Cattle feed at West Slope Farm & Ranch covers complete feeds, supplements, and minerals for cow-calf pairs, backgrounding, and finishing programs. Bagged and bulk options matched to Western Slope forage conditions, available at our Delta store or delivered to your ranch.
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Cattle Feed Feeding Guide
How much protein and energy do beef cows need?
A rule of thumb taught across the beef industry: a mature cow needs about 7% protein in mid-pregnancy, 9% in late pregnancy, and 11% while nursing a calf, with energy needs running about 55%, 60%, and 65% for those same stages. After calving, cows on hay-based diets usually run short on energy before they run short on protein, so if condition is slipping on average hay, energy is the first gap to close. How she looks (body condition) tells you when to adjust.
| Stage | Protein (about) | Energy (about) |
|---|---|---|
| Mid-pregnancy | 7% | 55% |
| Late pregnancy | 9% | 60% |
| Nursing a calf | 11% | 65% |
What should I feed cows through a Western Slope winter?
Test your hay before winter, feed and supplements are more than half the cost of running beef cows in the West, and many Intermountain producers feed 2–4 tons of hay per cow over winter. Winter is the toughest combination there is: the poorest hay quality of the year right when cows need the most (late pregnancy into early nursing). So the supplement has to fill the real gap, not a guessed one. Bring us your hay test and we'll help you read it against the protein and energy numbers above.
What kind of mineral should I put out?
Put out a complete free-choice mineral, not just a salt block. Salt is what draws cattle to the feeder, but plain salt alone doesn't cover their mineral needs, and trace-mineral salt blocks come up short on phosphorus for a lot of grazing situations. A solid beef mineral runs about 2 ounces per head per day with roughly 25% salt, 14–18% calcium, 8% phosphorus, plus zinc, iron, manganese, copper, iodine, cobalt, and selenium. One Colorado caution: our shale soils can run high in selenium, so don't stack selenium sources on top of each other blindly, ask us before adding extra.