Livestock Management RANCHING
When It Comes to Cow Reproduction, They Can Be Too Thin By Gary DiGiuseppe
“F
AT IS WHERE IT’S AT,” ACCORDING TO DR. KELLY Sanders, beef cattle nutrition specialist with Purina Mills, LLC, who says the evaluation
of additional fat supplementation has become very important in prescribing a diet for cows as they enter the winter months. Sanders says, “When we can get an additional 0.15
to 0.2 pound of fat per day into a cow, anywhere from 90 to 60 days before breeding, we actually can have that cow cycle just a little bit faster.” Having fat in the diet also pays great dividends for
the performance of the cow, and it does not have to be managed too critically. Sanders also says he has read information showing
that when cows were fed a half pound to a pound of fat for durations as short as 60 days, the cows’ reproduc- tive performance was enhanced. However, “I usually don’t recommend [feeding] that level of fat. I would rather feed a lower level of fat for a longer period of time. I think it helps those cows nutritionally, from their energetic as well as reproductive standpoints.”
tscra.org
Goal is to score 5 The goal is to get the cows to a body condition score
(BCS) of at least 5 heading into the winter. Sanders says he would prefer they be closer to 5.5 with the top end of the herd in the 6s, but 5 to 5.5 is the target. He says that when calves are weaned from the cows,
many of those cows are going to be running 4.5 to 5 body condition scores, especially after a lingering dry- ness like this past summer. That means they will need to gain between 30 and 60 pounds. An additional 60 pounds in weight gain will be close to approximating a full point gain in the BCS system. According to a chart provided by Texas A&M Uni-
versity, the difference between body scores 4 and 5 is visible in the fore rib area. The fore ribs are usually visible if a cow is in BCS 4. If she is in BCS 5, just 1 or 2 ribs may be visible. The spine is slightly visible on cows that are BCS
4, but is not visible when a cow is BCS 5. In both BCS 4 and 5, there is no fat on the tailhead
or brisket and the hooks and pins are visible, although the muscling should be full.
MORE December 2014 The Cattleman 65
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