cows’ body conditions 3 to 4 times during the year, and adjusting pro- tein and energy supplementation programs accordingly. An important time to assess the condition of the cows is at weaning
you end up overfeeding the rest of the herd, which costs you more money in the long run.” Banta says managing the nutritional needs of fall versus spring calving
cows can be different. Often, he says, fall calving cows are in excellent condition, with body condition scores of 6 and approaching 7. He says during the winter while it’s still important to meet their protein needs,
Match calving season to pasture resources.
time. He explains, “From wean- ing to calving, we’re going to have roughly 5 months to get those cows back into shape. When we have some cows that are a little thinner after weaning, we may want to pull those cows off into a separate pas- ture and feed them a little extra.” In addition, it’s usually a good idea to separate the young females for feeding purposes, because their nutrient requirements are different than those of the mature cows (see chart at right). Having a controlled breeding
season also helps the producer pro- vide supplementation to the cows in the most economical way pos- sible. Banta says, “If you have a year-round breeding season, basi- cally you’re always going to have cows that are at various stages of production. You end up having to feed for the cows that are at the highest stage of production, then
tscra.org
“We’re probably going to let those cows be energy-defi cient. Even though our hay may not have quite as much energy or TDN in it as what we would need to maintain a cow, that’s okay because she’s stored up some extra condition during good times. So we’re going to let her lose some of that weight during the winter.” Similarly, provided their protein needs are met, spring-calving cows
can be allowed to lose some body condition in the summer. The difference, says Banta, is that while the fall-calving cows can lose 2 body condition
COW STAGE OF PRODUCTION 2-YEAR-OLD LACTATING COW
3-YEAR-OLD DRY COW, 270 D PREGNANT 3-YEAR-OLD LACTATING COW
MATURE LACTATING COW, 25 LBS OF MILK MATURE LACTATING COW, 15 LBS OF MILK MATURE DRY COW, 270 D PREGNANT MATURE DRY COW, 180 D PREGNANT
CP, % OF DM TDN, % OF DM
11 9
11.5 11.5 10 8 7
62 58 63 63 60 55 49
Estimated dietary requirements to maintain cow body condition for Brahman infl u- enced cows under typical production conditions (Beef Cattle NRC, 1996). These requirements will vary depending on numerous factors including animal weight, body condition, breed, environmental factors, and others.
April 2013 The Cattleman 69
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