The use of self-feeders has been long practiced in the beef industry for a variety of different types of operations and compliment the no roughage programs at Insight FS. They allow producers more schedule flexibly by reducing labor by 4.5 times that of bunk feeding, and can be handmade from wood, metal, or plastic. In addition to reducing labor, they limit feed waste by reducing the amount of feed spoilage. However, “low labor” doesn’t mean “no labor.” Regular and consistent maintenance of your self-feeders will pay huge dividends in improved performance and efficiency by reducing digestive risk and optimizing the health of the cattle. Some regular maintenance practices for cattle on self-feeders include:

• Walk cattle 2x day, observing cattle by getting them up and moving helps prevent founder by encouraging cattle to go to feed and water consistently. This is especially crucial in indoor/outdoor facilities where weather conditions may discourage cattle from going out where the feed and water are.
• Adjust openings accordingly in the spring and fall, over time cattle can and will adjust the slides. By adjusting feed out space, cleaning feed pans that become built up with fines and moldy feed from weather precipitation will encourage consistent feed intake.
• Manage heat stress, airflow, rodents, and flies.
• Bed cattle on a consistent schedule, not just when wet. Cattle use bedding as an effective fiber source in a low roughage program.
• To prevent digestive upset, the maximum amount of time cattle should be hungry or thirsty is 3-4 hours.

Being consistent in managing self-fed cattle, plays a huge role in the health and profitability of your operations. A change in intake patterns is a recipe for digestive upset and acidosis in high grain rations. Work with your Insight FS seed specialist to assist you with managing your self-feeder program to maximize feed efficiency in your cattle operation.