Feeding this pair isn't a simple job. Every morning we weigh out specific feeds to make sure they are healthy, warm, and growing well. 

Cattle's stomachs are a complicated system. They require something called roughage to work. Roughage is any high fibre food,  like hay or silage, and it is key to jump starting their guts. 

Roughage alone isn't enough for cattle to stay warm or gain weight in our cold Alberta weather. They need carbohydrate and protein rich foods on top of their daily roughage ration. Our calves get barley and earlage as well. These two feeds are especially rich, and are perfect for keeping calves gaining and growing in the thick of winter. 

The balance between roughage and rich feeds is a delicate one! Too much roughage and the calves won't gain as efficiently as they could. Too much barley and the calves stomachs' won't be able to process all of the food. This leads to bloat, which is a whole bunch of air in their gut.

The calves also get a daily dose of vitamins and minerals each day. This supplement keeps them healthy and adds to their nutrition, just like our vitamins!