“Feeding a legume hay would be ideal, at so many pounds per head per day to meet protein needs at that stage of their pregnancy or lactation.” But if good legume hay isn’t available barley, oats, wheat can fill the gap, depending on whether they are cost effective.
- Hay. Hay, a staple of the cattle diet, is often fed to pregnant cows even if they have access to pasture. ...
- Grain. A pregnant cow needs plenty of grain to meet her energy needs and the needs of her growing calf. ...
- Supplements. ...
- Silage.
How do you feed a pregnant cow?
When you’re feeding a pregnant cow, you’re feeding for two. While protein requirements for all pregnant cows increase in the later stages of gestation, they’re highest for young cows. This can be managed by separating the first- and second-calf heifers from the main herd, and supplementing the younger females with protein,...
What do you feed 2 month old heifers?
Ł Feed a cottonseed hull-based TMR to 2- to 6-month-old heifers. Ł Use high quality grazed forage when available. Ł Supplement grazing heifers™ diets with silage, hay, grain, or a cottonseed hull- based TMR when needed.
What nutrients does a cow need in early gestation?
A cow’s nutrient requirements in early gestation aren’t much different from her maintenance requirements, but her needs increase as the fetus inside her grows. And if a cow is lactating, she needs a much higher level of protein and energy than during pregnancy.
What to do with thin cows and heifers?
Therefore, thin cows and heifers need to be on a greater plane of nutrition than older cows in good condition. Dahlen recommends producers consider sorting heifers and thin cows into their own group for feeding if possible.
Which feed is best for pregnant cows?
High-quality grass hay, or a grass/alfalfa mixed hay would be ideal for cows in late-stage gestation. Cows are very efficient in their utilization of nitrogen,” he says. “If the fall pasture forage is low on protein you can extend the use of their pasture with a protein supplement.
What nutrients do pregnant cows need?
As mature cows move from mid to late gestation, they need a 20 percent increase in crude protein intake and 16 percent increase in total digestible nutrient intake to keep up with increasing fetal growth. This need for additional nutrients is magnified once a cow calves and must produce milk for a calf.
What to feed cows before calving?
The use of colostrum from other cows or stored colostrum sometimes is necessary to ensure that each calf receives adequate colostrum. For optimum results, colostrum should be collected from cows within 24 hours of calving and fed fresh.
How do you take care of a pregnant heifer?
A secure, sunny and shady enclosure safe for mother and calf. An attentive and practical rapport with the cow. Well-made but poor quality dry hay for the last 6 weeks of pregnancy through the first week or two of motherhood. Plenty of fresh water, dry clean bedding and a mineral lick for your cow.
Is molasses good for pregnant cows?
M8U (molasses plus 8% urea) M8U is a common supplement for survival/drought feeding, spike feeding pregnant heifers and cows, and keeping growing steers and heifers growing slowly during the dry season.
Is oat hay good for pregnant cows?
Producers should dilute oat hay with low-nitrate feeds to avoid health issues if tests show the oat hay has 1,500 to 3,500 parts per million (ppm) of nitrate nitrogen. For pregnant cows and heifers, nitrate levels below 1,000 ppm are considered safe.
How much calcium does a pregnant cow need?
“We are saying that you need to go to -20 milliequivalents and up to 2% of dietary dry matter for calcium,” he said. Ultimately, a negative DCAD diet with added calcium is useful both for the transition to lactation and for improving future pregnancy outcomes.
Do cows eat before calving?
If all goes well, a cow should calve on her own, drink five to fifteen gallons of water, get up, pass the placenta within four to six hours, start eating, and begin lactation. To have cows hit a decent peak and maintain persistence during lactation, good feeding and body condition is extremely important.
How long should you leave a heifer calving?
Most cows will calve on their own so once signs of calving begins I usually recommend leaving six hours before handling animals per vaginum to make sure things are progressing ok. Earlier intervention may be warranted with at risk animals like those carrying twins.
How much protein do pregnant cows need?
Typical mature, late-gestation cows weighing about 1,400 pounds will need approximately 2.5 pounds of protein intake a day. Some 60 to 70 percent of the protein should break down in the rumen to supply sufficient nitrogen for rumen microbes.
Is salt good for pregnant cows?
The sodium supplement increased the birth weight of their calves but after 6 weeks there was no difference between treatments in calf weight. In addition to milk, calves in both treatments were offered a choice of concentrates with normal or high sodium concentrations (5·8 and 10·8 g/kg dry matter, respectively).
How many months is a heifer pregnant?
about 9 months and 10 daysA cow's pregnancy lasts about 9 months and 10 days. When a calf is born, it usually weighs around 45 pounds and can stand and walk within an hour.
How much protein does a pregnant beef cow need?
“Most mature cows in mid-gestation will need about 1.5 pounds of protein per day. In late gestation they probably require closer to 2 pounds per day. When lactating, their requirements are even higher and will vary depending on the level of milk production,” she says.
What minerals and vitamins do dry pregnant beef cows need and how can they be supplied?
Macrominerals required by beef cattle include calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), phosphorus (P), potassium (K), sodium (Na), chlorine (Cl), and sulfur (S). The micro minerals required are chromium (Cr), cobalt (Co), copper (Cu), iodine (I), iron (Fe), manganese (Mn), selenium (Se), and zinc (Zn).
How much should I feed a pregnant cow?
During the last two trimesters of pregnancy, mature cows generally consume 2 to 2.5% of their body weight on a dry-matter basis. For a 1,200 lb cow, this equates to 24 to 30 lb of hay per day on a dry-matter basis, or approximately 27 to 33 lb per day on an as-fed basis.
Is salt good for pregnant cows?
The sodium supplement increased the birth weight of their calves but after 6 weeks there was no difference between treatments in calf weight. In addition to milk, calves in both treatments were offered a choice of concentrates with normal or high sodium concentrations (5·8 and 10·8 g/kg dry matter, respectively).
How much TDN should a cow need?
This means the same 1,300-pound cow that needed 12.5 pounds of TDN per day at a temperature of 18 F may need up to 14.8 pounds of TDN per day at a temperature of 0 F.
What temperature should cows be kept at?
Even with heavy winter coats, nutrient requirements for cows begin to increase when the temperature is below the “lower critical temperature” of about 18 F.
What do producers need to know about calving?
Producers need to review their anticipated calving dates, cow body condition scores and cows' diet. Decisions a cattle producer makes about pregnant cow nutrition now can have major impacts on calf health in the spring and cow fertility during the next breeding season.
Do cows get pregnant after calving?
Studies also show that the need for good nutrition during pregnancy carries over to fertility the following breeding season. Cows that are thin at calving have a greater chance of not becoming pregnant the following breeding season, compared with cows that calve in good body condition.
Do heifers need to be on a greater plane of nutrition than older cows?
Therefore, thin cows and heifers need to be on a greater plane of nutrition than older cows in good condition. Dahlen recommends producers consider sorting heifers and thin cows into their own group for feeding if possible. If not, producers should try to spread feed out over a larger area to reduce the incidence of thin cows being pushed away ...
Why are replacement heifers kept?
Replacement heifers are traditionally kept to lead the genetic progress of the cow herd. These females, whether raised or purchased, need to have targeted development from birth to calving in order to be a productive part of the mature cow herd. Heifer development starts with proper whole-herd nutrition year-round.
How much should a cow weigh at breeding?
This will depend on cow size and targeted percent of mature weight by breeding season. For example, if average cow weight is 1400 lbs and 60% of mature weight by breeding is the goal, heifers need to weigh 840 lbs at breeding.
Do heifers need to be fed separately?
As soon as heifers are selected, they need to be fed separately from other backgrounded calves, as excess energy can have negative effects on long term mammary development and calving performance.
How much does a heifer weigh at breeding?
And heifer weight at breeding? The Fort Keogh research is finding that heifers from the non-restricted group can enter the breeding season at 57% of mature weight, or around 700 pounds. The heifers from restricted dams enter breeding season at 54% of mature eight, or around 650 pounds.
Do cows manage less produce offspring?
As they followed the heifer calves into adulthood, becoming part of the cowherd, they found another take-home: “So the short of the story is cows managed with less produce offspring that are probably what you might call more drought resistant or function more favorably with less,” Roberts says.
What type of hay should I feed my cows?
The level of protein never has to be higher than about 12 per cent, which they would need right before calving. High-quality grass hay, or a grass/alfalfa mixed hay would be ideal for cows in late-stage gestation. Cows are very efficient in their utilization of nitrogen,” he says. “If the fall pasture forage is low on protein you can extend ...
How much urea should I feed my cows?
Feed-grade urea is another option. For cows to use urea efficiently, three or four pounds of grain should be fed per head daily. “Cows need the soluble carbohydrates in order to use the urea,” says Yaremcio. “If you are using urea in a ration, no more than 25 per cent of the total protein should come from urea.
Do cows need different levels of nutrition?
Cows require different nutritional levels at different stages of gestation. Nutrient requirements in early gestation are not much different from maintenance requirements, but as the fetus grows larger the cow’s nutrient needs increase. And if a cow is lactating, she needs a much higher level of protein and energy than when she is pregnant.
Do ruminants need protein?
ADVERTISEMENT. They do need an adequate level of protein to “feed” the microbes in the rumen that break down forages into usable nutrients and get the energy benefit from dry feeds like mature grass or even straw.
Do cows need more protein?
And if a cow is lactating, she needs a much higher level of protein and energy than when she is pregnant. Protein requirements for pregnant cows increase during later stages of gestation, and are even higher for young cows. If you are keeping the young cows (the ones that will be first and second calvers) separate from the main herd, ...
Can cows be roughed?
The mature cows can be roughed through winter and early spring a lot easier than younger cows, because they are not trying to grow. Ruminant researcher Dr. Tim McAllister at the Lethbridge Research Centre says protein requirements are fairly low in the fall for spring-calving cows, around eight per cent.
Can you feed alfalfa hay every other day?
Other studies have shown that alfalfa hay can also be fed every other day, during the winter. “Some people are trying to build a winter ration for this coming season and we know that hay prices are a little higher because of the drought in various parts of the country.
