By Jessica Hoover, Agriculture & Natural Resources Extension Agent, WVUES Pendleton County
Winter may slow many things down on the farm, but for cattle, proper nutrition during the cold months is more important than ever. This is especially true for cattle late in gestation, or postpartum lactating cows.
The first step in determining whether your herd is meeting nutritional requirements is understanding exactly what nutrients you are feeding. The only way to accurately do this is through a forage analysis test. Forage tests provide information on key components such as Total Digestible Nutrients, Crude Protein, Net Energy, Dry Matter, and other important measures.
Nutritional demands of beef cows are influenced by age, weight, stage of production, breed, and environmental conditions. Requirements increase throughout pregnancy and continue to rise as cows approach calving. Cattle reach peak milk production 30-60 days post calving, at which stage their nutritional requirements are also at their highest. Additionally, heavy milking cows will have even greater nutritional requirements. When these increased demands are combined with the increased nutritional demand of cold weather, inadequate nutrition can quickly lead to problems.
Cattle experience cold stress once the temperature drops below the Lower Critical Temperature, which is the point at which cattle require additional energy to maintain basic bodily functions. Typically, at every degree below LCT, TDN requirements increase by 1 percent.
Research has shown that cows who receive inadequate nutrition prior to calving experience increased calf mortality at birth and weaning, delayed return to estrus, higher incidence of calf scours, and reduced calf weaning weights (Corah et al., 1975). Calves born to cows who do not meet nutritional requirements also take longer to nurse after birth (Lardy & Stolenow, 2001). Similar losses have been observed when cows lack adequate nutrition after calving (Ciccioli et al, 2003).
Nutrition also plays a critical role in colostrum effectiveness. While research shows that the concentration of antibodies in colostrum may not be affected by cow nutrition, the absorption of antibodies in calves whose dams did not meet nutritional requirements is reduced (Hough et al., 1990). Colostrum is essential in supporting a strong immune system in calves and has lasting impacts on calf health, growth rates, and carcass quality later in their life.
So, what can be done if the nutritional needs of your cows are not being met? Unfortunately, there is no one-size-fits-all solution. Supplemental feeds can help meet energy and protein requirements, but the right strategy depends on forage quality, stage of production, and body condition score. Producers are encouraged to use this information to develop a supplementation program that best fits their herd, and reach out to a nutrition specialist or local extension agent for assistance. Hoover can be contacted at ja******@******vu.edu or 304-358-2286.
