How Much Protein in an Beef

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Protein in Beef Cattle Diets

05 August 2008

By Dr. Jane A. Parish, Associate Extension/Research Professor, Animal and Dairy Sciences; and Dr. Justin D. Rhinehart, Assistant Extension Professor, Animal and Dairy Sciences

Feed costs account for a large proportion of cash costs in beef cattle operations.

Poly peptide is a disquisitional nutrient in all beef cattle diets. Although poly peptide supplementation is often a high cost detail in beefiness cattle feeding program, sometimes poly peptide supplementation is needed to meet the animal's food requirements.

Signs of protein deficiency include lowered appetite, weight loss, poor growth, depressed reproductive performance, and reduced milk production.

Providing acceptable protein in beef cattle diets is important for fauna health and productivity besides as ranch profitability.

Protein Divers

Protein in beef cattle diets is ordinarily expressed as rough protein. To make up one's mind the crude protein content of a forage or feedstuff, first measure out the nitrogen content of the feed. And so multiply the nitrogen value past 6.25, because proteins typically comprise 16 pct nitrogen (i/.16 = 6.25).

Crude protein is comprised of both truthful protein and nonprotein nitrogen. Not all nitrogen-containing compounds are true proteins. Urea is an instance of a nonprotein nitrogen (NPN) source. Many NPN compounds can supply nitrogen to the rumen microbes that then build microbial protein in the rumen using this nitrogen.

True protein is sometimes called "natural protein." It is either degradable (can exist cleaved downwards) or undegradable (cannot be broken downwardly) in the rumen. Ruminally degradable poly peptide (RDP) is broken downwardly in the rumen and is also referred to every bit degradable intake protein (DIP). Ruminally undegradable poly peptide (RUP) is protein non broken downwards in the rumen simply is potentially degradable in the pocket-size intestine. Information technology is sometimes chosen undegradable intake protein (UIP) or rumen featherbed protein. Aminimum corporeality of DIP is needed in the diet to support microbial growth. Otherwise the intake and digestibility of the diet volition be limited. Crude protein is the sum of UIP and DIP

Metabolizable poly peptide accounts for rumen deposition of protein. It separates protein requirements into the needs of rumen microorganisms and the needs of the animal. Metabolizable protein is truthful protein absorbed by the intestine. It is made up of microbial protein and UIP.

Protein limerick of provender and feed

Protein Supplies and Cattle Nutrient Requirements

Beef cattle diets in Mississippi are primarily forage based. The protein composition of forages typically varies past forage species, soil nutrients, and provender maturity. Cool-flavor forages tend to contain higher crude protein levels than warm-flavor forages. Crude protein concentration also generally decreases with increasing forage maturity and decreasing nitrogen fertilizer rates.

Insufficient protein can be a trouble on warm-season grasses receiving inadequate nitrogen fertilization, specially when forage is allowed to become mature earlier harvest or when frosted pasture is grazed during winter. Excessive rainfall can also leach nitrogen from the soil and reduce nitrogen levels available for found protein production and brute consumption.

Cattle protein requirements vary with phase of production, size of the animal, and expected functioning. During lactation, larger cattle typically require more than pounds of crude protein per day than smaller cattle but as a lesser percentage of their total dry matter intake. In other words, lighter cattle require higher quality feeds and forages at lesser quantities compared with heavier cattle. Cattle requirements for crude protein increase with increasing lactation and rate of proceeds. Poly peptide is required for milk production and reproductive tract reconditioning after calving.

Beef cow crude protein (CP) requirements by stage of productioni 120-pound expected peak milk product

Immature, growing cattle, in particular, need relatively high levels of crude protein in their diets to support muscle growth. Creep feeds or forages for nursing calves should contain at least fifteen percentage rough protein.

Loftier-protein creep feeds are best used when forage availability is abundant. Average daily gains in nursing calves tend to increase with increasing crude poly peptide content of creep diets, but expense of the nutrition will likely besides increase with increasing protein levels.

Stocker calf crude protein (CP) requirements by rate of gain1 11200-pound expected mature weight

Additional protein and free energy are often required to properly balance diets for growing cattle and lactating beefiness cows on forage-based diets. This is especially true when low quality stored forages are the majority of the diet, as is often the case during the winter hayfeeding period after a poor hay production season or with hay produced under low levels of management.

Limiting dry matter intake on poor quality forages is some other business with regard to the crude protein content of the diet. Generally, forage dry affair intake as a percent of trunk weight increases until forage crude protein content as a percentage of dry matter decreases below a threshold of about eight percent. Thus, if a minimum of eight percent crude poly peptide is not maintained in forage crops, cattle will subtract consumption of these poor quality forages.

Forage dry matter intake relative to forage crude protein concentration Source: Adapted from Moore and Kunkle, 1995.

When rough poly peptide is below viii percent, rumen bacteria responsible for digesting fodder cannot maintain adequate growth rates. Fodder intake and digestibility will and then decrease. Crude poly peptide supplements are appropriate nether these atmospheric condition to stimulate provender intake. Forages with adequate levels of crude poly peptide volition not crave protein supplementation to improve intake only may need crude protein supplementation if cattle nutrient requirements for crude poly peptide are not being met by the fodder lone. If the fodder supplies at least viii percentage crude protein, then forage intake volition probable decrease with the addition of protein supplements fed at a charge per unit of 0.3 percentage of torso weight or more as a substitution effect takes place. Forage quality testing is an invaluable tool for determining stored fodder crude protein concentrations in advance of feeding.

Protein Supplements

Protein supplements are available in many forms. Loftier-quality forages, commodity co-product feedstuffs, range cubes, protein blocks, and liquid supplements are some examples. Consider cost per unit of protein and convenience of various poly peptide supplements. Base purchasing decisions on the cost per pound of protein instead of the price per pound of supplement. Product labels indicate the protein percentage and how much protein is in the grade of nonprotein nitrogen. Convenience products often incorporate NPN and are by and large higher in price per unit of measurement of poly peptide. Be certain to read all feed tags checking for NPN content in range cubes, protein blocks, and liquid supplements in particular.

The molasses content of liquid supplements is normally not loftier plenty for proper NPN use when supplementing low quality forages. Similarly, while liquid supplements and protein blocks often run into protein requirements, these supplements rarely provide acceptable amounts of supplemental free energy for lactating cattle fed hay. Mississippi forage test results indicate that energy more often is the limiting nutrient in meeting beef cattle requirements than protein. Monitor torso condition and arrange energy supplementation as needed.

Consider using loftier quality forages such as vegetative legumes and absurd-flavor forages to supply protein in beef cattle diets when possible. Use commodity- based co-production feedstuffs to supplement foragebased diets for stocker calves and lactating cows for the best supplement values if the operation is fix to shop and handle these feeds. Examples of feedstuffs (and their typical protein concentrations on a dry matter ground) that can serve as effective poly peptide supplements include soybean meal (48%), cottonseed meal (41%), whole cottonseed (24%), corn gluten feed (24%), stale distillers grains (27%), and brewers grains (26%). Dried distillers grains are considered relatively high in UIP.

Nonprotein Nitrogen

Urea is a course of NPN that can be fed to beef cattle. Producers may consider its utilize due to economic science. However, utilise circumspection when including urea in beef cattle diets. It can be toxic if improperly used. Urea is quickly converted to ammonia upon inbound the rumen. This ammonia can either be used by bacteria along with a readily available energy source to produce proteins or enter the bloodstream. If energy sources are limited in the rumen or if too much urea is consumed, then big amounts of urea can enter the circulatory system. When the amount of urea entering the bloodstream exceeds the capacity of the liver to remove information technology, cattle tin can suffer from ammonia toxicity or urea poisoning with death resulting in less than xxx minutes.

Preventing urea toxicity is always amend than having to treat it. Instances of urea poisoning are usually caused by improper weighing or poor mixing of urea into cattle feeds. Overconsumption of liquid or solid molasses-based supplements containing urea by hungry cattle tin also atomic number 82 to urea toxicity. Feed range cubes containing NPN on a daily footing rather than feeding larger amounts infrequently a few times a calendar week. Make full cattle up on hay earlier placing liquid supplements or "lick tanks" containing urea in pastures. Once cattle are acclimated and start consuming liquid supplements, do not let them run dry. If dry lick tanks are suddenly filled, cattle may overconsume NPN.

Never feed raw whole soybeans and urea together. Soybeans contain an enzyme chosen urease that breaks down urea into ammonia. This combination can be deadly, then avoid feeding NPN sources and soybeans together. This includes soybean stubble and NPN sources offered or fed jointly.

Signs of toxicity include excessive salivation, rapid breathing, tremors, tetany, and eventually death. Drenching with a gallon of vinegar may exist useful if signs are detected early to neutralize the ammonia and prevent more from arresting into the bloodstream. Consult with a veterinarian on the best course of action for treating affected cattle.

Urea works best with high-free energy diets that contain crude poly peptide levels below 12 percentage. When using poor quality forages, cattle performance can exist reduced if urea is supplemented in place of a higher quality protein supplement such as soybean meal or cottonseed meal. This is likely the upshot of insufficient UIP in the diet rather than the faster rate of ammonia release in the rumen. Even irksome-release forms of urea (biuret) are usually not effective in improving urea apply on forage-based diets because of nitrogen recycling of the rumen and liver for secretion in the saliva. Thus, urea is mostly a poor supplemental nitrogen source on forage-based diets. This includes forage and grain combination diets commonly used as "step upwardly" rations during the introductory stages of cattle finishing. There is a need for rumen degradable protein other than NPN on these diets.

Rumen bacteria must have sufficient carbohydrate levels (free energy sources) available to them if the nitrogen in urea is to be used effectively. Urea generally works all-time with high grain diets that are quickly fermented in the rumen. Forage-based diets are digested besides slowly for urea to be used efficiently. In grain-based diets, urea feeding levels should not exceed 0.25 pounds per day or no more one pct of the diet. With such small quantities, information technology is oftentimes difficult or impossible to effectively mix urea into mixed feeds on the ranch. Precise mixing equipment is required to do this properly. The best option usually is to purchase a urea-containing supplement from a reputable feed supplier. Never topdress urea over feed offered to cattle.

Lightweight, young calves less than 400 pounds or 120 days old should not be fed urea. Cattle that are large enough and old plenty to swallow urea should be managed on feed for a few days before adding urea to the diet. Practise not feed urea to newly received cattle that have been off feed for a few days.

Nonprotein nitrogen (urea) feeding checklist

1. Closely read all feed tags checking for urea content in range cubes, protein blocks, and liquid supplements.
2. Always counterbalance urea accurately, and mix feeds thoroughly with proper equipment.
3. Feed only in combination with sufficient readily bachelor energy sources, such as feed grains. Do not feed urea on poor-quality forage diets.
4. Feed no more than than 0.25 pounds of urea per day or one percentage of the diet.
5. Never feed to calves under 400 pounds or 120 days of age.
6. Avoid offering urea to starving cattle or newly received calves.
7. Never feed urea and raw soybeans together.

Summary

Poly peptide supplementation often accounts for a large proportion of supplemental feed costs. Several types of supplemental protein sources are available for beef cattle diets. Young, growing cattle and lactating cows are classes of cattle about likely to crave protein supplementation. Prices, forms, and protein content of these supplements vary widely. Purchase protein supplements based on toll per unit of measurement of protein. Some protein supplements contain nonprotein nitrogen (urea). Use caution when feeding urea-based supplements.

There are several situations where NPN use is non advisable including low quality forage diets and when feeding lightweight calves. For more information on poly peptide in beefiness cattle diets, contact an office of the Mississippi State University Extension Service.

June 2008

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