Livestock Management RANCHING
At this point during pregnancy and lactation, she has 2 demands. After the lactation period she just has a pregnancy demand during the most rapid growth pe- riod of the fetus.” The good news is that these twin demands on
the cow take place just as fi elds are greening up. “In general, a good quality grass can supply most of the nutritional needs,” Hutcheson says. “Supplementation may or may not be needed, depending on the type of forage we have available in that period of time. This would be around March, April and May. Spring rains will have come by then, and grass will be beginning to grow when cows are pregnant.” Cows should be in a body condition score of about 4.5
to 5.0 when they enter the lactating/pregnancy period, and they should get to a score of 5 to 6 by calving. A body condition score of 6 would be best. Don’t forget you are also serving the cow’s own nutritional needs, and cows younger than 4 years old are still growing. “Energy and protein are the most important things
for maintenance,” Hutcheson says. “When the cow is lactating, she pulls energy off her body in the form of fat tissue, so you need to put fat tissue back on for the condition score. It’s best if you keep them between the condition scores of 5 and 6 all the time, which is very diffi cult, as she can get as low as a 4 at the end of lactation.” Cows with body condition scores of less
and phosphorus go up. And when the cow is lactating, calcium and phosphorus are necessary for the milk.” As spring grass begins to grow and adequate growth
is available, relying upon the energy provided by the forage system may be limiting. Energy supplements should be considered, even if adequate forage is avail- able. During this period, dry matter consumption is important and can be estimated based on the stage of forage growth, or hay quality if forage growth is impaired. Later in the season, there may be more of a need for additional protein. Hutcheson notes, “When she’s pregnant and lac-
tating, the cow will usually lose body condition if she’s not watched closely. Regardless of what stage of pregnancy or lactation she’s in, the fi rst priority use of the food she eats is to maintain her own body. If she gets too thin, she’ll take away from fetal growth. And if her body condition gets too low, the cow will quit giving milk. This is why, if we let them get down to a body condition score of 3 or 4, it’s very diffi cult to get them bred. We’ll only get about 60 to 70 percent of those cows bred.”
Protein and energy requirements for the beef cow during pregnancy and lactation
Cow Weight, 1,100 pounds
TDN per Day NEM Mcal/day
than 5 should be separated from the rest of the herd and fed 20 to 30 percent more en- ergy and protein depending on their scores. “In the past — and some may still do this — producers have allowed cows to go way down in condition, and then they try to get them back on grass,” he says. “The cattle market has been going up and down, but cows are always going to be very valuable commodities, so the more weight you can get on them and the better shape you can keep them in, the more likely they are to reproduce next year.”
Minerals for the cow and calf Minerals will also be needed, including trace min-
erals for the development of the fetus. The cow sup- plies these trace minerals to the growing calf through lactation. “Calcium and phosphorus are required nutrients
for metabolism,” he says. “Calcium is also very im- portant for the growing fetus. The fetus is quite small until the last 60 days of growth before calving. That is when it grows very rapidly and the needs for calcium
60 The Cattleman April 2015
Pregnant and Lactating
13.6 12.83
Protein pounds/day 1.87 Calcium Gm/day
27
Phosphorus Gm/day 22 Vitamin A IU/day
36,000 Mid-Gestation Pre-Calving 12.9
11.51 1.38 17 17
25,000 14.6
14.27 1.67 25 20
27,000 If forages are inadequate, “during the lactation
period we like to use a protein and an energy supple- ment depending on forage,” he says. “This could be a 20 percent type of product with some grain. It could be provided in a tub or block, or a lick tank, although the lick tanks are mostly protein without as much energy. When we get to mid-gestation, we don’t need as much energy and protein. “If we have gotten the cow in a very good body
condition, it’s quite likely she can make it on grass, provided there is a good amount of grass. After she’s done lactating, we need to consider feeding her more energy than protein to get her body condition back to 6.”
Test your forage for quality Forage during the spring growing period can have
thecattlemanmagazine.com
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76 |
Page 77 |
Page 78 |
Page 79 |
Page 80 |
Page 81 |
Page 82 |
Page 83 |
Page 84 |
Page 85 |
Page 86 |
Page 87 |
Page 88 |
Page 89 |
Page 90 |
Page 91 |
Page 92 |
Page 93 |
Page 94 |
Page 95 |
Page 96 |
Page 97 |
Page 98 |
Page 99 |
Page 100 |
Page 101 |
Page 102 |
Page 103 |
Page 104 |
Page 105 |
Page 106 |
Page 107 |
Page 108 |
Page 109 |
Page 110 |
Page 111 |
Page 112 |
Page 113 |
Page 114 |
Page 115 |
Page 116