How to Feed the Cow Herd When There Is No Feed

1
How to Feed the Cow Herd When There Is No Feed
Title used in 1989

• Ivan Rush
• Beef Specialist
• UNL Panhandle Res and Ext Center

2
Management Considerations

• Cull earlier and hard
• Any cow you think may be culled later should be a
  candidate
• Wean earlier
• Age of weaning will depend on operation
• Decrease demand and cost of cow maintenance
• Cow intake is 25 greater when lactating

3
Cow Requirements Lactating and Dry
4
Early Weaning

• 60-90 days
• Aid in reproduction
• 5 Months
• Aid in cow condition and efficient gain
• Week earlier than last year

5
Consideration when to wean

• Forage availability and quality
• Cow condition
• Marketing of calf
• Season of year
• Carcass Quality
• Costs and opportunity for early weaned calves
• Bias

6
Costs versus Satisfaction

• Leave calves on and feed hay free choice
• Hay 35-40 lb _at_ 100/t 1.88/day
• Hay would need to be 54/ton to get cost to 1/da
  
• If forage available but want to stretch feed,
  Example - 6 lb of grain for supplement
• Supp .45 .78 for pasture 1.23
• Wean calves and feed cows hay
• 22lb hay (100) 1.10 plus .40 for calf 1.50

7
Costs versus Satisfaction

• Wean calves and feed high levels of corn
• Cows 21 lb of high grain ration .92 plus calf
  _at_ .40 1.32

8
Effect of Early Weaning on Reproduction and Cow
Condition OK State

• EW (50da) NW (210)
• Preg Rate 96.8 59.4
• Cow gain,lb 89 41
• Cows (2 yr old) were thin when early calves were
  weaned
• Lusby et al JAS 53- 1193

9
Weaning Dates - NE
10
Weaning Dates - NE
11
Summary of Research with Early Weaned Calves

• Weaning before breeding will improve reproduction
• Early wean calves are more efficient in
  converting high concentrate rations
• Gain and final weight are variable
• ADG range form .4 to -.29 3 neg EW -.21
• 3
  pos EW .23

12
Summary of Research

• Quality grade is variable
• Range from positive 25 to neg 15
• Two positive for EW one neg and two no diff
• Profit for two trials were neg for EW and one was
  positive

13
Excel Worksheet
14
(No Transcript)
15
Fence Line Weaning

• Appears to reduce stress
• Allows weaning out of dusty conditions
• Put cow in dry lot for 2-3 days
• Research in Calif shower extra 27 lb first 34 days

16
(No Transcript)
17
Comparison Weaning Laux Feedyard Late Summer
2002
18
Other Thoughts

• Dont forget vitamin A and minerals
• Green forages has plenty of carotene (Vit A)
• Vitamin A Supplementation
• 150,000 IU in mineral
• 30-40,000 IU in supp
• Inject timely
• Phosphorus, copper and zinc should be adequate in
  mineral supplements

19
Other Thoughts

• Consider by-products feeds
• Distillers grains, corn gluten feeds, wheat mids
• Consider harvesting or grazing drought crops
• Grazing capacity
• If cut (ton) (33 DM) Grazing days (cow)
  _at_.50/da
• 7 2.3 110-130 55-65
• 10 3.3 158-185 80-93
• 15 5.0 240-280 120-140
• Consider nitrates and poisonous plants

20
Nitrates

• If any doubt check - especially sorghum sudans
  Xs, millets, oats, corn etc
• Look at terms
• Nitrate, nitrate nitrogen or potassium nitrate

21
Questions or Comments