Feeding the Cow That Works Hard: Stage by Stage

A good cow is a machine that turns grass into a calf every year. Like any machine, she runs on what you put in her, and she tells you when the fuel is wrong. Thin cows, late calves and open pregnancy checks are bills that come due months after the feeding mistake was made.

Her year, in your feed bill

Cows do not need the same feed all year, and a man who gives them the same hay from November to May is spending too much at one stage and too little at another. Walk through it.

After weaning: This is her easy time. The calf is gone, milk is drying up and she is bred and carrying a small fetus. Ordinary hay will often hold her. If she came off the summer thin, this is the cheapest time to put weight back on, because her needs are low and the weather has not turned yet.

Last trimester: The calf inside is growing fast, and she needs more feed to carry it. This is where poor hay starts to show. Watch her ribs and hips.

Calving through breeding: This is the hard stretch. She is making milk, healing, and trying to cycle again, all at once. If she is short on energy, rebreeding is the first thing she gives up. A cow that calves thin and gets no help ends up open or calving late next year.

Summer: Good grass usually does the job. Your work is managing the grass, so she has some.

Fuel means energy

When cows fall short it is usually energy, not protein. A forage test tells you where your hay stands. Send a sample to a lab, get the numbers back, and ask your county agent or a nutritionist how they line up with your cows' needs for each stage. That test costs far less than a season of guessing. The University of Nebraska at beef.unl.edu publishes requirement tables you can compare against your results.

If your hay falls short, the usual fixes are better hay, a supplement or a mix. Supplements add cost, so feed the ones that fill the actual gap. We cover the basics in our hay math guide, and farm.fm's page on feed formulation for Angus cattle goes further into balancing a ration.

Learn to score a cow

You do not need a scale to know whether a cow is in shape. Body condition scoring uses a nine-point scale in beef cattle to rate fat cover over the ribs, backbone and tailhead. Moderate condition at calving, and not much loss after calving, is what you want. A thin cow is slow to cycle. An overly fat cow can have trouble calving and costs more to keep than she earns.

Score your cows at weaning, a couple of months before calving and again at the start of breeding. If they are slipping, you have time to act. By the time the preg check shows the problem, the feed bill has already been paid.

Sort the herd

One of the more expensive habits in the business is feeding every cow the same. Your first-calf heifers are still growing and need more than the mature cows. Old cows with worn teeth lose condition faster. Thin cows need a separate pen, and fat cows can run on less. A small extra pen and a bit of sorting saves feed and lifts conception.

Heifers and first-calf cows get their own plan

The first-calf female has the toughest job in the herd. She is nursing a calf while still growing herself, and she has to breed back on a shorter clock than a mature cow. If she is short on feed she pays twice, once in her own growth and again in her breeding. Many cattlemen calve heifers ahead of the cows so they can watch them closely and feed them separately through the breeding season. Whatever your system, do not let her fight the older cows for a place at the bunk.

Plan the second winter of a young cow's life as carefully as the first. She needs to reach her next calving in good condition after weaning a calf, and that takes feed planned in advance, not rescue feeding in February.

Minerals and water

Hay is rarely complete. A free-choice mineral formulated for your region fills the gaps, and you should confirm cows are actually eating the right amount. Water matters just as much. A lactating cow drinks a lot, and a dirty or frozen trough costs you calf gain. Check troughs the way you check fences.

Pick cows that fit your grass

A big, heavy-milking cow can wean a great calf on strong pasture and fall apart on a thin ranch. Cow size and milk drive maintenance needs. Pick females that match what your land actually grows, not what looked good at the sale. If you are choosing replacements, our bull buying checklist will help you buy the genetics that suit your outfit.

Mistakes that cost money

• Skipping the forage test.
• Feeding the whole herd the same ration.
• Waiting until calving to fix condition.
• Forgetting that cold and wet raise feed needs.
• Letting young cows run with the big cows at the feeder.

Who to call

Your county extension agent is free and knows your forage. For research, the Beef Research site is reliable. To find local nutritionists, suppliers and vets, try agriculture.directory.

Needs shift with cow size, milk and forage, so check specifics with someone who can see your cattle. This site is independent and not affiliated with the American Angus Association or Certified Angus Beef.