How to Care for Cattle
Feed them and/or provide plenty of pasture., Keep water and mineral available ad libitum., Maintain herd health., Check them regularly for signs of illness or injury., Maintain fences and machinery.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Feed them and/or provide plenty of pasture.
This is the most important part of taking care of cattle.
You can't expect them to live very long if you don't know what nor how to feed them.
Though cattle primarily eat grass and can be grazed in pastures, some operations necessitate feeds such as silage, hay and grain for cattle that need to be cared for or raised in a dry-lot or sacrifice area.
Areas that experience winters with lots of snow on the ground cannot graze cattle on grass like they can during the summer months.
Cattle that are fattened for slaughter are often kept in corrals with no grass to graze.
Both scenarios require the producer to feed them, not let them rustle up some grub on their own.
Winter grazing is practiced in those areas where snow does accumulate, and is a sustainable and cost-saving practice to get cattle out of the corrals and onto the fields or pastures during the winter.
Such winter grazing practices include swath grazing, bale grazing and stockpile grazing.
Rotational grazing is a highly recommended practice to use when grazing cattle on pasture.
It better utilizes grazing space and distributes manure more evenly than with continuous grazing. -
Step 2: Keep water and mineral available ad libitum.
Another important part of caring for cattle, since water is the most important nutrient for any livestock and it would be inhumane, let alone cruel, to deny such a thing.
Mineral in the form of loose mineral with salt or a salt block is also important, since cattle have a high requirement of salt with the kind of food they consume. , Keep up-to-date with vaccinations and deworming/delicing programs.
This is especially important if you do not have a closed herd (more in reference to breeding herds than backgrounding/stocker or feedlot herds) and if your herd is at risk for certain diseases such as blackleg, Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), calf scours, and IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis).
Certain classes of livestock are more prone to certain diseases than others, so be sure you check with your large animal veterinarian or other farmers/ranchers (if no such veterinarian can be found) for vaccinations best suited for your area. , Cattle on dry-lot need to be checked more frequently than those on pasture, simply because cattle on a dry-lot are more prone to illness than those on pasture.
Cattle on dry-lots are checked as often as they are fed, usually.
Cattle on pasture are checked as often as they have to be switched from one pasture or paddock to the other.
Breeding herds need to be checked more frequently especially if there is more than one bull in a particular breeding herd.
Herd bulls during breeding season run the risk of becoming injured due to competition between bulls for breeding rights of a particular cow or a harem of cows.
Lameness or an injured or broken penis can compromise a bull's ability and success at breeding cows.
Such herds also need to be checked to record which cows have been bred and which are still in heat.
Cattle on dry-lot are at risk for getting sick with pneumonia or shipping fever, acidosis, blackleg, etc.
Finisher cattle are more at risk for coming down with acidosis than backgrounding/stocker cattle are, but are just as likely to get sick with a respiratory disease from dust or dusty feed. , Good fences make for good neighbors.
Well-maintained machinery make for a happy farmer.
Those sort of things need to be kept in mind when caring for cattle.
Cattle will make an escape if fences are not maintained or fixed if there's a break.
Occasionally you'll get an escapee even if you make an effort to keep fences in good shape, and that's to be expected, but shouldn't be a common thing happening to you.
Machinery that is kept oiled, greased and worn or broken parts fixed and replaced, respectively, will last you for a long time.
Older machinery tend to require more care than your cattle will or than new machinery do, but new machinery will wear out faster if you don't take care of it. -
Step 3: Maintain herd health.
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Step 4: Check them regularly for signs of illness or injury.
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Step 5: Maintain fences and machinery.
Detailed Guide
This is the most important part of taking care of cattle.
You can't expect them to live very long if you don't know what nor how to feed them.
Though cattle primarily eat grass and can be grazed in pastures, some operations necessitate feeds such as silage, hay and grain for cattle that need to be cared for or raised in a dry-lot or sacrifice area.
Areas that experience winters with lots of snow on the ground cannot graze cattle on grass like they can during the summer months.
Cattle that are fattened for slaughter are often kept in corrals with no grass to graze.
Both scenarios require the producer to feed them, not let them rustle up some grub on their own.
Winter grazing is practiced in those areas where snow does accumulate, and is a sustainable and cost-saving practice to get cattle out of the corrals and onto the fields or pastures during the winter.
Such winter grazing practices include swath grazing, bale grazing and stockpile grazing.
Rotational grazing is a highly recommended practice to use when grazing cattle on pasture.
It better utilizes grazing space and distributes manure more evenly than with continuous grazing.
Another important part of caring for cattle, since water is the most important nutrient for any livestock and it would be inhumane, let alone cruel, to deny such a thing.
Mineral in the form of loose mineral with salt or a salt block is also important, since cattle have a high requirement of salt with the kind of food they consume. , Keep up-to-date with vaccinations and deworming/delicing programs.
This is especially important if you do not have a closed herd (more in reference to breeding herds than backgrounding/stocker or feedlot herds) and if your herd is at risk for certain diseases such as blackleg, Bovine Viral Diarrhea (BVD), calf scours, and IBR (Infectious Bovine Rhinotracheitis).
Certain classes of livestock are more prone to certain diseases than others, so be sure you check with your large animal veterinarian or other farmers/ranchers (if no such veterinarian can be found) for vaccinations best suited for your area. , Cattle on dry-lot need to be checked more frequently than those on pasture, simply because cattle on a dry-lot are more prone to illness than those on pasture.
Cattle on dry-lots are checked as often as they are fed, usually.
Cattle on pasture are checked as often as they have to be switched from one pasture or paddock to the other.
Breeding herds need to be checked more frequently especially if there is more than one bull in a particular breeding herd.
Herd bulls during breeding season run the risk of becoming injured due to competition between bulls for breeding rights of a particular cow or a harem of cows.
Lameness or an injured or broken penis can compromise a bull's ability and success at breeding cows.
Such herds also need to be checked to record which cows have been bred and which are still in heat.
Cattle on dry-lot are at risk for getting sick with pneumonia or shipping fever, acidosis, blackleg, etc.
Finisher cattle are more at risk for coming down with acidosis than backgrounding/stocker cattle are, but are just as likely to get sick with a respiratory disease from dust or dusty feed. , Good fences make for good neighbors.
Well-maintained machinery make for a happy farmer.
Those sort of things need to be kept in mind when caring for cattle.
Cattle will make an escape if fences are not maintained or fixed if there's a break.
Occasionally you'll get an escapee even if you make an effort to keep fences in good shape, and that's to be expected, but shouldn't be a common thing happening to you.
Machinery that is kept oiled, greased and worn or broken parts fixed and replaced, respectively, will last you for a long time.
Older machinery tend to require more care than your cattle will or than new machinery do, but new machinery will wear out faster if you don't take care of it.
About the Author
Frank Sanchez
Experienced content creator specializing in DIY projects guides and tutorials.
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