CowCalf Nutrition

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Cow/CalfNutrition

• Cody Wright, PhD
• Extension Beef Specialist

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VFAs
Microbial Protein
Feed
Escape Protein
Rumen/Reticulum
Water
Fat
Undigested Residues
Must feed the bugs!!
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Does forage intake match the cows requirements?
Metabolizable protein (MP) req. and intake for
1200 lb March calving cow grazing range with peak
milk production of 23 lb/day
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Supplementation Strategies Depend on...

• Available forage
• Quantity
• Quality
• Cost
• Nutrient requirements
• Stage of production
• Nutritional status
• Environment

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Forage Intake

• Influenced by
• Forage quality
• Quality refers to fiber quality and protein
  content
• Intake ? dramatically as forage quality ?
• Forage quantity
• Cattle selectively graze
• Eat better quality forages first
• Intake tends to ? as forage quantity ?

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Forage Intake

• Influenced by
• Dietary protein
• Protein supplementation will
• ? forage intake
• Intake ? as rumen degradable
• protein ?
• Environment
• Cold weather ? forage intake
• Windy or wet weather ? grazing time and forage
  intake

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Associative Effects

• Can be positive...
• Increased forage intake and digestibility with
  added protein
• or negative
• Likely due to increased starch in the diet
• More severe with low-quality forages and(or)
  higher grain levels

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Carbohydrates
Microbial Protein
DIP
Protein
Escape Protein
UIP
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Protein Supplementation

• Generally, supplements to forage-based diets
  should contain DIP
• Oilseed meals
• Should be 10 of digestible organic matter
  (similar to TDN)
• High UIP feeds
• Corn by-products
• Animal proteins

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Non-protein nitrogen

• Use for cows has been discouraged
• Must be used with readily available CHO
• May creates a greater energy deficit in the
  animal
• 15 of total CP (20 of DIP)
• Sources urea, biuret, ammonia hydroxide

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Non-protein nitrogen

• Utilization will decrease from 50 to 25 as
  inclusion rates ? and forage quality ?
• What does 20-10 on a feed tag mean?
• 20 total CP, half from NPN
• Should be considered a 15 supplement
• 10 from natural protein source 5 from NPN

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Energy Supplementation

• Small quantities of grain (1-4 lb)
• Starch can negatively impact forage intake and
  digestion
• May be used to replace part of forage component
• May actually decrease energy intake
• Must meet protein requirements of the rumen

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Energy Supplementation

• Fiberous by-product feeds allow for energy
  supplementation without sacrificing forage
  digestion
• Soybean hulls
• Corn gluten feed
• Distillers grains
• Beet pulp

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Protein or Energy?

• Cows grazing winter range
• 3.5 lb corn Most weight loss
• 3.0 lb corn
• 1 lb 40 CP
• 2 lb 32 CP Least weight loss

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Ample Supply of Poor Quality Forage

• Goal improve intake and digestibility of forage
• Options
• Protein (specifically degradable protein)
• Alternative feeds /- protein
• Grain protein

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Short Supply of Poor Quality Forage

• Goal replace forage supply with other energy
  sources
• Options
• Alternative feeds /- protein
• Grain protein
• Limit feeding

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Ample Supply of Medium Quality Forage

• Goal improve intake and digestibility of forage
• Options
• Nothing
• Protein
• Alternative feeds /- protein
• Small amounts of grain protein

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Short Supply of Medium Quality Forage

• Goal stretch forage supplies without sacrificing
  digestibility
• Options
• Alternative feeds /- protein
• Small amounts of grain protein

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Limit Feeding

• Commonly used in growing and finishing
• Considerations
• Digestive disturbances
• Facilities/equipment
• Management/labor
• Overfeeding

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Mineral Nutrition

• Common misconception
• Cattle dont have nutritional wisdom to know
  what they need
• Macro-minerals
• Ca, K, Mg, Na, P, S
• Trace(micro)-minerals
• Co, Cr, Cu, Fe, I, Mn, Se, Zn

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Salt

• Cattle have a requirement and appetite for salt
• Should be offered free-choice at all times
• May be used to control intake

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Vitamins

• Require several vitamins
• Most produced by rumen microbes or adequate in
  diet
• May need supplemental A, E, thiamin

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Water

• Influenced by numerous physiological and
  environmental factors
• Water quality
• Potential negative effects
• Off flavors or odors
• Reduced water intake reduced feed intake

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Heifer Development
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Goal

• Attain puberty as quickly as possible and get
  females bred
• ? time to puberty
• ? estrous activity
• ? conception
• Earlier calving

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Four Phases

• Pre-weaning
• Weaning to breeding
• Breeding to calving
• Calving to rebreeding

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Pre-Weaning

• Depend on dam for nutrition
• Would like heifers to weigh 450-600 depending on
  breed, frame size and feed supply
• Implanting
• Creep feeding

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Puberty

• Must reach puberty in 12 to 15 months to calve in
  22 to 24 months
• Ionophores ? time to puberty and ? cyclicity
• Synthetic progestins may induce puberty

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Weaning to Breeding

• Adequate nutrition is essential
• Feed separately from rest of herd
• Feed in weight groups
• Use targets to set desired gains
• 65 of mature BW at breeding
• Dont overfeed!!

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Lemenager et al., 1980
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Breeding to Calving

• 85 of mature BW at calving
• Target .75 to 1 lb/day gains
• Most fetal growth in last 50-60 days
• Adequate energy becomes critical
• Shorting bred heifers can be disastrous!!

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Calving to Rebreeding

• Extremely high nutrient requirements
• Lactation
• Growth
• Rebreeding preparation
• High moisture forages early in the grazing season
  may limit dry matter intake
• Supplementation may be necessary

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Creep Feeding
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Creep Feeding

• Many considerations
• Forage availability and quality
• Calf and feed prices
• Calf marketing plans
• Conversion efficiencies
• Labor

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Types of Creep Feeds

• Calf preferences
• milk
• palatable creep
• forage
• Types
• Grain-based
• Limit-fed, high protein-based
• Green creep

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Grain-Based Creep

• With good to high quality forage available,
  conversions will not likely be economical
• Acceptable conversions
• 51 to 151, with low quality forage or limited
  forage quantity

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Grain-Based Creep

• Must be energy dense
• Small rumen
• 72-75 TDN
• 14-16 CP
• Must be palatable
• Pelleted
• Dust free

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Limit-Fed, High Protein-Based Creep

• Should include high DIP feeds
• Oilseed meals
• Limit intake to 1 lb/day
• Include 10 to 15 white salt
• Pellet if possible
• Feed conversion 2.51 to 31

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Green Creep

• Pastures or fields adjacent to where cows are
  grazing
• Generally planted to annual forages
• Calves allowed access through creep gates
• 6 to 10 calves per acre
• Forward grazing

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Additives

• Ionophores 75-150 mg/day
• Monensin (Rumensin)
• Lasalocid (Bovatec)
• 0.6 Ca, 0.5 P, 1.0 K, 3000-5000 IU vitamin A
  per lb
• Trace minerals

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Bull Nutrition
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Young Bulls

• Should reach 50 of their mature BW in 14-15
  months
• Extremely low energy levels delays puberty
• Excess energy may reduce both semen quality and
  serving capacity

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Young Bulls

• Should gain 2-2.5 lb/day prior to the breeding
  season
• 10-11 CP
• 60-70 TDN
• Avoid whole cottonseed (gossypol)
• Avoid moldy feeds or ergot infested grains
• Zinc

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Mature Bulls

• Maintain condition
• Free choice minerals
• Vitamin A 20,000 IU/day
• Winter
• 1-1.5 lb grain/100 lb BW free choice roughage

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Thank You!