Feed Mixing by Mike Mehren Ph.D.

Ideally, cattle eat or are fed a diet that has all of their nutrients in every bite. They also are able to eat when they feel hungry. Studies conducted in the feedlot have found that cattle want to eat at the same time each day. This is why bunk ‘reading’ and bunk management are so important to good performance and feed efficiency. When feed isn’t mixed properly or fed in a timely manner, we can see bloat and acidosis. I encountered a problem at a feedlot when the mixer truck distributed nothing but corn for about the first 30 seconds of feeding. The cattle that ate at that part of the bunk were not getting a mixed feed. They were eating straight corn. We tried a different mixer loading sequence (i.e. corn silage loaded first, hay second, grain third, and supplement last.). We also tried increasing and decreasing mix time before the truck pulled away from the loading area. Neither worked. We finally wound up starting the auger and delivering about 30 seconds worth of feed on the loading slab before driving away to feed the cattle. The corn was then picked up by the loader, dumped into the corn pile and added to the next load. That solved the problem.

On range, cattle are able to eat anytime they are hungry provided there is enough feed left. Range cattle don’t consume all of their nutrients with every bite because we have grazed or removed nutrients for many years without replacing them. At certain times of the year, when feed is mature, the plants move nutrients into the roots so that they can survive and grow next year’s plants. This is why range supplements are fed.

I haven’t been able to find studies that compared feeding hay and straw on alternate days, or hay a.m. and straw p.m. However, I’m pretty sure that the aggressive cows or calves get more than their fair share of the hay.

Due to high hay prices, we are tempted to mix some moldy hay or straw in with the good quality feed. Feeding moldy hay or straw is somewhat like Russian roulette. Sometimes you get away with no noticeable health problems and sometimes you have an absolute wreck. Bred replacement heifers were being fed a ration that had some moldy feed in it, and quite a few of them aborted. Could the feed savings offset the value of each calf that was lost? One of the questions I hate to answer is ‘how much can I get away with …5 lb or 10 lb per head? The correct answer is none! Don’t just feed it to the cows instead of the calves. Burn it, or make compost out of it.

The tendency is just to try to feed a little, because we hate to waste it. I’ve had no success having moldy feed analyzed to determine if it’s safe. The lab is able to tell you what molds are present, but not whether they will be producing a toxin when fed. Feed labs do not do mold testing. The sample must be sent to a lab that specializes in that type of testing. There are compounds available through your feed manufacturers that bind the toxin in the gut of the animal. Most of these are a specialized type of clay. They do work in some circumstances, but they aren’t cheap.



		Feed Mixing BY MIKE MEHREN Feed mixing is a very important part of feeding cattle. I know my friends that are cow-calf producers or yearling grazers will figure that this column doesn’t apply to them, however mixing comes in many forms. Examples might be: Feeding straw in the a.m. and Hay in the p.m. Feeding straw on Monday, Wednesday, and Friday while feeding hay on the other days of the week. Feeding hay as a supplement to grazing. Mixing hay and straw in a feed mixer and feeding this mix to the herd. Mixing a complete ration and delivering it to the feed bunk. Top dressing grain on top of hay that has been delivered to a feed bunk. A creep feed could be considered mixing, because part of the calf’s diet comes from the creep and the remainder comes from milk and grass. Ideally, cattle eat or are fed a diet that has all of their nutrients in every bite. They also are able to eat when they feel hungry. Studies conducted in the feedlot have found that cattle want to eat at the same time each day. This is why bunk ‘reading’ and bunk management are so important to good performance and feed efficiency. When feed isn’t mixed properly or fed in a timely manner, we can see bloat and acidosis. I encountered a problem at a feedlot when the mixer truck distributed nothing but corn for about the first 30 seconds of feeding. The cattle that ate at that part of the bunk were not getting a mixed feed. They were eating straight corn. We tried a different mixer loading sequence (i.e. corn silage loaded first, hay second, grain third, and supplement last.). We also tried increasing and decreasing mix time before the truck pulled away from the loading area. Neither worked. We finally wound up starting the auger and delivering about 30 seconds worth of feed on the loading slab before driving away to feed the cattle. The corn was then picked up by the loader, dumped into the corn pile and added to the next load. That solved the problem. On range, cattle are able to eat anytime they are hungry provided there is enough feed left. Range cattle don’t consume all of their nutrients with every bite because we have grazed or removed nutrients for many years without replacing them. At certain times of the year, when feed is mature, the plants move nutrients into the roots so that they can survive and grow next year’s plants. This is why range supplements are fed. I haven’t been able to find studies that compared feeding hay and straw on alternate days, or hay a.m. and straw p.m. However, I’m pretty sure that the aggressive cows or calves get more than their fair share of the hay. Due to high hay prices, we are tempted to mix some moldy hay or straw in with the good quality feed. Feeding moldy hay or straw is somewhat like Russian roulette. Sometimes you get away with no noticeable health problems and sometimes you have an absolute wreck. Bred replacement heifers were being fed a ration that had some moldy feed in it, and quite a few of them aborted. Could the feed savings offset the value of each calf that was lost? One of the questions I hate to answer is ‘how much can I get away with …5 lb or 10 lb per head? The correct answer is none! Don’t just feed it to the cows instead of the calves. Burn it, or make compost out of it. The tendency is just to try to feed a little, because we hate to waste it. I’ve had no success having moldy feed analyzed to determine if it’s safe. The lab is able to tell you what molds are present, but not whether they will be producing a toxin when fed. Feed labs do not do mold testing. The sample must be sent to a lab that specializes in that type of testing. There are compounds available through your feed manufacturers that bind the toxin in the gut of the animal. Most of these are a specialized type of clay. They do work in some circumstances, but they aren’t cheap.		About OFGA Services Join OFGA Meetings & Events OFGA Officers OFGA Bylaws Links Contact OFGA Articles Mike Mehren, Ph.D. Feed/Export Wheat Report