Cereals are not being efficiently used if some grains pass through the animal undigested. Finely ground cereals, producing flour, reduces the feed value of cereals due to the effects of acidosis. To obtain maximum performance cereals should be just cracked with some whole grains always being visible in the dung. Big cattle pay . Feed costs per kg of liveweight gain are obviously influenced by feed conversion ratio and the size of the animal.
Big cattle have a high maintenance requirement and have to eat a lot before they begin to grow.
Claiming the second BSPS payment is always profitable. The increase in feed costs per kg resulting from these reductions in FCR can be greater than the value of the second BSPS payment. Cattle must be well finished . A recent SAC trial with Holstein bulls intensively finished on a barley beef ration clearly shows the very high daily cost of cattle as they approach finished condition due to a combination of their reduced daily liveweight gain and their increasing maintenance requirement. Finishing cattle don't drink much water.