Nutrition
Nutrition Articles
Managing the Growing Calf
It is a great sight when the cows with calves at foot are on grass and looking good. The thoughts of the manager turn to what can be done for the growing calf. This calf is initially a monogastric with a digestive system dedicated to animal protein for about 30 days after birth. Over the course of 90 days or so the rumen develops so that plant protein can serve as a source of nutrition. What steps can be taken to strengthen or improve the growth of immature animals? Sometimes the answer is don’t do anything. It would be better to focus on the cow and ensuring that she is strong, lactating well and recovering body condition so she will rebreed well. If it were possible to separate out the small or disadvantaged calves then some action taken would improve their weaning weight. Our current production systems don’t practically allow separation of calves into specific groups. Intervention has its importance in that any disadvantaged calves will benefit from help and pass this improvement on to their offspring in the case of heifers retained for breeding. For the male calves they benefit by having improved health and growth in the feedlot.
This fact is an epigenetic effect well documented in published literature. There is a cost associated with creep feeding the whole population of calves and some justification in doing it when market conditions are right. They are right this year so consider what type of supplementation would benefit most. Also look at the cost of such an action in labour and money per animal. With high market prices and lower grain prices there is money to be made for producers who sell calves off the cows into the feeder market at higher weights. More pounds produced by strategies supplementing grain and high quality forages which have a margin for profit will leave the producer money ahead. Calves at this age have a higher Feed Efficiency (FE), generally about 4:1 feed to gain so can efficiently convert grain once they have a functioning rumen at around the age of 4 months. I have written about not full feeding calves a creep ration when they are still with the cows because this generally is a breakeven situation. Full fed calves have a lower FE than those limit fed. Calves at 4 months of age will eat about 1.5% of their body weight as dry matter consuming 4.5 lb. of dry matter daily for a 300 lb calf. Providing around 1 to 1.25 lbs per calf in supplementation works quite well to add desired weight. This activity can add 15 lbs or more over the course of two months of supplementing. With barley at around .16/lb then add vitamin/mineral mix as a minimum blend, the cost of feed for one pound of gain would be about .18x4=$0.72. The value of one pound of calf is many times this figure even after operating costs are added for labour, fuel etc.. Projections for this fall for 400 lb calves is around $1.075/lb leaving a healthy margin of profit. Remember that over supplementing is worse than under supplementing. Smaller calves will eat less and larger calves will eat more.
Mixing the ration with confidence can be accomplished using a Highline® mixer. Whether a part load or full Highline® delivers an evenly blended diet. We have tested our mixers with variable size loads to be sure they are making a well mixed feed.