Treats for cows

Things are shaping up for my wife and I to get some cows later this spring. I'm interested in figuring out a treat for them so I can kind of train them to a bucket. I'm more interested in something I can grow instead of purchasing something like a sweet feed. I will be raising cows on grass and hay in the winter months. I really prefer to not give them grain, unless someone has convincing reasons why a little grain may have a benefit.

Are there any fellow Permies out there that have cows and give them treats, and if so what kind of treat?

The Jersey cow I once had was very keen on carrots. Mangelwurzels were once very popular to grow on a homestead for cattle treat feed. I wonder if cows would like turnips too.

Cattle will eat most edible plants - ones raised here are mostly in arid range lands where many people would think they couldn't surely survive. The breed has a lot to do with it and it's big business.

Although there's a need to purchase my suggestions, and since your cattle don't seem to be in the 'range reared' category, paddock raised cattle really like a salt lick - they come in blocks.

Also, for general health - shiny coat, hardening of fat and trace minerals, consider buying a 44 gallon drum of molasses as a treat - served up in a trough and stand well clear unless you don't mind getting covered in molasses and cattle dribble!

The standard treat would be oats in a bucket. That  would get them to come when they see you with a bucket. If you want to avoid grain, alfalfa or other legumes are good, not as exciting but definitely more interesting than grass. Root vegetables like carrots and beets are appealing as they are high sugar, easy to grow and store, and convenient to feed from your hand. Apples would be worth trying, especially if you have an apple tree or acess to one, horses usually love them cows probably would too.
Would this be dairy cows or beef cows? Beef cows should be fine on grass and hay. Dairy cows, especially if they are high producing might need grain to maintain their weight through lactation.

Well I can give you several that I use but be warned, once they know the signs of a treat coming they can be somewhat dangerous trying to get to said treat!

1. Once I pick my sweetcorn, I will cut the stalks down with a machete and feed the stalks to the cattle slowly. You do not want to feed them large amounts of it at one time.
2. Cattle also love to eat the leftovers from my thinning process of spring turnips, radishes, etc. If I don't compost all of them I will feed them to the cattle.
3. As has been said before cattle will love carrots and feeding them whole large turnips is quite a treat as well. Make sure to cut large turnips in several smaller pieces so the animal won't choke.
4. I will feed some of the bolted lettuce in my garden to the cattle as well.

There are a lot of things deemed undesirable in the garden that cattle will make great use of. So if you don't find yourself composting things feed them to the cattle. A word of caution though make sure you look to see if you can feed the leaves of some plants to them. One in particular I know can't be feed to cattle or livestock in general is Rhubarb leaves; it is toxic to the animals.

Once again, please exercise caution when feeding cattle "treats". Once my cattle know they have corn stalks coming them will literally run after me and pull them from the vehicle. So please be careful as to not let yourself get run over by the animals. Otherwise enjoy it, cattle are quite entertaining!