Yes, Cows can eat Alfalfa, Alfalfa is widely recognized as a nutritional forage and used in the diet of beef and dairy cattle.
Do cattle bloat on alfalfa?
Animals will often experience mild bloat when they are first introduced to alfalfa, but this condition can often be treated by simply keeping the animal walking until the gas dissipates.
Can I feed my calves alfalfa?
Alfalfa can be used as ( 1) creep feed or creep grazing area for suckling beef calves, (2) feed during a postweaning conditioning period, (3) protein source during the growing phase, (4) grazing crop for stocker calves and (5) feed for well-milking beef cows after calving.
Will alfalfa put weight on cows?
Alfalfa hay has proven to help cattle gain weight during the winter months. A farm in Missouri reported its six-weight steers gained 2.10 pounds per day when fed alfalfa hay with silage. Alfalfa hay is highly nutritious, with about 60 percent or more being digestible nutrients.
What happens to a cow if it eats alfalfa?
As mentioned earlier, some alfalfa hay will pass through the rumen of a beef cow in about one-half the time required by grass hay (36 versus 70 hours). Therefore, animals fed alfalfa hay tend to gain faster, produce more milk, and maintain themselves in better condition than those fed other forages.
Why can’t cattle eat alfalfa?
The biggest concern with grazing frosted alfalfa is the potential for bloat. Bloat is a serious problem in livestock, especially cattle, and preventative measures must be used when animals are placed in bloat-inducing situations, such as grazing alfalfa.
What is best hay for cattle?
alfalfa
Fine alfalfa or oat straw best is best for cattle. Avoid coarse hay for young calves, sheep, and goats. Give dairy producing cows nutrient-rich hay to aid production.
Can you finish cattle on alfalfa?
PROTEIN SOURCE: When finishing beef cattle, alfalfa can provide adequate roughage and reduce the need for purchased protein, but the ration will require some additional protein to meet animal requirements.
What is the best feed to fatten cattle?
What is the best feed for fattening cattle? Barley is the best grain for lot feeding cattle, but wheat, triticale, sorghum, maize, and oats can be used. Oats is not an ideal grain on its own for cattle fattening but can be used with any of the other grains. Hay or silage could be used as the roughage source.
What is the best feed for cattle weight gain?
FEEDING FOR WEIGHT GAIN
At the cow-calf level, when fed properly, whole cottonseed and corn are ingredients he recommends often because they are energy dense and high in fat.
Do cows need grain everyday?
Grains are not friendly to the bovine digestive system and are not an ideal source of food for cattle, but they may be the most economical option if hay is scarce. Grain-heavy diets are often supplemented with green by-products from factories, as well as protein supplements.
How much alfalfa can you feed a cow?
“As for planning the quantity of alfalfa to raise or buy, you might consider feeding adult cows an average of five pounds per day during low-quality forage feeding,” said Cole.
When can cows graze alfalfa?
Begin grazing when plants are in the bud stage and move animals to a new area when there is two to three inches remaining. Alfalfa should be grazed relatively short so that regrowth will occur from the crown and not the stems. There are a few disadvantages of grazing alfalfa. First, there is a potential for bloat.
What hay is toxic to cows?
Alfalfa hay has been contaminated with poisonous plants and has resulted in illness and death of animals. The presence of nitrate accumulators, pyrrolizidine alkaloid-containing plants, summer pheasant’s eye, foxtail, and oleander are discussed as these weeds are most commonly associated with alfalfa hay.
What food is poisonous to cows?
Poisonous plants found in cultivated fields include cocklebur, jimsonweed, milkweed, pigweed and johnsongrass. Wild cherry, milkweed and pokeweed are found along fence and hedge rows.
What hay can cattle not eat?
Some molds can cause respiratory problems or abortion in pregnant cows. Avoid stemmy, coarse alfalfa. Protein and nutrition is mainly in the leaves, so stemmy hay is less nutritious and low in protein. Cattle won’t eat it well; coarse stems are hard to chew.
What do you feed Angus cows?
Use coarsely cracked grains such as corn, oats, barley or grain sorghum for best results. Intake should not exceed 1 percent of the animal’s body weight and contain approximately 14 percent protein content.
What is the best hay for Angus cattle?
Most experts recommend mixing alfalfa with grass hay, rather than relying exclusively on alfalfa hay. Alfalfa hay is often recommended for dairy cattle, but may not be a good fit for beef cattle, since it can lead to bloat. Legume hay is another nutritious option for cattle, since it’s high in protein.
Is timothy or alfalfa better for cows?
Alfalfa cut at full bloom drops to 15.5 percent crude protein, compared to 6.9 percent for late bloom timothy and 7.6 percent for late bloom orchard grass. Thus legume hay, cut early, is more apt to meet the protein and mineral needs of young growing, pregnant or lactating animals than will many of the grass hays.
How many pounds of alfalfa does a cow need per day?
If she is a dry cow in good body condition with access to dormant native grass, bermudagrass or average-quality hay, chances are she needs far less than 10 lbs./hd./day. In fact, if we assume good quality alfalfa (18 to 20 percent CP and TDN in excess of 58 percent) this dry cow may only need 2.5-3 lbs./hd./day.
Can cows eat raw alfalfa?
Alfalfa is recognized as one of the most nutritious forages available and is widely used as conserved forage (ex, hay, silage) in the diets of beef and dairy cattle. However, the utilization of alfalfa by grazing beef cattle has been limited due to its propensity to cause pasture bloat.