get a little different ration as they are still growing and also growing the calf, like wise older cows may need different feeds for them to maintain their condition and raise a high quality calf. I am sure there is a nutritionist in your area that can analyze your feeds that are available to you and give you some good recommendations.