Nutrition (young/old) - Cattle Score (male/female)

Transcription

1 College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Nutrition (young/old) - Cattle Score (male/female) Craig Gifford Extension Beef Cattle Specialist About the College: The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is an engine for economic and community development in New Mexico, improving the lives of New Mexicans through academic, research, and extension programs.

2 College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences In New Mexico, Nutrition = Range or Range + Supplement Why Supplement? About the College: The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is an engine for economic and community development in New Mexico, improving the lives of New Mexicans through academic, research, and extension programs.

3 Ranch Managers Look Good!

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5 Unique Challenges In New Mexico Feb.-Apr. May-Aug. Dec.-Jan. Sept.-Nov. thecattlesite.com

6 College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences Young vs. Old: Does it Matter? About the College: The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is an engine for economic and community development in New Mexico, improving the lives of New Mexicans through academic, research, and extension programs.

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8 Phases of Growth Curve Phase I 15%-20% total growth. Tissue growth order is organs > bone > muscle Phase II 75% of total growth; organs reach mature size; bone growth complete; muscle growth maximal; fat accumulation slows Phase III 80-90% of growth has been attained. Rapid fat accumulation. Phase IV 90-95% of additional growth is fat. 5-10% of gain is muscle.

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10 In a nutshell You are asking a cow to maintain body condition (perhaps lose slightly), produce milk/raise calf, and develop new calf. You are asking a heifer to do all of that AND attain another 20-25% of her body weight. You are asking yearlings to attain puberty, breed, and grow. You aren t asking the same thing of each group, so you can t feed them same in a limiting environment.

11 Example: May First calf heifer and mature cow Dry spring so forage is marginal but not limited Calved in February = approximately 3 months into lactation TDN = Total Digestible Nutrients NEm = Net Energy Maintenance CP = Crude Protein

12 lbs or Mcal 1100 lb mature cow (mod milk) 1 st calf heifer (800 lbs) 1100 lb mature cow (mid 1/3) Supplied by range TDN NEm CP Remember: heifer still needs to gain weight in addition to lactating and getting pregnant. Assuming 0.5lbs/day. NRC

13 Low Protein Reduces Intake Mathis, Circular 564

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15 Low TDN Also Reduces Intake Lalman and Richards, E974

16 In General Pay attention to stage/age of the animals you are feeding. Pay attention to your range condition (quantity and quality). Taylor your supplement to the deficiency Energy, Protein, Mineral, etc.

17 College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences How Do I Know If My Feed Program Is Meeting Cow Demands? BCS! About the College: The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is an engine for economic and community development in New Mexico, improving the lives of New Mexicans through academic, research, and extension programs.

18 Body Condition Score: BCS Relative fatness or body condition of cow. 9 point scale 1 = extremely thin 5 = average 9 = obese

19 BCS Impacts Many Aspects of Production BCS 3 4 Post-Partum Interval Days 89 (+285 = 374) Houghton et al., 1990 Odde, K.G. 1997

20 BCS

21 BCS Thin BCS 1 Spine Visible Ribs Visible Hooks/Pins Visible Tailhead No Fat Brisket No Fat Muscle None 2 Visible Visible Visible No Fat No Fat None Borderline 3 Visible Visible Visible No Fat No Fat None Ideal 4 5 Slight Vis. Not Vis. Foreribs Not Vis. Visible Visible No Fat No Fat No Fat No Fat Full Full 6 Not Vis. Not Vis. Visible Some Some Full Too Fat 7 8 Not Vis. Not Vis. Not Vis. Not Vis. Slight Vis. Not Vis. Abund. Abund. Fat Abund. Full Full 9 Not Vis. Not Vis. Not Vis. Extreme Extreme Full

22 BCS = 2 Mathis et al., Circular 575

23 BCS = 3 Mathis et al., Circular 575

24 BCS = 4 Mathis et al., Circular 575

25 BCS = 5 Mathis et al., Circular 575

26 BCS = 6 Mathis et al., Circular 575

27 BCS = 7 Mathis et al., Circular 575

28 BCS = 8 Mathis et al., Circular 575

29 When To BCS 60 to 90 days prior to calving At calving At weaning Tally Approach List BCS <3, 4, 5, 6, >7 on left column Place tally next to score when you observe a cow with that score

30 General Guidelines Heifers 60% mature weight at breeding. Heifers 80-85% mature weight at first calf. All females BCS 5-6 at calving. Sustain females post-partum. There is not a safe time to short them or allow BCS to substantially decline.

31 College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences What About Bulls? About the College: The College of Agricultural, Consumer and Environmental Sciences is an engine for economic and community development in New Mexico, improving the lives of New Mexicans through academic, research, and extension programs.

32 Always Remember If your bulls are infertile, your herd is infertile. If your bulls are subfertile, your herd is subfertile. Nutrition and BCS can impact fertility!

33 Nutritional Considerations Do not under- or over-develop bulls Yearling bulls should have a BCS of 5.5 to 6.5 Mature bulls should have BCS of about 6 at start of breeding season Do not allow BCS to decline prior to breeding season especially within 60 days

34 Declining BCS BCS 60 Days Prior To Breeding BCS At Breeding Impacts on Fertility 8 5 Reduced Fertility 4 4 No Change in Fertility Decline in BCS or BCS of 8 is the problem? Fat in the scrotum/spermatic cord? Remember: sperm maturation takes a little over 60 days. Adapted from Magee, 2005

35 Barth and Waldner, 2002

36 Fertility Is Not All Or Nothing In Bulls Assume purchase price of $4000; Bull can breed 25 cows; Bull lasts 3 seasons Fertility level Number of calves Cost per calf (bull care not included) 100% 25 x 3 = 75 $ % 67 $ % 60 $ % 52 $ % Reduction $23.59 more/calf

37 Craig Gifford Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Department of Extension Animal Sciences and Natural Resources P.O. Box 3000, MSC 3AE Las Cruces, NM Phone:

38 Craig Gifford Extension Beef Cattle Specialist

39 Value Added Program: Objective Verify and certify BQA and animal health production practices to increase marketing opportunities for NM beef producers. Age and source verified Aid producers in obtaining a premium for their calves or avoid discounts. Platform to track calves once they leave NM in order to gather data.

40 Value Added Program: Objective Remember: It is about packaging your product to make it more appealing to BUYERS

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42 NMSU ACES High and ACES High+

43 Certified Sales Agreements in place with Clovis, Roswell, Belen Livestock to host a program or certified sale. Mid-November Program calves are not required to sell in sale.

44 Calf Enrollment Must be BQA certified prior to giving first shot. Producer encouraged to have premise ID* Obtained through USDA or NM Livestock Board Our homepage is Enrollment is:

45 IMPORTANT This is not a magic bullet. Program will NOT overcome decreased value observed in cattle that are normally discounted at market. Program will NOT guarantee increased value of quality calves. Program is another marketing option or risk management practice which over time historically (in other states) has had a positive return on investment.

46 Craig Gifford Extension Beef Cattle Specialist Department of Extension Animal Sciences and Natural Resources P.O. Box 3000, MSC 3AE Las Cruces, NM Phone: