First, select the right breed of cattle for fattening. When crossbreeding, it's recommended to use foreign crossbred bulls as sires. The selected cattle should have a tall and elongated body structure, with loose and elastic skin, thin muscle layers, clear skeletal features, wide but not overly full chests, fine hair, and overall healthy appearance. These cattle have high growth potential and respond well to fattening. It is best to choose cattle that are 2 to 4 years old, weighing between 318 to 363 kg. These animals have good feed intake, high daily weight gain, and shorter feeding periods, which leads to faster cash flow.
Second, improve feed utilization and reduce feed costs.
1. Adjust the ratio of roughage to concentrate based on the stage of fattening. For the first 30 days, the roughage to concentrate ratio should be 3:7 to 1:1, with a crude protein content of 12%. During the middle 70 days, the ratio should be 6:4, with 11% crude protein. In the last 10 to 20 days, the ratio can be adjusted to 7:3 to 8:2, with 10% crude protein in the concentrate. In the final 10 days, each cow should consume 4 to 5 kg of concentrate, while roughage should be available for free feeding.
2. Process feed scientifically. For example, corn should be ground to a size above 1 mm, and sorghum to about 1 mm. Roughage should be cut and crushed to a length of 5 to 10 mm.
3. Use industrial by-products like brewer’s grains and starch sludge along with additives to replace up to 90% of the concentrate. This can still achieve a daily weight gain of 1.5 kg. For example, 15–20 kg of brewer’s grain per day, plus 150 g baking soda, 100 g urea, and 100 g beef cattle premix. Similarly, 10–15 kg of starch sludge, soy sauce residue, or bean curd residue per day, combined with the same additives.
4. Utilize silage, straw ammoniation, and fermentation techniques. Silage corn is an excellent feed for fattening cattle. Feeding silage allows higher daily gains at lower concentrate levels, and adding 2% urea to the dry matter of corn silage can significantly improve results.
Third, enhance feeding techniques and management practices.
1. For normal beef cattle, implement a restricted feeding strategy during the early stages and allow free feeding in the later stages. This method can increase feed efficiency by up to 5%.
2. Keep males and females separate. Bulls typically gain 10% more weight than cows, and calves gain more than adult cows. However, castration can affect growth if done too late, and using drugs or hormones may lead to residues and health issues. Therefore, gender selection should be considered carefully when choosing cattle for fattening.
3. Use an appropriate urease inhibitor premix during the fattening process to boost daily weight gain by over 18%.
4. Maintain clean environments and implement disease prevention measures. Regularly deworm both internal and external parasites to control infectious diseases.
5. Slaughter cattle when they reach 500 kg. After this weight, daily gains decrease, feed conversion becomes less efficient, and costs rise, leading to lower profits.
Fourth, choose a scientific feeding formula.
1. A formula based on silage corn (wet weight) could include 80.8% silage corn, 17.1% corn, and 2.1% cottonseed cake.
2. For growing beef cattle weighing 300 kg, a formula using distiller’s grains might consist of 1.5 kg corn, 15 kg fresh lees, 2.5 kg cereal straw, 70 g urea, 30 g salt, and 100 g of additive premix. Since distiller’s grains have low crude protein degradation, adding urea improves rumen nitrogen availability and fiber digestibility.
3. For cattle under 300 kg, a formula might include 61 kg corn, 15 kg bran, 20 kg cotton (hybrid) cake, 1 kg salt, and 1 kg bone meal. Provide 100 g of premix per cow daily, 2 kg of concentrate, and allow free access to roughage.
4. For cattle over 300 kg, a formula could include 70 kg corn, 13 kg bran, 15 kg cotton (hybrid) cake, 1 kg salt, and 1 kg bone meal. Provide 100 g of premix per cow daily, 3–3.5 kg of concentrate, and allow free access to roughage.
Red Pepper,Red Pepper Dry Pepper,Especially Fresh Flavor Red Pepper,Fresh Flavor Red Pepper
Sichuan Liuhang Agriculture Co.Ltd , https://www.lhagriculture.com