Show animals require special diets. Regardless of whether you are feeding cattle, pigs, goats or sheep, all animals need some of the same basic nutrients. These include proteins, carbohydrates, vitamins and minerals. The animal species, weight and desired endpoint will determine how much of each your animal needs.
When it comes time to balance your livestock feed rations, you will want ingredients from a trusted feed manufacturer or mill. Here are four things to look for when reading the tags on your show animal feed:
1. Product Name
The product name seems like a no-brainer until you start mixing feed for several animals and each bag has a similar name, with just different numbers on it. Then, the confusion sets in! Use a sharpie to write on each bag your “barn name” for the products so there is no confusion. A simple number or medicated vs. non-medicated or meal vs pellets can make a difference in the animals’ diets.
2. Medication Withdrawal or Residue Instruction
This information tells you if any medication is in the feed and the withdrawal length for that medication. With VFD or Veterinary Feed Directives, these are less common than they used to be, but they do still exist. This is the most important information on the tag. You must pay close attention to this information, especially if feeding an animal for a show or one that is ultimately going into the food supply chain.
3. Guaranteed Analysis
The guaranteed analysis breaks down the amounts of nutrients in each feed. However, each company lists their analyses differently, and the feeder needs to pay careful attention. For example, some companies list minimums, and others list maximums. Read the tag closely to be sure you are getting the proper amount of a nutrient such as protein, fat or fiber to reach your animal’s optimal potential. A more in-depth guaranteed analysis will also list vitamin and mineral content.
4. Ingredient Profile
This lists the actual ingredients in the bag of feed, starting with the highest volume ingredient down to the lowest volume. It is important to realize that all feedstuffs are not created equally. Feed A with 20% protein may not be the same quality as Feed B, which is also listed with 20% protein. Both companies might use ingredients that total up to 20% protein, but the chances are that one of them will use higher-quality resources that will benefit your animal.
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