Understanding Energy Content in Feed and Why It Matters in Your Cattle Feed
- Farmbrite
- Jun 4
- 8 min read
Updated: Jun 6
Not to get too sciency right out of the gate, but all living organisms are made of energy. Energy is what allows life to move, breathe, reproduce, and function. Specific to cattle, energy is the primary fuel source for how healthy they are. Providing adequate energy ensures optimal growth, reproduction, lactation, and overall health for your herd. A lack of sufficient energy can undermine their health, leading to decreased weight gain, reproductive issues, and reduced milk production in lactating cows.
Energy in cattle rations:
The amount of energy in cattle feed matters so that you ensure that cattle can support vital bodily functions. Making sure they have enough nutrients is why you might want to have a lab analyze your feed or forage.
Essential for all bodily functions:
Energy powers everything from basic maintenance, like digestion, to active processes like growth and movement.
Impacts productivity:
Insufficient energy directly impacts growth rate, milk yield, and fertility.
Feed quality matters:
Many forages alone may not provide enough energy, especially for high-demand animals like growing calves or lactating cows. High-energy feeds can improve growth rates and reproductive performance, leading to better feed conversion ratios and potentially lower feed costs per unit of weight gain.
Supplementation with high-energy feeds:
To increase energy intake, rations can be supplemented with grains, high-fat feeds, or other concentrated energy sources.
Environmental exposure:
Cattle exposed to cold, wet, or muddy conditions require more energy to maintain body temperature and comfort.
When to increase energy content in cattle rations:
There are certain times in the lifecycle of your cattle that you may want to increase the energy content of their rations. Here are a few recommendations.
Growing or Finishing phase: Young cattle require high energy levels to support rapid growth. As they grow, they need more energy to support the amount of muscle and fat deposits that they have developed. Gradually increasing the energy density of their diet, such as incorporating more grain, allows the rumen to adapt and supports efficient growth.
Cold weather: Cattle in cold climates need extra energy to maintain body temperature.
Breeding season: Bulls require increased energy for optimal fertility.
Lactation period: Cows producing milk need significant energy to meet their milk production demands.
During Pregnancy (Especially in the Last Third of Gestation)
Energy needs rise during the last trimester of pregnancy to support fetal development. Inadequate energy intake during this period can lead to poor fetal growth and complications during calving.
In Low-Quality Forage Conditions
When cattle are consuming low-quality forages, such as mature grasses or crop residues, their energy intake may be insufficient. Supplementing with high-energy feeds can help meet their energy requirements and prevent negative impacts on their health and productivity.
Important considerations for increasing energy content in feed rations:
As with most things in life, moderation and temperance are smart qualities. When you are increasing energy content in your feed, you also need to make sure that you are being wise about how you make those changes. Here are a few suggestions.
Balance is key:
While adequate energy is vital, overfeeding can lead to health problems like obesity and metabolic issues.
Feed quality and digestibility:
Choose high-quality feedstuffs with good digestibility to maximize energy availability.
Consult a nutritionist:
A qualified nutritionist can formulate a balanced ration tailored to your cattle's specific needs and production goals.
How To Increase The Energy Content of Cattle Rations
To increase the energy content of a cattle ration, you can add high-energy feed like corn, barley, sorghum, wheat middlings, rice bran, or other grains. These are high in digestible carbohydrates. You may also consider incorporating a limited amount of supplemental fat to further boost energy density. (Be cautious not to exceed recommended levels to avoid digestive issues and always consult with a nutritionist to formulate a balanced diet based on your cattle's specific needs and stage of production.)
Increase energy in your cattle rations: Here are some ways to increase energy levels in your cattle feed.
Feed high-energy grains:
Corn is the most common choice that farmers choose for high-energy grains, but other grains like barley, sorghum, and wheat can also be used to significantly increase the energy content of a diet.
How do you process your grain?
One way to improve feed intake for your animals is by making it more digestible for them. You can do this by grinding or rolling grains, which can improve the digestibility and energy availability of the feed nutrients.
Supplemental fat:
Adding a small amount of fat (like vegetable oil or tallow) can further boost energy density, but it should be carefully managed to avoid digestive upset.
Feed By-products:
Certain feed byproducts like corn gluten feed, distillers' grains, and rice bran can be valuable energy sources. Hemp is a controversial feed supplement, but is gaining legislation to permit its use in animal feed in places like Montana, Kentucky, and Texas (and still has not been approved in places like Colorado, Kansas, and South Carolina), but still, some farmers swear by it.
Forage quality:
Forage quality in cattle feed refers to the nutritional value and digestibility of plant materials consumed by livestock, encompassing factors like fiber content, protein levels, and energy availability. High-quality forages are essential for optimal animal performance, influencing growth, reproduction, and overall health.
By ensuring the forage component of the diet is high quality, with good soil management. You can do this by making sure to incorporate plant species like legumes that have higher protein and can be digested easily. These are foundational to energy intake.
Grazing management:
Rotating pastures or utilizing high-quality legume pastures can improve forage quality and energy intake.
Important Considerations For Feed Changes:
There are some important considerations when implementing these feed changes. You don't want to do this all at once, and you may want to make sure that the changes you're making will make a positive impact by recording the weights in a cattle management software like Farmbrite, taking more measurements, and keeping a watchful eye on your herd.
Transition gradually:
When increasing the grain portion of a diet, transition slowly to allow rumen microbes to adapt. It can also increase the risk of metabolic disorders.
Keep nutrients balanced:
Ensure the ration is balanced with adequate protein and minerals alongside increased energy. This may change as the animal is pregnant, lactating, or as the temperature of their environment changes. Also, be sure to utilize feed additives wisely when the hay you're feeding or grazing on might not support the cattle's overall health.
Adjust as needed:
Changes happen with cattle, so adjust the energy level of the ration based on the cattle's age, stage of production (growing, finishing, lactating), activity level, and environmental factors.
Consult a nutritionist:
When in doubt, consult a professional. If you want to create a tailored ration for your cattle, consult a qualified animal nutritionist. They can help determine if there are changes that need to be made.
Interpreting A Feed Report
We've all gotten back a report and had no idea how to interpret the information. So, we hope to break this down for you to help.
To interpret a feed report, you need to compare the key nutrient values listed (like crude protein, NDF, ADF, and TDN, which are explained below), and compare them to the specific requirements of your cattle and the needs of their stage of life. You might consider factors like the feed type and use these values to determine if the feed is suitable for your animals' nutritional needs. Look for a balance between energy, protein, and fiber content that aligns with the animal's requirements, while also checking for potential mineral deficiencies or excesses. You can also ask for help from a veterinarian, animal dietitian, or your extension office.
Important information on a feed report:
Dry Matter Basis:
Most feed reports present nutrient values on a dry matter basis, meaning the moisture content is removed, which is important for accurate comparisons and ration calculations.
Crude Protein (CP): The Crude protein level represents the total protein content in the feed. This may include breakdowns into how much protein may be able to be "rumen degradable," or that can be broken down by the rumen.
Neutral Detergent Fiber (NDF): This component indicates the total fiber content, including hemicellulose, cellulose, and lignin. Higher NDF means less digestible feed.
Acid Detergent Fiber (ADF): This metric represents the less digestible fiber. This might be mainly cellulose and lignin.
Total Digestible Nutrients (TDN):
This is an estimate of the feed's total energy content. It is calculated by using various nutrient components.
Relative Forage Quality (RFQ) This is a calculation of NDF, ADF, and TDN that gives an assessment or index of your forage quality.
Relative Feed Value (RFV): Similar to RFQ, both are a calculated value that provides a quick comparison of nutrient quality, with higher numbers indicating better quality. One is for feed and one is for forage, and it depends on the sample submitted.
Net Energy (NE): Includes Net Energy for Maintenance (NEm), Growth (NEg), and Lactation (NEl); provides a more precise energy assessment.
Moisture percentage: They may include a moisture percentage of the sample.
Dry matter: They may include a dry matter percentage.
Minerals and Micronutrients
This can include essential minerals like calcium, phosphorus, and trace minerals like zinc and copper.
Sample Information: Verify the sample details like the feed type, harvest date, and location.
Laboratory Analysis Method: It's important to understand the method used by the lab to analyze the feed. This can affect the accuracy of the results.
Interpreting the values on your report: Most commercial laboratories will have a standard feed test that they use. They may have information on their website to help you interpret the information. Check with them for more help or suggestions. Here is a helpful article from the Nebraska Extension Office.
Compare the outcome to animal requirements: Check if the nutrient levels on the report meet the nutritional needs of the animal based on its species, age, and production stage.
Feed type: Different feed types (grass hay, alfalfa, corn silage) will have different nutrient profiles, so make sure that you are interpreting values with the context of the feed type in mind. The quality index will help you categorize this forage and how it might be utilized in your feed rotation.
Look for imbalances: Try to identify potential issues like high fiber content, low protein levels, high acidic levels, or mineral deficiencies. There is a lot to know and understand about a feed report before changing the feed for your cattle herd. To learn more about how to interpret a feed analysis report, check out this source.
Balancing animal nutrients
As we've discussed in this article, energy is the most significant nutritional requirement for cattle. It influences overall health, growth, lactation, and reproduction. By accurately assessing the energy value of feed, farmers can formulate balanced rations that meet the specific needs of their animals at various stages of production. We've tried to offer information that will help ensure efficient feed utilization and also support desired outcomes such as improved weight gain, enhanced reproductive performance, and optimal milk production. We hope this information has been helpful to help you make informed feeding decisions that promote the health and productivity of cattle while managing feeding costs effectively.
As always, Happy Farming!
References:
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