Article written by Philip Stacy, AgSolutions
AgSolutions has worked in animal nutrition for nearly 40 years. Philip Stacy joined the team in 2010 and also runs a cattle property near Armidale, keeping him in touch with soil and animal nutrition and the issues local farmers face. He studied Agriculture and Farm Management in Orange and brings over 20 years of practical and management experience across Western Queensland and NSW.
The next few months are likely to include some of the most important stages in the annual breeding cycle: calving, joining and, for some producers, early weaning. This, of course, is dependent on where you are in the country and how the season is unfolding, but these stages can have significant impact on the productivity and profitability of the herd.
Herd performance is influenced by genetics, management and nutrition. Just as important as having enough feed available is making sure the cattle will eat it and that it provides the right nutritional balance. Remember, ‘Quality in equals quality out.’
As cows calve, their nutritional requirements increase as they begin producing milk for their calves. Minerals including phosphorus, calcium and magnesium, along with other important minerals and trace minerals, all have a role to play during this period.
Preparation for Joining
Prior to joining, most cows in your current breeding herd will likely have calves at foot.
At this stage, their nutritional requirements are around 2% of their body weight (BW) on a dry matter (DM) basis. This helps the cow maintain condition while also producing milk for her calf. As a guide, the diet should also contain around 12-13% protein.
For example, a 600kg cow consuming 2% of her BW requires 12kg of feed on a DM basis. If the available feed is 70% DM, she will need to consume approximately 17kg of feed to achieve the required intake.
As the calf becomes less dependent on its mother’s milk and starts relying more on pasture, it should also be working toward consuming up to 2% of its body weight on a DM basis.
If your breeders are meeting these requirements and are in good condition, they should be in good order heading into joining.
If they’re not, then increasing their feed intake before joining can help improve the opportunity to achieve higher conception rates. Ideally, cows should be on a rising plane of nutrition for around six weeks leading into joining.
Importantly, a rising plane of nutrition doesn’t simply mean green feed. It means the feed available is meeting the cow’s nutritional requirements and allowing her condition to improve.
Minerals also play an important role in fertility. Selenium, zinc, potassium, phosphorus, manganese, iodine, copper and boron are among the minerals associated with reproduction, so it’s worth considering whether supplementation is needed in the lead-up to joining. Other minerals required for ruminant production are also still required at the same time.
Even in a good season, when there is plenty of green and/or soft pasture available and the cattle appear to be doing well, it’s important not to assume all of their nutritional requirements are being met.
If you’re unsure what your pasture is providing, I recommend having a feed test done. This can help identify any potential deficiencies that may impede your reproduction and joining results.
Remember, no pasture will supply your animals with 100% of their dietary requirements, all of the time.
Don’t Forget the Bulls
The same ‘rising plane of nutrition’ principle applies to your bulls.
Ideally, bulls should be in good store to forward-store condition and be receiving adequate nutrition for around six weeks before joining. Their mineral requirements also need to be considered if you want them performing throughout the joining period.
This is particularly worth considering with newly purchased bulls that may have been through sale preparation, transport and a change of environment before arriving on farm.
Stress can affect semen quality, and recovery can take up to two months. Farmers put a considerable investment into the genetics of their bulls, but the return on that investment ultimately depends on getting cows in calf. Nutrition of both the females and the bulls deserves attention before joining begins.
The Calves
As young calves become less reliant on milk, their intake of other feed will increase. Again, they should be working toward consuming up to 2% of their BW on a DM basis.
Pasture palatability is particularly important for young cattle, as the softness and flavour of the feed will affect how readily they eat it. Remember, palatability is king. If calves like the feed, they are more likely to eat enough of it to meet their requirements.
Protein is also critical for young, growing cattle.
Break Feeding
Where you have the right facilities, break feeding can be very beneficial.
It allows you to provide calves with a higher protein and energy ration targeted specifically to their requirements. Calves up to 150kg liveweight can also handle higher levels of grain in the ration.
Break feeding can also take some of the nutritional pressure off the cow as the calf becomes less reliant on her milk. This can reduce the amount of feed required by the cow while still meeting the calf’s growing nutritional needs.
Early Weaning
When available feed becomes limited, early weaning is another option worth considering.
It can be more cost effective to feed the calf separately than to continue feeding the cow to support both herself and a calf. While a calf ration may cost more per tonne, calves consume considerably less feed, while the cow’s requirements fall once she is no longer producing milk.
There are two things to think about here. If the cow is losing condition because she is being pulled down by the calf, we need to look after her. At the same time, if her milk production is falling because nutrition is limited, the calf may no longer be getting what it needs to grow and develop.
If you are going to wean early, however, you need to have a feeding program ready for those calves.
Protein is particularly important because it provides the building blocks for growth and development. For calves around 150kg, look at a ration containing approximately 16-18% protein.
Remember too that weaning is a stressful time. Consider whether additional supplementation, including magnesium, chromium and protein, is required to support calves and reduce stress and meet the correct protein levels required by weaners.
Dry Matter Matters
One of the important things to understand when assessing any feed is its dry matter percentage.
A dry cow’s maintenance intake is approximately 1% of her BW on a DM basis. For a 600kg cow, that is around 6kg of DM per day, with protein levels of around 9-10%.
Once she calves, her requirements increase significantly to around 1.8-2.2% of BW on a DM basis. Using 2% as our guide, that same 600kg cow now requires around 12kg DM per day and protein levels of around 12-13%.
But 12kg of DM doesn’t necessarily mean 12kg of feed.
If the feed or combination of feeds is 60% DM and the cow requires 12kg of DM per day, she needs to consume around 20kg of that feed.
This is why looking at a green paddock and assuming cattle have plenty to eat can sometimes be misleading. The amount of feed is important, but so is what’s actually in it.
If a lactating cow can’t consume enough to meet her requirements, milk production will be affected, and ultimately there will be less available for her calf.
Energy and protein supplementation may therefore be required when pasture alone is not meeting requirements.
The important thing is to know what you are feeding, consider what the animal requires at that particular stage of production and make up any shortfall where needed.
And when feeding calves that are still on their mothers, don’t forget palatability. A mature cow may be able to make use of lower-quality roughage such as cereal straw, but a young calf won’t perform as well on it.
At the end of the day, there are two areas where good nutrition can really return money to a breeding operation: reproduction and weight gain.
The aim is not simply to have cattle standing in a green paddock and assume they are getting what they need. It’s to make sure the feed in front of them is allowing them to perform.
Over the next few months, that means keeping a close eye on cows as they calve and prepare for joining, making sure your bulls are ready to work, and having a plan for your calves if conditions dictate that early weaning becomes the better option.
Manure is a good indicator of what the animal is consuming and how it’s processing the feed. If the manure is stacking up and fibrous, then more protein is required. If the manure is quite soft or loose, then protein levels are good, maybe a little high. Also, the feed will have a high water content and will need a roughage source too.
Ideally, the manure pad should look like a chocolate cake.