August is Herd Health Month
Nutrition: The Foundation for Healthy Cattle
Agriculture producers have already been dealt several challenges in 2019. As we move into the fall, those of us producing cattle are now faced with feeding lower quality forages due to either weather damage or harvest delays. This reduction in forage quality means that our cattle will need additional supplementation to maintain healthy body condition scores (BCS) throughout winter. As a beef cattle producer myself, as well as a veterinarian, I want to be your source of information for not only surviving this winter, but also for achieving optimal outcomes despite these challenges. Let me share some critical pieces of winter survival with you.
Let’s start with BCS. Body condition scoring is an objective way to screen for the nutritional status of the cattle. Failure to maintain appropriate BCS (or sudden loss of BCS) has widespread negative consequences for the individual cow, her pregnancy, and her potential to breed back in the spring. The cattle with low BCS are more susceptible to disease and metabolic issues than their cohorts. When cows are not eating enough calories to maintain their metabolic demands, we see their BCS decrease. This is especially true as the cattle enter the third trimester of pregnancy. At this time, their metabolic needs increase immensely right as we see some of our coldest winter temperatures. As BCS decreases, the cow is losing both fat and muscle tissue. The muscle tissue takes more time, energy, and nutrients to rebuild. This is expensive, wasted energy that could be going toward the calf and colostrum development.
Malnourished cattle produce lower quality colostrum. Colostrum is the most important supplement that a calf will ever receive. Colostrum provides antibodies among other biologic factors that are responsible for establishing the calf’s immune system. Inadequate or failed passive transfer of maternal antibodies in colostrum will set the calf back for years behind its cohorts who have adequate passive transfer.
The question then becomes, how do we ensure that we are feeding our cattle as economically as possible to maintain their health? The answer is: by testing the feed and balancing rations. In a year with poor- or low-quality forages, we cannot afford to assume we are feeding our cattle a high-quality hay. The long- term cost is too high. Appropriate forage testing is the only way to fully evaluate the nutrients in the forage. Testing all forages or feeds to be fed is necessary to fully balance a ration. Please call to ask us what we recommend for forage testing. There are a variety of tests available at each laboratory and some are better than others. A common misconception is that if you are feeding beef cattle, the least comprehensive test is fine. This theory works if you are comparing 2 types of hay for purchase. However, to balance a ration with the hay and determine if we are actually feeding the cattle to meet their nutrient requirements, further values are necessary.
Once we have the hay tests, we can balance a ration for the cattle at each gestational stage as well as for the mature herd and the younger cattle. Commonly, we see over supplementation of protein and under supplementation of energy. In essence, we often place our cattle on a high protein diet that ends up inducing weight loss. By balancing a ration for the cattle based on their age as well as gestational period, we can feed them optimally in terms of both health and economics. Balanced rations allow us to evaluate each supplement or combination of forages and see the cost per head per day needed to meet the nutritional needs of the cattle.
Our goal as veterinarians is to help our producers keep their cattle healthy. Balanced nutrition is key to maintaining cattle health and therefore optimizing reproduction while minimizing disease. Please call if you have any further questions about rations, mineral supplementation, or general herd health. We would love to schedule a time to plan with you and help you reach your goals.
Dr. Shannon Nielsen
