Livestock Management RANCHING
size. The cow also needs nutrition stores to commence full lactation when the calf is on the ground and then to be ready to rebreed a very short time later. This means the cow has to have achieved a good
body condition score (BCS) at the point of calving. Nichols says, “Coming into the third trimester, before the cow calves, we want to have a BCS between 5 and 6. We want heifers to be between 5.5 and 6.5, so they carry enough condition coming into the breeding sea- son to rebreed.” The heifer, of course, is still below her mature
weight. Nichols says that during her third trimester she needs to be gaining at a rate of 2 to 2.5 pounds a day. “The heifer is going to calve at 70 to 80 percent of
her mature weight,” he notes. “She is still a baby and has to keep growing while she grows that fetus, then calves and breeds back. Her nutrition requirement is much, much higher than that of a cow.”
Balanced, optimum nutrition during third trimester This means that the producer has to improve the
cow’s nutrition from the second to the third trimester with balanced and optimum nutrition programs. A 1,200-pound cow is going to need about 2 pounds of protein in her third trimester because the protein will be required by the fetus and the placenta. She is go- ing to consume about 25 pounds of dry matter, which should be in the range of 55 percent total digestible nutrients (TDN). The best way to raise the cow’s nutritional plane is
to evaluate her feed. Nichols says a ruminant can get by on a moderately good forage base, but it has to have at least 8 to 9 percent protein in it to keep the rumen microbial population viable and digesting the forage. Nichols encourages ranchers to test their forage. “If
it is low in protein and the cows are out of condition, you can add a protein supplement or a grain supple- ment. It all depends on the BCS.” This issue is one of nutritional quality, because
while the second-trimester cow will eat just as much as the third-trimester cow, she does not need as much in terms of nutrition, due to different maintenance re- quirements. Therefore, optimum nutrition programs need to be developed to meet the cow’s nutritional requirements at each stage of gestation. Nichols says, “As we have iterated, the second tri-
mester is still important and we want to meet the re- quirements in terms of nutrient density and dry matter intake. In the third trimester, the cow increases her
66 The Cattleman November 2015
Body Condition Scorecard 1. EMACIATED: Starving and weak. No palpable
fat detectable over back, hipbones or ribs. Tail-head and ribs project quite prominently.
2. POOR: Poor milk production and reproduction.
Chances of rebreeding slim. Cow still emaciated but tail-head and ribs are less prominent. Backbone is still rather sharp to the touch but some tissue exists along the backbone.
3. THIN: Poor milk production and reproduction.
Ribs are still individually identifi able but not quite as sharp to the touch. There is obvious palpable fat along the spine and over the tail-head, with some tis- sue over the top portion of the ribs.
4. BORDERLINE: Reproduction bordering on inad-
equate. Individual ribs are no longer visually obvious. Individual spines can be identifi ed on palpation, but feel rounded rather than sharp. There is some fat cover over ribs and hipbones.
5. MODERATE: Minimum necessary for effi cient
rebreeding and good milk production. The cow has a generally good overall appearance. Upon palpation, the fat cover over the ribs feels spongy, and the area on either side of tail-head now has a palpable fat cover.
6. OPTIMUM: Milk production and rebreeding are
very acceptable. Firm pressure now has to be applied to feel spinous processes. A high degree of fat is palpable over ribs and around tail-head.
7. GOOD: Maximum condition needed for effi cient
reproduction. The cow appears fl eshy and carries ob- vious, considerable fat, with a very spongy fat cover over the ribs and around the tail-head. There is some fat around the vulva and crotch.
8. FAT: Very fl eshy, no advantage in having cow
in this condition. The backbone is almost impossible to palpate. The cow has larger fat deposits over her ribs, around the tail-head and below the vulva.
9. EXTREMELY FAT: The fat may cause calving
problems. The cow is extremely wasty and patchy. The tail-head and hips are buried in fatty tissue. The bone structure is no longer visible and barely pal- pable. The animal’s mobility maybe impaired by fat deposits.
thecattlemanmagazine.com
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