Livestock Feed / Feedstuffs

AKA: Fodder

Defined as the food GIVEN to animals, rather than the food they find for themselves

Includes: Roughages, Concentrates, and Additives

Contain more than 18% crude fiber

Critical part of a ruminant's diet & function

Vary in palatability, digestibility and nutrient content

Commonly found in Legumes & Non-Legumes

Contain roughly 18% protein

Increase nitrogen content in the soil

Made of leaves, stems, and stalks

Seeds are used as concentrates

Examples: Alfalfa & Clover

Highly digestible and contains a high amount of protein

Used for grazing pasture and is often found in hay bales

Medium to Low protein content, lower in minerals and are mainly grasses and cereal grains.

Often require additional feed to meet an animal's nutrients requirements.

Triticale

Grain Sorghum or Milo

Wheat

Barley

Rye

Corn

Oats

A hybrid breeder's mix crossing wheat and rye

Mainly used as a hay source

More palatable than rye

Produced in areas where water is not available for corn to survive

Has a hard seed coat which must be processed to improve the nutrients available to animals 

Has a relatively low-quality protein

Contains 8 to 12 percent crude protein

Possess the highest quality protein of all the cereal grains (13-14%)

Contains a large hull - less than digestible

Ideal for starting cattle on feed because of high fiber and hull content.