SelfFeeders

Using Self-Feeders

Jeff Pastoor, Senior Cattle Consultant, Land O’Lakes Beef Feeds.

Feeding cattle with self-feeders or steer stuffers is a popular option in the Upper Midwest. They are a very convenient way to feed cattle, however day to day management will make a big difference in the performance of cattle on the self-feeder.

In general, diets fed as a TMR in a feed bunk will give us better performance and lower costs of gain than diets fed through a self feeder. In trials done by the University of Minnesota, steers fed on a TMR had $23.90 more profit per head than identical cattle fed on a self feeder. Closeout records from Land O’Lakes would indicate a much larger benefit than this from TMR vs. self feeder.

However, because of equipment costs and the learning curve involved with bunk management, self-feeders are probably the best choice for feeding operations of less than 100 hd.

It is easier to learn how to manage a self-feeder than to manage a fence line bunk. There are some very basic guidelines to follow when using self-feeders:

	Never let the self-feeder run empty, this will result in acidosis and will lead to poor performance or death.
	Feeder space should be 4-6 inches per hd.
	Water space should be 1 space per 20 hd.
	Control fines! Fines are the most common cause of feedlot bloat and they also lower intakes. Use dry, whole, screened shell corn and minimize the handling of the supplement pellets. Clean the trough daily and keep the trough setting low.
	Added fiber helps cattle on a self feeder. It improves rumen health, feed intakes, feed efficiency and daily gain. Control the intake to 1-2 lbs/hd/day. Hay, corn stalks, grass, straw, bedding, etc will all work well as added fiber. It is most important to feed added fiber if the cattle will be on the self feeder for more than 90 days.
	Location is important, feed, water and the laying area must be connected by concrete and should be out of the wind.
	Overhead cover is important for dairy breed steers; they have thin hides and less hair coat than beef breeds and cannot grow well if their back is wet and cold.
	Bedding is also crucial for dairy breed cattle. It is needed to maintain a natural loft to the hair coat; better hair coat = better insulation = better feed efficiency. Bedding should be controlled - chopped bedding applied daily is the best. Bedding can also be an excellent source of roughage to the steers. The infrequent use of long-length bedding results in more rumen fluctuation and poorer F/G - but it is better than no bedding at all.

Remember…self-feeders are not:

	a reason to not look at the cattle.
	a reason to not manage bunks.
	a good way to completely eliminate the need for roughage.
	an easy way to make big money.