Give them only 15 min?

[WBar Farms]

Was told let your cattle eat for only 15min then take it training them to eat fast I see where this opinion is coming from but kinda wondering what everyone else thought. What do you do?

 

[Still Tryin]

I believe that was AAOK wasn't it?

 

[WBar Farms]

Yep good source good info like to hear others take.

 

[Ms Ray]

I think it depends on the animal if it is eating well then there is no reason,  if it is picking around and not really eating then I think it can help we used to do that with pigs and was told to do that for dogs also.

 

[JTM]

The strategy does work. 15 minutes seems a little short. I have done this but waited 25 to 30 minutes. As long as they are still eating then I would let them continue. Don't give hay or straw until they have finished the grain. Stay consistent. Those are my thoughts.

 

[savaged]

Maybe, but I see this as a bad-aide approach.  If the calf is eating well then the time becomes a secondary element.  If the calf does not approach food eagerly, then i would further look into these other elements first:

feed quality and ingredients
climate/temperature
rumen function (probiotics, plenty of hay)
water quality/intake
need for social connection (let the calves eat together)
feeding pattern (even intervals of feeding)

 

[The Show]

I've never tried it, but if their eating good I wouldn't worry about it. Some calves eat fast and some eat slow. That's how I've always looked at it.

 

[SWMO]

Some cattle are just plain slow eaters. (not like me).  We have one cow family that it takes them as much as twice as long to finish their feed as any other calf in the barn.  We have had four sibs out of one particular cow that are the slowest eaters I have ever seen.  Not picky just slow.  That doesnt mean that they are picking at their feed or walking away they keep their heads down and eat slowly.  I will pull feed pans away if I feel that the calf is getting soured on feed and not really wanting to eat.  It sometimes does them good to miss a grain feeding.

I don't see this a problem in the show barn however in a commercial setting it could equate to slower gains in the feedlot or a cow that possibly doesn't compete as well with her contemporaries inthe pasture.  Others may have a better feel for this than I do.

 

[SouthWest]

It all depends on the animal.  Some animals eat slower than others.  Some animals pic around the eat then there are other ones that just go to town.  I have even had animals that are night eaters.  I mostly see this on warm days.  Too hot during day but when temps drop down then they eat.  I also see animals get up for a third feeding when there is a full moon.  More light at night will stimulate intake.  I believe you have to remember your goal on the animal.  Maximize intake.  Do what it take to accomplish this.  Every animal is different with locations and weather also.  Just like you and I.

 

[AAOK]

Everyone, open your eyes, and use your brains.  Have you ever watched a Fat Person eat?  They eat fast, so they can eat more.  Cattle are even more Stupid than the obese I've mentioned, and the faster you make a calf eat, the more it will consume.  If you do this, it MUST BE ROUTINE!  If you can't do it the same way, the same time, at every feeding, don't do it!!  A great side benefit is that your calves will eat fast at the Shows also, because they are trained to do so. 

 

[SouthWest]

Sorry you're upset AAOk.  I haven't notice obese people eat.  I have noticed people that are overwieght tend to eat many times a day.  They eat meals and snacks through out the day and sometime even get up at night also.  Obese people are not that way cause the consume so fast.  I believe its because of their total intake of calories (energy).  I know that when I eat on the run and inhale a meal, my stomach is very upset and feel bloated.  Thus causing me to skip then next meal.  I would be worried if it would happen to cattle.  This reminds me of an animals that I helped that felt lethargic on Mondays.  After questioning the family, I found out they skip feeding on Sundays in order to increase appetite and intake on Mondays. It worked.  On Monday morning he would gorge on all his feed and more in 15 minutes.  That afternoon it was a different story.  Found out that the animal digestion was causing discomfort that calf would feel terrible.  I would ask for answers to the beef industry since they have studied beef intake alot further.  I see feeders feeding more often a day (2 up to 4 times a day) in order to increase intake.  They have seen increases in intake while minimizing digestive disorders.  I do not see feeders allowing animals to consume thier feed in 15 minutes or skipping a feeding.  As we all have niche's on feeding, we have to accept other peoples ideas.  No one said you were wrong.

 

[CAB]

  Growing up I was always told that 20 minutes was  about as long as a calf will eat. AAOK is not going to be very far off. It's fairly easy to watch and weigh your feed out to see what a calf will consume in @ a feeding. Somewhere in the neighborhood of 15/25 minutes will catch almost all of them.

 

[katie_k]

if the animal is taking its good old time then this method will help speed things up but if they are eating just fine there is no reason for it

 

[squirt71]

I only let mine eat long enough for me to fill up water and hay, so usually about 30 minutes.  After the first couple of times I took their food away they understood and started eating faster.

 

[rf21970]

I would think this would be helpful for cattle that are fed individually or if a person only has 1 calf. Our barn is set up so we have 4-5 fed together. The "competition" factor creates a desire to eat for most. We probably feed harder that most around here, as our cattle gain 4.5-5+ #s/day. In commercial feedyards, they never want the bunks to be completely licked clean. A little dust and "fines" left at the next feeding is what we shoot for.

 

[VJ]

A lady who's family has done very well at the local and national level told me they skip feeding their calves on Sunday night. It keeps the idea in the calf's head that every meal may be their last so they always eat every time they are offered feed. Anybody else do this?

 

[Ms Ray]

We  skip grain once a week and just feed hay.  was told by our vet to do this to help the rumen.