AS 313 Exam 3 Feedlot Cattle

Intensive system

• Most efficient (animals young) - Grow faster

• Time of feeding

  • Weaning - 240 days

  • Yearling - 120 days

• Increase gain and carcass char. - pros

• Acidosis, founders, and liver abscesses - cons

Compensatory growth

• put a beef animal on a extensive

  • they grow but dont finish (get fat)

• growth rate is really fast 

  • catch up after extensive 

  • finish fast 

Location of bunk line 

• Animals eat out of bunk

• not in pen, outside 

• in middle - bad

• Enough bunk space - so dominant animals dont push nondominant animals 

Mud 

pulls out heat of the animals - cost energy from animal

Mound in the feedlot

Get animals out of the mud - stay dry and warm

Bedding study

• Higher ADG even though animals are eating less

• No bedding - uses energy to heat

Shade in summer

• if no shade - die because they cant get out of heat 

Bedding in winter and summer

Summer- keeps cooler

Winter- keeps dry 

Jollyrancher plant

Byproduct is hot water

high sugar 

pumped to feedlot - winter increase ADG, in summer, they died

Concrete pads

Get them out of the mud

Up and out of mud when eating and drinking 

in front of the bunks 

if no mud when eating - eat more 

Wind break

Decrease velocity

Keys to success

Prevent acidosis - high grain diet

Bunk Management 

Roughage level

Storm Management (animals eat more when season is changing) 

“Bunk Up” - give more roughage 

Bunk Up

give more roughage

Milo/Sorghum, and Wheat

milo - slower fermentation

wheat- faster fermentation 

Parakeratosis

Potential liver abcess

higher grain diet

ulcers on rumen wall - goes to blood - microbe cleans liver 

Forage quality (does it make a difference 

No 

Negative Associative effect 

Supress fiber fermenetation 

more grain - pH decreases, more amololetic microbes, more lactic acid, cellulytic is less - cant ferment fiber

Highest Neg feedstuff

Grains

Lowest Neg

15% roughage

sweet spot 

Electric fence

Found in water - shocked animals when dirnking water

Animals werent drinking water 

When animals first come in 

Initially scared 

automatic water can be scary - use bucket 

keep quiet 

grass hay 

let them adjust 

Step up Rations

Slowly let rumens adapt to changing diets

Add bicarbs- neutralize low pH 

Can change depending on how fast the animal adjusts 

Feedlot cattle 

Corn and Forage 

• low in calcium 

Add Limestone - also a buffer 

• urinary calculi

  • stone block - can’t urinate

• Thiamine

  • PEM - polioencephalomalacia

Additives

Heifers - MGA - no riding and no heat

• in heat - riding - not eating

Ionophores 

Antibiotics

Buffers

Implants

Beta Agonists

Ionophores

Manipulate microbes and VFA - make animals more efficient

increase production of Propionate >energy

shift to more propionate - inhibiting acetogenic bacteria 

decreases methane loss 

Antibiotics 

Tylosin, Bacitracin, Erythromycin 

“Sub- Therapeutic” 

• low-levels 

• lowers chance of liver abcesses 

Implants

Estrogenic - feminine

Androgenic - testosterone 

Progesterone - female 

Phytoestrogens

Plant estrogens

Alfalfa (birth)

slows rate of pregnancy

Beta Agonist

Non-hormonal compounds

Bind to fat cell receptors <fat 

Bind to muscle cell receptors >muscle

greater feed efficiency 

temple grandin- stiffness, lameness, heat stress

No beta agonists or implants

Higher prices

Cattle Knees

Body grows faster than bones can calcify

Pushed to grow too fast 

Lameness 

Where is performance best?

Best in and out of shelter and when they have a place for drying

Injections

Dont give injections to the rump, better to do it near the front of the animal (thoracid vertebrae) 

If not, absesses occur which cost money