VTS150--Alden

1. Cattle Nutrition
Ruminant Herbivores
Calf- young animal
Heifer- female calf that has not given
birth and is less than 30 months old
Cow- older than 30 months old, or has
given birth
Bull- intact male
Steer- castrated male up to 4 years old
Ox- castrated male, more than 4 years
old

2. Dairy Cattle
Main objective- increase dry matter
intake to produce higher levels of milk
production
Key factors: energy, ration
digestibility, rumen
fill, palatability, body weight(
BCS), environment, frequency of
feeding and water

3. Phase feeding program
Phase feeding
- Changing the nutrient concentration in
a series of diets formulated to meet an
animal’s nutrient requirements more
precisely at a particular stage of
growth or production
- Based on lactation and gestation cycle

4. Phase 1
 First 10 weeks of lactation
 Peak milk production happens in this
phase
 Negative energy balance develops, so
cow uses body stores to make up
difference ( can borrow fat, but cannot
borrow protein)

5. What to feed in Phase 1
 Increased grain for energy (
corn, wheat, soybeans)
 Protein supplementation to meet amino
acid requirements ( dried brewers
grain, distillers grain, corn gluten meal)
 Increased concentrates and fats to
increase energy density of feed (
soybeans, sunflower seeds)
 Sodium bicarbonate “ buffer” to reduce
acidosis and maintain ruminal ph

6. Phase 2
 Begins 10 weeks post calving and can
continue to 20th week
 Highest dry matter intake happens
here
 Nutrient intake is finally in balance
with nutrient needs

7. What to feed in Phase 2
 Lower protein levels because
requirement is met by
supplementation in Phase 1
 Adequate fiber
 Limited grain intake
 Frequent feeding ( minimizes digestive
upset)

8. Phase 3
 “late lactation period”, cow is pregnant
again
 Nutrient intake exceeds requirement
for production
 Main period for restoring body
reserves for next lactation

9. What to feed in Phase 2
 Easiest phase to manage because
cow is pregnant and milk production is
declining
 Increased amount of forage instead of
concentrates
 Lower protein

10. Phase 4
 Most of the “ dry” period
 Final regaining of any lost body weight
happens here
 Goal is to get cow in good condition
for parturition, but not excessively fat (
BCS of 3.5 out of 5.O scale)

11. What to feed in Phase 4
 High protein, energy, Ca and P needs
 Combination of legume-grass hay and
corn silage ( with added vitamins and
P0
 Long stem grass hay ( length of hay
matters)
 Limit grain to energy and protein
needs

12. Body Condition Scoring
A numeric system to subjectively
assess and animal’s degree of fatness
Fat Cow Syndrome
- High blood lipids and fatty liver from
eating excess energy from grain or
corn silage
- Can lead to calving
difficulties, displaced abomassum and
ketosis

13. Phase 5
 Last 1-3 weeks of “dry” period, just
before calving
 Referred to as a “transition period”
 Increase grain intake to prepare
rumen for high energy diets that will
be needed postpartum

14. What to feed in Phase 5
 Gradual increase in grains
 Small amounts of all ingredients used
in the lactation ration
 Maybe decrease Ca in “ milk fever”
prone cows

15. Beef Cattle Nutrition
 Most critical factor influencing
performance of cattle on forage diet is
the amount of Dry Matter Intake
 Young, growing grass and pasture
crops usually have ample nutrients
 old pastures, crop residues and
harvesting methods cause reduction in
nutrients

16. Biological Cycle
Goal: optimal nutrition at each
stage, not maximum nutrition
Cycle is made up of 4 periods that
span 1 year: 3 trimesters and 1
postpartum period

17. First Trimester ( 95 days)
 Begins the 1st day of conception
 Nutrient needs are for maintenance
and lactation if the cow has a calf with
her
 Milk production is declining at this
stage

18. Second Trimester ( 95 days)
 Calf is weaned, lactation requirements
end
 Lowest nutrient requirements at this
point
 Feed minimally
 Easiest and most economical time to
increase a thin cows BCS

19. Third Trimester ( 95 days)
 Rapid fetal growth causes rapidly
increasing nutrient needs
 Watch BCS carefully, cow gains 1 lb
per day
 Too thin cows experience
dystocias, weak calves and decreased
milk production

20. Postpartum Period ( 80 days)
 High lactation requirements
 Feed intake is 35-50% higher than
non-lactating cow
 Nutritional stress at this point causes
problems during the cow’s next
breeding ( usually 80 days post
partum)

21. Energy Requirement
 Energy is considered first in
balancing diet for beef cattle, it’s
the largest portion of the ration
 Energy utilization determines cow’s
ability to use other nutrients
 Good quality forage satisfies adult
energy requirements
 Poor quality forages need to be
supplemented with concentrates

22. Protein Requirements
 50% of all protein and amino acid
needs are met by microbial protein
synthesis
 Protein deficiency is common when
cows consume straw and low quality
hay
 Urea is commonly used as a protein
supplement

23. Beef Cattle, Water
requirements
 Need abundant supply at once daily
 Range cows consume 2 ½ gallons
daily in winter and up to 12 gallons per
head in summer
 When salt is added, water need is
increased
 Fresh succulent feeds or silage help
reduce need

24. Beef Cattle mineral
requirements
 Salt- need more when eating succulent
forages than when eating drier forage
 Calcium- depends of Ca concentration in
soil, higher needs in growing and
lactating cows
 Phosphorus- Low P levels in
roughage, so P is often offered free
choice in a mineral mix
 Cobalt- required for rumen
microorganisms to synthesize vitamin B
12

25. Minerals continued
 Copper- Simental and Charlois have a
higher requirement than Angus
 Iodine- deficiencies in Northwest and
Great Lakes area soil; supply via
iodized salt

26. Beef Cattle Vitamin
Requirements
 C, D, E, K and B complex- no need for
supplementation; ruminal microflora
synthesizes B complex and K, Vitamin C
is synthesized in tissues, Sun dried
forages contain lots of Vit D and E
 A- roughage and grains are low in Vit
A, causing a deficiency. Cattle on
pasture can store large amounts of Vit A
for 2 months in liver, so deficiency isn’t
immediately apparent. Look for signs of
rough coat, diarrhea, excessive
lacrimation

27. Grazing Systems and
Management
1. Continuous Grazing
- Most common type of grazing
scheme
- Cow grazes 1 area for the entire
season up to 1 year
- Low maintenance, but production
suffers

28. Grazing systems continued
2. Deferred rotational grazing
- 4 pasture system
- 1 pasture would not be grazed from
spring to mid summer in order to allow
desirable plants to flower and reach
seed maturity
- The following year another pasture
would not be grazed
- After 4 years, all four pastures will
have had time to rest

29. Grazing systems continued
3. Rest rotation
- Uses 3-5 pastures
- 1 pasture is not grazed for an entire
year, while herd uses other pastures

30. Grazing Systems continued
4. Short duration grazing
- Developed in France
- 8-40 pastures grazed intensively for 2-
3 days, then not grazed again for
several weeks

31. Nutritional Disorders
1. Pasture bloat
- Comes from consuming lush legumes
( alfalfa, red clover)
- Relieve bloat by inserting stomach
tube into rumen and giving anti-foam
material ( ex vegetable oil)
- A trocar is used in extreme cases to
release pressure ( large “needle”
puncture through skin and gas rushes
out)

32. Nutritional disorders
continued
Grass tetany
- Low Mg levels in blood from grazing
lush green grass pastures
- Common in cows nursing calves
under 2 months
- Symptoms: excitability, cows act blind
- Fix by feeding free choice mineral
supplement containing Mg, early in
grazing season

33. Nitrite toxicity
- Caused when intake of nitrite is in
excess of the rumen’s ability to
convert it to ammonia
- Causes hemoglobin in blood to
change into a form which cannot
transport oxygen to the tissues
- Cow dies from asphyxiation
- Treat with injection of IV methylene
blue

34. Fescue toxicity
- Caused by grazing or consuming
harvested hay from tall fescue
pastures
- Cow eats the endophytic fungus that
grows between the fescue cells
- signs: soreness in hind limbs, “
fescue foot” hooves and tail slough
off, hypersalivation and polyuria

35. Acute Pulmonary Emphysema “ Asthma’
- Occurs in western US when cattle are
moved from dry rangelands to lush
meadow pastures abruptly
- Signs seen in 4-5 days after diet change
- Symptoms: labored breathing, extended
neck, open mouth breathing, grunting
- Prevention: ( no treatment) slowly
introduce cattle to new pasture and
supplement with monensin