Confinement feeding could also be another as cattlemen face the powerful determination between feeding or herd liquidation.
Karla Wilke, professor and cow-calf and stocker administration specialist on the College of Nebraska Panhandle Analysis and Extension Middle in Scottsbluff, says correct administration concerns and benefiting from feedstuffs alternatives could make for a wholesome herd and backside line.
Along with her analysis expertise as a cow-calf specialist since 2009, she and her husband, Todd, have an built-in farming beef cow operation the place they run 80 spring-calving cows in partial confinement, and 80 fall-calving cows in full confinement.
She shared a few of her analysis and on-farm experiences throughout a latest UNL BeefWatch webinar.
Know the vitamins
“I don’t consider there may be actually anybody proper technique to do a confinement system,” Wilke mentioned. “I really feel all of them look a bit of totally different based mostly on what it’s important to work with.”
Wilke mentioned a purpose must be “limiting the precise quantity of feed, however having it excessive sufficient in nutrient density that it nonetheless meets their wants. In order that’s what turns into fairly vital for the economics.”
She’s fast to level out that not all animals within the feedlot are created equal, and so they have totally different dietary necessities: gestating cow vs. lactating cow, and cow vs. calf.
Figuring out that nutrient necessities differ for cows in late gestation and people in early lactation, Wilke shared knowledge illustrating that. Cows in late gestation want about 12 kilos per day of complete digestible vitamins and about 2 kilos of crude protein. In the meantime, a cow in early lactation requires about 17 kilos of TDN per day and about 3 kilos of CP.
With that data, cattlemen then should match these wants that out there feedstuffs present.
“Generally producers will say, nicely, I save my greatest meadow hay for when my cows begin calving. After which I enhance the distillers-based cubes,” Wilke mentioned.
Going again to the information she offered, that perceived high-quality hay and about 3 kilos of distillers grains fall wanting assembly the dietary wants of a cow in early lactation.
“Which will work out OK, if that cow is in actually good situation, so she’s received some situation to present,” Wilke mentioned. “After which perhaps in three weeks or so, she’s going out to inexperienced grass, and so she’ll be on an rising aircraft of vitamin. If we take a look at what’s offered in grazed grass in June, for many of Nebraska, we see that she most likely will not be solely assembly her wants for early lactation, however perhaps even a bit of further.”
The one drawback with that situation is for cattlemen and their cows which might be in a confinement system, these vitamins should be offered, particularly for these cows in early lactation.
“If we don’t meet her wants in early lactation, the factor she’s not going to do is cycle, and he or she’s not going to rebreed,” Wilke mentioned.
Instance ration
To handle these cows going from gestation to lactation, Wilke offered an instance food regimen of seven dry matter kilos of floor cornstalks; 6.3 DM kilos of moist distillers grains; and 10.5 DM kilos of corn silage — a food regimen that gives 17 kilos of TDN and three kilos of CP whereas offering solely 23.8 kilos of DM, or 1.98% of the body weight of a 1,200-pound cow.
“She will certainly clear this up, and might be cheaper than feeding her advert lib,” Wilke mentioned.
Particularly in occasions of drought, she recommended to “actually consider the feed prices versus worth of that acquire. Calves are price quite a bit proper now, however feed prices are terrible.”
Wilke is a fan of silage, as she mentioned moist feed can enhance poor feed utilization whereas rising nutrient density. Different alternate options cattlemen ought to discover are moist distillers, sugarbeets, beet pulp and moist corn gluten feed that along with supplying moisture additionally add protein, power and a few minerals.
“Be an opportunist, search for a few of these feedstuffs,” she mentioned. She had the great fortune of the misfortune of a close-by sugarbeet plant that had beets rotting on the pile, and so they had been chopping them up. The Wilkes had been capable of purchase these beets, combine them with wheat straw and have a feedstuff comparable in nutrient worth to corn silage, “and feed that less expensive.”
Different concerns are summer time annual forage silages comparable to sorghum sudangrass hybrids, which will be cheaper to provide than corn silage, although offering much less power. Wilke mentioned such forages may also be fed as hay if silage harvest will not be an choice. Another choice is making a forage “chain” by planting cool-season annuals within the fall, feed within the spring, after which observe with summer time annuals.
“There’s numerous totally different choices,” she mentioned. “I’m not right here telling you that is the appropriate approach; I’m simply hoping that you simply assume by means of some issues that may be just right for you.”
Focus on calves
Though rising calves can eat the identical food regimen as grownup cows, Wilke mentioned they might be higher served to have entry to a food regimen that higher meets their dietary wants.
She mentioned that calves do not need a totally developed rumen till a minimum of 84 days of age, so that they “are going to wish extra digestible feed that strikes by means of faster, in order that they’ll meet their dietary wants.”
Wilke really helpful ensuring that calves do not need to compete with their mommas for feed. Acknowledging that almost all feedlots are arrange for feeding bigger animals, Wilke inspired cattlemen to contemplate one thing so simple as offering decrease bunks or creep feeders that permit calves to achieve the feed.
“Generally we don’t take into consideration water consumption within the nursing calf,” she mentioned, however “calves want water within the rumen to make the most of the feed and develop the microbes. A calf that by no means reaches the water will not be going to eat nicely and isn’t going to develop nicely.”
For instance, Wilke pointed to dairy analysis that in 70-degree climate, calves receiving 0.8 gallons of milk and a pair of.2 kilos of starter feed nonetheless drank 0.66 gallons of water every day.
To be taught extra, click on on youtube.com to observe Wilke’s whole BeefWatch presentation.
