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Alternative FeedingStrategies
Tim Mize
ANR Agent
Fauquier county
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Why? Late spring/early
summer rains made for
weather damagedand/or mature hays.
Drought-reduced first
What kind of winter will we see?
cu ngs n some areas,second cuttings (?),pasture late spring andsummer, corn yields.
Last winter reducedcarry-over.
High nitrate feeds Keep the cows?
Feed = >60% annual cow cost: 50% of these cost occur in the winter!
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Group livestock by nutritionalrequirements. Most critical period =
calving throughbreeding.
Dry cows have the.
Young livestock are veryefficient at convertingfeed into muscle.
Now is the time to lookat culling underperforming cows.
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Spring calving herds vs. Fallcalving herds Spring
Breeding is over Cow condition (3 Yr)
Calf weights
Fall
Calving Conception rates
Growth to weaning
Winter feed supplies Winter feed supplies
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Decisions, Decisions, Decisions1. Feed the lactating cow and let her
feed the calf.2. Creep feed the calf and minimal feed
.3. Wean and feed calves and dry cows.
4. Sell the calves and feed dry cow.
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Fall calving Spring calvingWhat are your options?
1. Feed hay to make upfor pasture. Buyhay?
2. Limit feed andsupplement with
What are your options?
1. Feed hay to make upfor pasture. Buy hay?
2. Limit feed andsupplement withgrain/byproduct
grain byproduct3. Creep feed
4. Early wean
5.
Make plans forwinter grazing
6. Rent morepasture/crop residue
3. Wean if you havent4. Make plans for
winter grazing
5.
Rent morepasture/crop residue
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Feed hay save pasture Dont open the all the gates. Sacrifice afield. Every drought is followed by a rain.
Over grazing now is going to cost down theroad. Follow normal grazing heightrecommendations.
Calculate amount forage needed/on hand Test the feed value of the hay.
Value the hay crop and feed it accordingly
Dont waste it. Outside storage can result in losses of 20%
Control access.
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Supplement (foragereplacements) Grazing
Grazing is a moving target All of the piedmont pastures seemed to be
affected this summer.
What is the value of harvested feeds? CPor TDN Forage samples have been all over the board.
Corn silage results are very localized.
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Supplementing forHay Quality
Fauquier County forage
samples OG 1st cutting:
CP 13.1%
TDN 61.7%
Mixed hay Fertilized: CP 10.8% OK?
TDN 56.6% 2#SBH
Mixed hay no fertilizer:
CP 8.3% 1.79 pounds P 55.8 % 12.0 pounds TDN
Mixed hay CP 7.1%
TDN 50.6%
Pearl Millet: CP 7.9%
TDN 61.8 %
1200# lactating cowDMI 24.1 Pounds 28 poundsCP 1.9 Pounds (8%) 3.0 (11.%)TDN 12.8 Pounds (53%) 16.9 (61%)
1200# mid-gestation cowDMI 23.3 PoundsCP 1.6 pounds (7.0%)TDN 11.4 pounds (49%)
5 poundsDistillers1.45 pounds
Protein4.45 poundsTDN
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Supplementing Energy Cost should be
the primaryselection criteria.Base it on the
Starches and sugars
are rapidlyfermented.
Feeding at levels of
nutrient sneeded TDN makes up the
largest portion ofthe diet.
> % BW maydecrease forageintake and
digestibility.
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Effect of increasing corn on hay intakeand digestibility
Corn, lbs/day
None 2.2 4.4 6.6
Hay DMI, lbsTotal DMI, lbs
DOMI, lbsHay OM Digest, %
19.320.9
7.536.5
18.021.1
8.435.1
14.118.6
7.123.6
11.217.2
7.318.9
JAS 65:557
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Supplementing Protein NormallyCP
adequate for maturecows.
Lactation and growth
By products that
are high in CP andTDN. Wheat midds
raises demand. Usually if protein
needs to be
supplemented,energy will need tobe also
Brewers/distillers Commodity pellets
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Limit feed (substituting grain forhay)
Requires secure facilities.
The most deficient and expensive nutrientis energy.
.(1/2 pound hay per 100 pounds BW)
Lactating cows can require 30% more feed.
Provide plenty of bunk space.
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Limit feed/low roughage Most grains can
substitute 1# forevery 2# hay
Slowly adapt to high
concen ra e e s. Minerals- grains are
lower in Ca an higherin phosphorus thanforages.
Urea? Ionophore?
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Limit feeding
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Alternative feeds (by-products)
Hay can be the most expensive feed per
pound of TDN Ingredient for human consumption or use
.
Most cases the starch has been removed.
Remaining components are concentrated.
Processing affects nutrient levels.
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By-products Soy hulls- fiber is highly digestible (good
mix for high forage rations; 1;1 w/corn).
Should not be the only fiber source.Protein is variable. Dont exceed 1%bw.
Corn Gluten- protein and energy
supp ement. g concentrate ets senergy of corn. Can be self fed. >50%ration S problems
Brewers/Distillers Grains-protein andenergy supplement, may be source ofmineral and vitamins. There are limitations.
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By-products Wheat midds-good supplement for grazing.
High in energy and CP. Pelleting willincrease palatability. Contain starch.
-
parts Wheat midds, soy hulls, corn gluten.14-16% CP, highly digestible fiber,palatable.
Whole cottonseed, cottonseed hulls,peanut skins.
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High energy / low starch supplements
Feed CPUIP
% CPTDN
%Starch
%
DDGDBG
30.429
5250
9066
1810.7
SBHCGF
1223.8
2522
7780
625.4
NRC-Beef 2000 updates, PAS16:69-99
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Creep Feeding Reduce roughage
consumptions. Increase ADG by 0.5-
1.0
Will not reduce milkconsumption. The onlyway to lighten the loadon cow is early wean.
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Early Wean Can reduce the cows
demands by >30%.
Can increase conception>10% if done duringbreeding season.
After breedin ; decrease
cows appetite. 3-4 month old calves; can
weaned as early as 65days
The earlier the better ifconditions dictate. Cows willgenerally recover 0.5 to1.5 BCS.
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What about the calf? Health concerns.
Vaccinations, coccidia, worms, implanting.
Keep groups small
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Will they grow?
Calves weaned at 2-5months should weigh at
least as much as whenyou would normallywean.
3 pound gains seen onyoung ca ve on g
grain diets Calves that continue on
high grain dietsthrough slaughter haveheavier finishedweights an carcass
Higher marbling
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Spring calving cows and bodycondition 5-6 is ideal
it takes 75 to 100pounds to move up aBCS
s e ga ns pounday you need 150days minimum.
Thats an extra 333
pounds of corn, $24 If cows are being
pulled down, weanearly
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Let the cattle do the work!
Stock pile fescue. Forage test continue to
show that nutrient levels are higher thanmost of the 1st cutting hays. Quality can bemaintained throu h earl s rin .
Small grains Crop residues
1 AU for 1.5 months
Every bushel shelled leaves 50 pounds residue.
Watch for grain related problems.
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Managed grazing
Efficiencies: Continuous = 35% 4 Days = 50%
=
1 day = 75%
Good stand = 300 lbs per inch. Measure growth this year = 8 inches fertilized1500 pounds of potentially harvestable forage/acre
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Take 5 leave 3
35% = 525 lbs per acre (1500 * .35) 10 acres = 5250 harvested forage
50 cows will eat 1250#/day = 4 grazing days
60% = 900 lbs per acre 10 acres = 9,000#
50 cows = 7 razin da s
75% = 1,125 lbs per acre 10 acres = 11,250#
50 cows = 9 grazing days
That is the equivalent of getting an extra7.5/800 pound round bales for every 10acres grazed.
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At the beginning ofgrazing pasture is a mixof grasses and forbs
Cattle consume thehighest quality first
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Grazing corn stalks Graze it early. TDN
Grain(9/90)> leaves> Husk> cobs> stalks
Snow? Mud? Best outcome = maintenance to .5 pound
a ca vers move o en ear y wean Supplement with natural proteins
Excess grain(>8-12 bu/acre)= acidosis,
founder. Experience matters. Cost; next years effect?
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