Feeding Cull Cows to Add Value
Why feed expense, available forage, cow health, labor, interest and market risk must all be considered before retaining.
October 21, 2026
by Paul Beck, Oklahoma State University
Only about 60% of cull beef cows are marketed in the Utility grades (Boning or Breaking Utility) with 20%-25% in the USDA Cutter and 5%-15% in the Canner grades. Feeding thin cows to a higher body condition score (BCS) before marketing can make a large difference in their value. Beef cutout research (Apple and others, 1999) indicated cows in BCS 3 were 33% Boning or Breaking Utility grades, while cows in BCS 6 and 7 were 73% and 100% Boning or Breaking Utility. So, body condition of cows at market has a large effect on their value.
I calculated the value of cull cows using current cull cow prices, expected weight changes between BCS and expected changes in cull cow grades. Feeding to add weight and condition of a thin cow from a BCS 3 to a BCS 7 can increase her value by more than $450.
Research at Texas Tech University (DeClerck et al., 2020) showed that thin cull cows (BCS of 2) can be fed mixed diets in feedlot pens to gain weight and body condition. At the end of the 45-day feeding period, cows on a high-roughage diet (25% cotton burrs) consumed 32 pounds (lb.) [dry-matter (DM) basis] and gained 5.8 lb. per day, requiring 5.5 lb. of feed DM per pound of gain. Cows on the low-roughage diet (10% cotton burrs) consumed 30 lb. per day, gained 6.4 lb. per day and required 4.5 lb. of feed per pound of gain. These thin cows gained three body condition scores in 45 days, but they consumed large amounts of feed to do it.
Cows do not have to be fed in drylot to gain weight and body condition, supplementation programs can be fed to cull cows, as well. Recent research shows that grazing cull cows supplemented with 0.5% of body weight (4.7 lb. of supplement per day) on pasture gained 126 lb. during an 84-day period (1.5 lb. per day), while feeding 1% of body weight (9.5 lb. of supplement per day) increased gains to 193 lb. (2.3 lb. per day).
Adding value to thin cull cows can be profitable, but increased sale value is not the same as increased profit. Feed expenses, available forage, cow health, labor, interest and market risk must all be considered before retaining cows for feeding.
Here are some scenarios for adding condition and weight to cull cows during a 60-day period, with cows starting at a BCS 4:
Table 1: Expected performance for various ways of adding condition to cull cows
| Item | Total Mixed Ration | Hay | Pasture |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wheat pasture, acres | — | — | 3 |
| Hay intake, lb./day | — | 21 | 5 |
| Feed intake, lb./day | 30 | 10 | — |
| Gain, lb./day | 3.8 | 2.0 | 3.2 |
| BCS gain, BCS score | 2.3 | 1.1 | 2.0 |
| Added value | $326 | $150 | $282 |
| Added cost | $217a | $162b | $188c |
| Return | $109 | -$12 | $94 |
|
aCost assumes 40¢ per day yardage and feed cost of $215/ton for a diet consisting of 25% hay, 34% corn, 40% byproducts and 1% premix. bCost assumes 25% hay waste (17 lb. hay consumed), 10¢ per day yardage, supplement cost of $425/ton for 20% cubes, and hay cost of $50/bale. cCost assumes $200/acre cost of planting and 60-day grazing period with 3 acres/cow stocking rate. |
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- Daily feeding a total mixed diet can be very efficient and cost-effective, but it requires excellent management, dedicated feeding equipment and facilities that many producers do not have available.
- Feeding hay and a supplement is easier to manage, but it does not add as much gain as other feeding programs and may not be cost-effective, especially when hay stocks are limited during droughts.
- Recent rains have boosted the growth of wheat pasture, and high calf prices have made a cow grazing program economically competitive with our normal stocker grazing programs on wheat pasture. Cows can gain rapidly on wheat pasture, but they require higher stocking rates than growing calves to provide adequate pasture.
Adding value to thin cull cows can be profitable, but increased sale value is not the same as increased profit. Feed expense, available forage, cow health, labor, interest and market risk must all be considered before retaining cows for feeding.
Editor’s note: Reprinted with permission from the OSU Cow-Calf Corner newsletter. Paul Beck is an extension beef cattle nutrition specialist with Oklahoma State University. [Lead photo by Shauna Hermel.]
Angus Beef Bulletin EXTRA, Vol. 18, No. 10-B
Topics: Feedstuffs , Management , Marketing , Nutrition
Publication: Angus Beef Bulletin
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