Acidosis
An acute or chronic condition in feedlot cattle. Results from over-consumption or too rapid consumption of grain. Acute cases generally result in death. Chronic cases are common, resulting in erratic intakes and/or reduced feed intake, but are probably hidden by pen intakes that tend to make average consumption look normal. Symptoms include poor performance and poor conversion.
Average Daily Gain (ADG)
Total pounds gained during the feeding period divided by days on feed.
Describes the feed ‘as is’, with no adjustments for moisture content (see Dry Matter Basis)
These are calves that are taken directly off the cow and weaned at the feedlot. This management requires additional labor and health management (and risk of high morbidity) by the feedlot.
Any animal demonstrating central nervous signs. This category includes listeriosis, thromboembolic meningoencephalitis (TEME)(THROMBO), and polioencephalomalacia.
Breakeven
The sale price at which the customer or owner of the cattle does not make or lose money.
A steer that is ridden by the other steers in the pen. This is abnormal sexual behavior and requires that the steer be removed from the pen to prevent bruising, injury, and reduction in performance of the buller and the rest of the cattle in the pen.
Pen in which bullers are kept – they usually do not ride each other.
Deciding how much feed should be fed and when it should be fed for each pen of cattle. This job is one of the highest-skill jobs in the feedlot and is done by an experienced and capable employee.
The philosophy of the feedlot manager uses to determine the amount of feed to offer (see limit feeding and slick bunk management).
The person at the feedlot who is responsible for deciding the daily amount of feed the cattle are fed. This person is critical to the successful feeding of high concentrate diets.
These are feed ingredients that are produced during the production of higher value products such as human food (corn sweetener, flour, cooking oil, sugar, etc.) or industrial products (ethanol, industrial oils, etc.).
Calf-feds
Cattle that are placed on feed as calves and finished at less than 16 months of age. Usually on feed for 150 to 200 days. These cattle are usually placed in the feedlot directly following weaning rather than being backgrounded or stockered on grass.
Charging the Bunk
Condition resulting from errors in bunk calls, feed delivery, or inclement weather. Cattle will rush the bunk when the feed truck comes because they are hungry. These cattle are likely to overeat resulting in problems such as acidosis and founder.
Chronic
An animal, which has not responded to therapy and will likely have little chance of an economic return. These animals often become realizers or railters.
Chute Charge
A fee charged by some feedlots each time cattle are worked through the chute.
Clean (Slick) Bunk Management
The bunk management style in which cattle clean up all the feed offered every day. Feed call is increased if cattle have ‘slicked the bunk’.
Close-Out
A detailed description of pen performance, feed intake, death loss, and profit or loss. A close-out is generated each time a pen of cattle is sold. Can be calculated on a ‘deads-in’or ‘deads-out’ basis.
Club Foot
An advanced case of foot rot where the foot and associated area of the leg is extremely enlarged.
Colored cattle
Cattle other than Holsteins. It usually denotes at least a majority of continental or British breeding.
Come back up the rope
A practice or situation which will come back to haunt you. This phrase comes from roping cattle when they turn and come back towards the horse usually resulting in significant rodeo type maneuvers.
Company Cattle
Cattle, which are owned and fed by the feedlot.
Consulting Nutritionist, Feed Company
A nutritionist employed by a feed company to supply advice to feedlots that purchase supplements or other feed ingredients from the feed company.
Consulting Nutritionist, Private
A private nutritionist hired by the feedlot to give professional advice, usually paid on a retainer plus a per head fee.
Consulting Veterinarian
A veterinarian hired by the feedlot to consult on animal health related issues. Usually paid on a retainer plus a per head fee.
Cost of Gain
Total feedlot-related costs (feed, yardage, processing, medicine, death loss) divided by total gain during the feeding period. Can be calculated on a ‘deads-in’ or ‘deads-out’ basis.
Crater
Similar to wreck, used as in “This pen has cratered on us”.
Custom Feedyard
A feedyard in which feeds, manages, and markets cattle for customers. Fees are charged for materials and services.
Customer Cattle
These are cattle that are owned by an investor, rancher, or other client of the feedlot and fed and managed for a fee.
Cut off their heads
Send the cattle to Slaughter
Dark Cutter
Carcasses that have muscle tissue that is dark colored rather than the desirable cherry red. Usually the result of depletions in muscle glycogen stores. Can be influenced by implant strategy, cattle handling techniques, weather, and sex of cattle. These carcasses are undesirable and severely discounted.
Days on Feed (DOF)
The number of days an animal spent in the feedyard.
Deads In / Deads Out
Refers to the method used to calculate closeouts, cost of gains, and breakevens. ‘Deads in’ refers to leaving the dead cattle in the calculations, while ‘deads out’ refers to leaving the dead cattle out of the calculations.
Digestive Dead
A death resulting from a digestive disorder
Dressing Percent
Carcass weight divided by final live weight times 100
Drunk Cattle
Cattle experiencing acidosis due to over consumption or too rapid consumption of high grain diets.
Dry Matter Basis
Describes the feed on a ‘dry’ basis following adjustments for variations in moisture content.
Dry Rolling
Grain processing method in which grain is rolled without steaming
Dry Supplement
Supplement, which is generally pelleted and fed in a dry form in a mixed ration.
Eared Cattle
Cattle with significant Brahman influence in their genetics
Feed Alley
The road used by the feed trucks to deliver feed to the pen
Feed Call
The amount of ration that is fed to a particular pen
Feed Conversion (FC or F:G)
The amount of feed consumed by the animal divided by the number of pounds gained.
Feed Cost of Gain
Total feed cost divided by total pounds of gain
Feed Efficiency
The amount of feed consumed by an animal per unit of body weight gain (see Feed Conversion)
Feed Markup
The amount that the feed charges is marked up by the feedlot. Charges vary with each feedlot. Feed markup charges are usually inversely related to the yardage charge. Charges for feed markup plus yardage are usually similar between feedlots. Feed markup can be charges as a percentage of the feed bill or as a flat fee per ton of feed.
Feed Them Hard
This indicates they will be put on a hot ration and every effort will be made to maximize their intake during the feeding period.
Finisher or Final Finisher
The final diet cattle will be on during the feeding period. Usually contains 5-10% roughage, but may be an all-concentrate (no roughage) diet, depending on the feedlot.
Flaker
A mill that steam flakes grain (see Steam Flaker)
Grass Cattle
Cattle that were grown on pasture prior to placement in the feedlot (see Yearlings)
Green Cattle
Cattle that are relatively thin (little body condition)
Grid(s)
A method of pricing slaughter cattle that offers premiums and discounts for carcasses. Cattle that are leaner and have higher quality grades receive the premiums. Grids generally have other specifications for carcass weight and dark cutters as well.
Grow Yard
An operation that grows or backgrounds cattle for a period of time before entering the feedlot for finishing. May be used to wean calves since the operations generally have a higher ratio of employees to cattle and can give sick calves extra attention.
Hand you your head
A practice or situation, which will cause significant grief
Heiferette
A first calf heifer that has been culled from the herd and is now being fed in a feedlot.
Heifering a steer
A penile urethrostomy performed on a steer as treatment for urethral calculi
Hickey
A poor return or a loss on investment as in “You will probably take a hickey when you sell this pen”.
High Moisture Corn
Corn that is harvested when moisture levels are 22-28%. Generally, this corn is ground or rolled and stored in a pit or bunker silo. It can also be stored whole and processed before feeding.
High Risk Cattle
These are cattle that are expected to experience significant morbidity and/or mortality when received at the feedlot. Cutoffs are commonly those of 20% morbidity or 1-1.5% death loss.
Hospital Pen
Pen(s) / working facility where sick cattle are treated before being returned to their home pen.
Hot Ration
A ration in the feedlot that has a high energy density. This usually denotes a ration that is the “finish” ration on which the cattle will be fed until they are slaughtered.
Honker
Tracheal edema, these animals have a severe obstruction of the trachea and have a characteristic “honking” sound.
In the Beef
Method of sale, which refers to selling cattle on a carcass weight basis rather than live weight (different than selling on a grid). Usually carcass weight times carcass price with no price difference between Choice and Select.
Ionophore
Antibiotic that enhances feed efficiency in cattle by altering rumen fermentation. RumensinÒ; monensin, and BovatecÒ; lasalocid are the approaved ionophores used in finishing cattle diets. Other non-ionophore antibiotics have some similar attributes and are approved to improve rate of gain and/or feed efficiency are (CattlystÒ; laidlomycin propionate, GainproÒ; Bambermycins, VmaxÒ; Virginiamycin, AlbacÒ & Bactiferm; bacitracin zinc).
Inventory Loss
The amount of loss in feed inventory due to storage, milling, and processing feed.
Limit Feeding
Limiting feed intake in order to achieve a desired rate of gain during the growing period. Used in growing and backgrounding situations to have cattle ready for market at a specific point time. Also used in some feedlots because this management results in greater feed efficiency (although ADG is reduced).
Liquid Supplement
Liquid supplements are usually made with molasses and urea or other non-protein nitrogen source to supply supplemental nitrogen in a finishing diet. May also contain supplemental phosphorus, salt, ionophores, and other feed additives.
Live
This a method of sale in which the cattle are sold to the packer live at the feedlot. The packer is responsible for transporting the animals to the slaughter facility and any benefit and risk involved with the value of the carcasses.
Liver Abscesses
Disease condition of the liver in which rumen microflora infect the liver due to breaks in the integrity of the rumen wall caused by acidosis. In severe cases, liver function is impaired and performance is reduced.
Long Yearlings
Yearling that have had an extended period of grazing. Usually placed on feed in the fall following a full summer grazing season. These cattle are usually fed for 120 days or less.
Lot
This is a group of cattle in the feedlot, which are treated as a group for billing purposes. These cattle will be held in the same pen in most cases. The number on the ear tag of cattle in the feedlot is usually a lot number rather than a pen number. This system allows a group of cattle to be moved to different pens without having to change their identification number.
Low risk cattle
Cattle which are expected to give minimal health problems at the feedlot (yearlings, preconditioned calves).
Melengesterol Acetate (MGA)
A steroid feed additive that is used to suppress estrus (cycling activity) and improve rate of gain in feedlot heifers.
Micro Machine
Machine that adds micro ingredients such as ionophores, antibiotics, and other ingredients to the diet in a water based slurry.
Mill Man
Employee in charge of the feed mill
Missing the Call
Making a mistake in reading the bunk
No-Roll
Carcasses that do not have a quality grade stamp ‘rolled’ onto the carcass (the ink printer is on a wheel). A carcass is ‘no-rolled’ when it is projected to not grade well (i.e. it is too mature, a dark cutter, not enough marbling, etc.).
NPN
Abbreviation for non-protein nitrogen. Urea is a common source of NPN.
Overeaters
Cattle that eat too much on a high grain diet.
Pay Weight
Shrunk live weight of an animal at the time of sale. Usually 4%.
Pen Deads
Cattle that are found dead in the pen (versus being found dead in the hospital pen). Cause of death is usually unknown.
Pen Rider
Employee who rides through the pens to look for sick cattle.
Pencil Shrink
An arithmetic deduction of weight from the live weight of an animal to account for fill, usually 3% for cattle off pasture and 4% for off-feed weights of fed cattle.
Pit Corn
High moisture corn that has been ground and stored in a bunker or pit silo.
Plain cattle
Average to low quality cattle
Processing
Vaccinating, treating for internal and external parasites, ear tagging, and other procedures such as implanting, dehorning, and castration that are done soon after the cattle arrive at the feedlot.
Programmed Feeding
A feeding routine that is used to achieve a specific rate of gain and limit feed intake. (see Limit Feeding)
Projections
Projecting the days on feed, cost of gain, and breakeven for a particular pen of cattle. This is done when the pen is placed in the lot. Generally this is the responsibility of the manager or assistant manager.
Pull
Any animal removed from its pen to be examined in the hospital for any reason.
Put-Together Cattle
A large group of cattle that have been assembled by an order buyer from small groups of cattle.
Put wheels under them
Send the cattle to market
Quality Grade
A grade placed on each carcass by the USDA inspector at the packing plant. Quality grade is based on the degree of marbling and degree of maturity. Color, texture, and firmness of lean are also used in the final quality grade determination.
Rail-Out
A carcass that has been placed on a special rail in the packing plant so that the USDA inspector can make a more detailed inspection of the carcass.
Realizers / Railers
Cattle that are sold prior to being finished due to illness or an injury. The terms come from the fact that we are “realizing” some return on the animals although a severe loss usually occurs. The term “railer” refers to the fact that they would be hung on a rail at the packing plant sooner than anticipated.
Receiving
Getting new cattle into the feedlot
Re-implanting
Giving cattle their second implant. Usually done 70 to 120 days prior to slaughter.
Respy
Short for respiratory case or pneumonia.
Show List
The pens of cattle that the feedlot manager is offering for sale to packer buyers during a particular week.
Sick Pen
See Hospital Pen
Slicked Up
Refers to the fact that the cattle have cleaned up their feed or ‘slicked the bunk’. Cattle have ‘slicked the bunk’ with saliva. Bunks that are ‘slick and wet’ have just been slicked. Bunks that are ‘slick and dry’ have been slicked for some time.
Soggy Cattle
Cattle from a backgrounding or growing operation that are fleshy or overly conditioned (opposite of Green Cattle).
Steam Flaker
Grain processing method in which grain is subjected to steaming before rolling or flaking. This process improves digestibility and average daily gain and is particularly helpful when feeding milo. The process requires energy (electricity, natural gas, etc.) and therefore increases feed cost and increases the moisture content of the feed. If the feed is sold ‘as-is’ rather than on a dry-matter basis, the feed bill will include a substantial amount of water sold at grain price.
Step-Ups
The rations used to acclimate cattle to high-grain diets. Length of time that cattle are fed these diets varies. Generally the amount of concentrate is increased gradually. The first week in the feedlot, the cattle may be fed a 45% roughage diet, the second week a 35% roughage diet, etc. until the cattle are on the final finisher.
Storm Diet
Diet fed during periods of stormy weather to help keep cattle on feed. Usually contains more roughage.
Trenbolone Acetate (TBA)
Active ingredient in some implants approved for feedlot cattle.
Warmed Up Cattle
Cattle that have been grown in a backgrounding yard prior to being placed on feed.
Wreck
A high incidence of morbidity and/or mortality in a pen or group of cattle
Yardage
Charges incurred each day that the cattle are in the feedlot. These charges vary depending on the feedlot.
Yearlings
Cattle that are placed on feed at greater than one year of age. Generally fed for 80 to 150 days.
Yield
The weight of the carcass of the animal expressed as a percent of the live body weight.
Yield Grade
A numerical grade (1 through 5) place on each carcass by the USDA inspector at the packing plant which estimate the differences in the yield of boneless, closely trimmed retail cuts from the round, rib, loin, and chuck. Factors determining yield grade are: fat thickness at the 12th rib, ribeye area, hot carcass weight, and the amount of kidney, pelvic, and heart fat. A yield grade 1 is an excellent yield of red meat. A yield grade of 5 indicates an animal with little muscle and/or excess fat trim.
* Some of the definitions for this list were taken from Cattle Feeding: A Guide to Management by RC Albin and GB Thompson, Cattleman’s Guide to Feedlot Lingo, Dr. Greg Lardy, NDSU, and from personal communication with Dr. Mike Apley, ISU.