If you consume junk food all the time, you would not look or feel your best. The same is true with cows and other animals you may have on your hobby farm. You need to purchase quality food in order for your animals to feel and look their best. This is going to lead to higher quality meat, better milk production, and higher birthing rates.
It takes the balance of supplements, high quality grains, and forages in order to give your animals what they need to be healthy. Here are a few common feed grains that you can find at feed stores in OH that offer the nutrition that your hobby farm animals need.
Corn is fed to both non-ruminant and ruminant livestock species. It can be given crimped or whole. It offers the energy that animals need. However, it should not be provided as a primary source of nutrition. Corn can be introduced into the diet of cattle by allowing animals to graze cornfields or by feeding it through distiller grains.
Oats are another option offered at grain stores in OH that can be fed to cattle. They are low in energy and high in fiber. You need to be balanced when feeding cattle oats. They won’t gain weight by eating high energy grains.
You also see soybean meal included in many feed options given to cattle. This is what is left over after making soybean oil. It has high levels of protein. This is vital in an animal’s diet.
Barley is another option. It can be fed whole or rolled.