Feeding Considerations

by Whitney Whitworth, PhD.

 

To begin, it is important to note some basics of animal nutrition. Cattle partition nutrients they receive from feeds and forages in a very ordered way. The first thing a bovine uses nutrients for is daily maintenance. This is what they use for moving about the pasture, grazing, ruminating, watering, finding shade, etc. If the animal has a surplus of nutrients after maintenance, then they can use that surplus in one of several different ways depending on age and state of production. In young animals, anything over maintenance will be used for growth or depositing fat, depending on age and gender. In lactating females, milk production is where nutrients above maintenance go. The very last thing a female partitions nutrients for is reproduction. So, our females not only need to be in good enough shape to calve properly, but they need to be in good enough shape to feed that calf and rebreed within 80 days of calving to maintain a yearly calving interval. Ideally, cows should calve in a body condition score of five or six, and heifers to calve in a score of six on a scale of one to nine. Keep in mind that a female can lose up to a whole body condition score when she calves, and then will lose more weight as her milk production increases. The peak of milk production, also, happens to occur when you want the cows to breed back. Cattle which are too thin or too fat will have reduced fertility. If possible, it is ideal to keep cows between body condition scores of five and seven. Also, be mindful that it is much easier to keep weight on a cow than to put weight on her. But, if you get in a situation where you need to put weight on a cow, after weaning this year’s calf and before the birth of her next calf is the most efficient time because she doesn’t have the stress of lactation. Early weaning of calves is also a good option if you have a group of females who need to gain weight. This may be a particularly good option for young cows.

 

In feeding cattle, the first thing to emphasize is that no year is the same. Your feeding strategy may need to be altered somewhat every year to meet the needs of your females. The only constant is change. Always pay attention to what your animals and the pasture are telling you. Quite a bit of Texas and the South have gotten some very beneficial rains this spring, but hot temperatures can stress cattle and forage very quickly, causing the need for a switch in how or what you are feeding. Additionally, rains that are well above-average for a given time of year may cause leaching of soil nutrients and thus cause reduction in quality of standing forage. Roughage should always be the main component of a beef animal’s diet, whether in a large tract of land or a much smaller more intensively managed situation. The quality and quantity of forage available, coupled with the stage of production of your cattle, will tell you whether or not you need to be supplementing at all. In most cases, supplementation during the winter months will be the most expensive component of a cow’s yearly production cost. Year-round supplementation does have some advantages. First and foremost, cattle that are supplemented regularly are more gentle and easier to work when they are penned. It, also, allows for increased observation time, allowing you to pinpoint any potential problems or illnesses faster. Additionally, there has been great research, primarily from the University of Nebraska, detailing the attributes of fetal programming. In short, these studies have shown that heifer calves whose dams were supplemented with protein throughout pregnancy attained puberty earlier and had more longevity within the herd. The steermates to those heifers also benefitted from the supplementation, having improved carcass traits compared to calves from non-supplemented dams. Another consideration is age. Younger animals will need higher quality feeds as they are growing, depositing both frame and muscle mass. While a certain feeding protocol may work for some animals, it may not necessarily work for others.

 

Supplemental feeds come in so many forms. Most of us have probably tried many different types to be as cost effective as possible in our ranching operations. Cubes, lick tubs, and liquid feeds are some of the most popular options. When choosing a feed, put pencil to paper and determine which feed is the most economical in terms of the cost of protein. Of course, convenience and accessibility of feed makes a difference, too. There is a dramatic variation among companies in terms of the quality of products. Often, you can get a much higher quality, better feed at a price which is quite competitive with companies which use least cost rations. As a rule of thumb for cubes, lower protein levels are designed to be fed more often. So, a 20-percent protein cube should be fed at least three times per week at a rate of about five pounds, per head, per day. But a 40-percent protein cube can be fed only once per week at a rate of 1 ½ to two pounds, per head, per day. Higher protein cubes should be used if you have a substantial amount of standing forage, as the protein from the feed will drive consumption. Lower protein cubes will have a higher energy component, so they work much better for a situation where forage is short. In terms of tubs and liquid feed, the most important thing to remember is to not start an animal on anything with high urea content on an empty stomach.

 

There is no substitute for a good mineral program. What balance of minerals you need to feed is dependent on what is available in the standing forage. For example, if you ranch in the Texas Hill Country, the soil is predominantly caliche and high in calcium. So, when buying mineral, the biggest concern is the phosphorous content in an effort to keep the calcium to phosphorous ratio as close to two-to-one as possible. If you raise cattle on wheat pasture, then magnesium will be your major concern. It is important to know what the most limiting mineral in the soil is in your area so that you can make sure your mineral supplement is adequate. Just like with feeds, there is no mineral that will cover animals raised in every situation. It may be to your benefit to have a company custom mix a mineral for your specific needs. As for what form you use for mineral supplementation, it all boils down to what your animals prefer and what you have available. Whether you use a loose mineral, a block or some form of tub, keeping minerals in front of your animals is important. The most critical time for mineral supplementation for cattle is the last 60 days of pregnancy and the first 60 days of lactation.

 

Raising cattle can be an incredibly rewarding enterprise. Using the resources available to you and being vigilant in your attention to details like feed, forage and mineral can make a difference in your overall animal performance.