Livestock Management RANCHING
Late-Gestation Trace Mineral Supplementation Shows Promise
Strategically supplementing trace minerals to your cows during late gestation provides many benefi ts, not the least of which is a healthier, faster-gaining calf. By Wes Ishmael, BEEF magazine
“M AYBE WHAT WE THOUGHT WE KNEW ABOUT WHAT
pregnant cows need isn’t 100% correct in terms of trace mineral requirements,”
says Reinaldo Cooke, Extension beef specialist at Or- egon State University (OSU). Or, maybe trace mineral intake during late gestation
is at least as important to fetal programming as crude protein and energy. Either way, here’s what recent research conducted
by Cooke and other OSU researchers suggests: Supple- menting cows with trace minerals in late gestation could provide a signifi cant boost to calf performance through weaning and beyond. The study, in cooperation with the Oregon Beef
Council and Zinpro Corp., included 84 Angus-Hereford cows weighing an average of 1,130 pounds. They were either AI-bred to Angus or naturally bred to Hereford. The cows were 5 years old and had an average body condition score of 5.1. So, cows were entering the peak of their reproductive lives in ideal body condition. These cows were moved from OSU’s research herd
running on range in eastern Oregon to drylot pens at the end of the second trimester. They were divided into three treatment groups, where they received a forage-based ration. All cows were profi led with a variety of tests to de-
termine their nutritional status as they entered their third trimester. Cooke emphasizes none of the cows were defi cient for trace minerals or anything else. All three groups received supplemental inorganic
selenium, iodine and iron. The fi rst group, the control group, received no other mineral supplementation (CON). The second group was supplemented with trace minerals via inorganic sulfate (INR) sources of copper, cobalt, zinc and manganese. Trace minerals were pro- vided based on Nutrient Requirements of Beef Cattle (NRC) recommendations. The third treatment group was the same as the second, except the trace minerals were organic (ORG). Supplementation improved the
64 The Cattleman November 2016 Photo by Heather Maude
mineral status of INR and ORG cows similarly. After calving, the pairs were returned to the main
research herd and provided the same nutrition, which includes free-choice mineral supplementation of cop- per, cobalt, zinc and manganese.
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