Cow Calf Nutrition

Cow Calf Nutrition: Part III

• Detailed information regarding cow calf nutrition, environmental factors affecting cattle, and health conditions specific to pastoral settings.

Mountain Pasture Conditions

• Going to Mountain Pasture: Movement of cattle to higher altitudes for grazing.

• Seasonal Effects:

  • Importance of considering the slow onset of summer at high altitudes, which may affect pasture growth and availability.

Brisket Disease

• Disease Definition: Brisket Disease, also known as Pulmonary Hypertension, is a health condition affecting cattle at higher altitudes.

• Symptoms and Clinical Signs:

  • Case Definition for BCHF: Based on the presence of two or more clinical signs specific to BCHF and two or more non-specific signs:

  1. Specific Clinical Signs:

     • Ventral and intermandibular edema (commonly referred to as 'brisket' and 'bottle jaw').

     • Jugular vein distention and pulsation.

     • Ascites (abdominal swelling).

     • Exophthalmia (also known as 'bug-eye').

  2. Non-Specific Clinical Signs:

     • Dyspnea (difficulty breathing) and open mouth breathing.

     • Abducted elbows.

     • Depression, evidenced by drooped ears.

     • Intermittent watery orange diarrhea.

     • Tachycardia (increased heart rate).

     • Exercise intolerance.

     • Cachexia (weight loss or wasting).

  • Disqualifications at Necropsy:

  • Presence of hardware disease.

  • Myocarditis due to Histophilus somni infection.

  • Congenital heart defects.

  • Affected Cases:

  • Mention of various pairs (e.g., affected pair 24, affected pair 32) illustrating the incidence rates and characteristics of affected animals.

Pulmonary Arterial Pressure (PAP) Test

• PAP Test Overview:

  • Procedure involves inserting a catheter into the pulmonary artery to measure pulmonary arterial pressure.

  • Interpreting Scores:

  • Lower scores are more desirable, indicating better health.

  • A higher PAP value is associated with heart failure; this suggests that blood vessels in the lung are constricted.

  • Noted that the trait displays moderate to high heritability.

Pasture Types

• Roughage Key: Emphasizes the importance of various pasture types, particularly roughage, for cattle nutrition.

• Summer Range Conditions:

  • Identifies issues such as short pasture available during drought conditions.

• Dry Lot Feeding: Reference to feeding practices in Las Cruces, NM during summer months.

Winter Management

• Winter Gestation Period: Critical nutrition management during the winter, particularly for gestating cows.

• Winter Feeding Practices:

  • Harvested Feeds: Essential for sustaining cows during winter months.

  • Importance of meadow feeding to ensure adequate nutrition.

  • Round Bale Feeding:

  • Use of round bale feeders to provide forage efficiently.

  • Introduction of big round bale un-rollers for better access to feed.

• Nutrient Levels in Winter Ranges:

  • Notable deficiencies often include:

  • Low Nutrient Content.

  • Low Protein Levels.

  • Insufficient Vitamin A, E, and D.

  • Reduced energy availability.

Feed Supplementation

• Cake Feeding:

  • Emphasizes nitrogen recycling with cake feed given three times a week to support nutrient needs.

• Source of Amino Acids (AA) for Ruminants:

  • Importance of true protein versus non-protein nitrogen (NPN), which can be converted into microbial protein.

  • Escape Protein: Denotes protein that bypasses the rumen to be directly absorbed into the body.

Non-Protein Nitrogen (NPN)

• Understanding NPN:

  • Definition of NPN as non-protein nitrogen sources, such as urea. The source should equate to roughly 287% crude protein equivalent when utilized appropriately.

  • Utilization of NPN:

  • Ruminants require compatible energy and carbon skeletons for effective utilization of NPN.

  • When crude protein is sufficient, additional nitrogen becomes ineffective (maximum utilization considered at one-third of the protein requirement).

Urea Fermentation Potential (UFP)

• Concept of UFP:

  • Highlights the need for energy and carbon skeletons during urea fermentation.

  • Noting differing scenarios for UFP compatibility:

  1. Soybean meal and NPN – compatibility.

  2. Winter range with NPN – compatibility.

  3. Wheat straw, grain, and NPN – compatibility.

  4. Liquid supplement and NPN – compatibility.

  • Strong emphasis on ensuring positive Urea Fermentation Potential (UFP) to avoid toxicity, achievable by using a vinegar drench.

Liquid Supplementation

• Usage of Liquid Supplements:

  • Typically centered on NPN sources, which assist in meeting cattle's nutritional needs.

  • Molasses-Based Protein Supplements:

  • Common practice of integrating a 16% molasses-based protein supplement, which often consists of NPN.

  • Various forms include condensed molasses solubles, ammoniated molasses, ammoniated citrus pulp, and beet pulp.

Nutritional Concerns

• Nitrate in Plants:

  • Identifying dangers associated with high nitrite levels leading to anoxia, where nitrite binds with hemoglobin, resulting in methemoglobinemia.

  • Risk Factors:

  • Fetuses are particularly sensitive to elevated nitrite and methemoglobin levels.

  • Diagnostic Indicators:

  • Blue mucous membranes in cattle and chocolate brown blood indicative of toxicity issues can lead to abortion.

Winter Feeding Management

• Common Winter Feeding Errors:

  • Mistakenly providing cows with feed of too high quality can lead to obesity issues.

  • Associated consequences include reduced reproductive performance due to excessive fat accumulation.