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Keeping Cattle On Feed
Michael Fisher, Area Extension Agent - Golden Plains Area
Date:
7/21/2011
Questions? Contact Me
I
don’t know about you, but I have not enjoyed the recent 100 degree heat
wave. Most likely, cattle in the area have not enjoyed it either. Cattle have a
temperature comfort zone that ranges from zero to seventy-five degrees
Fahrenheit. When the temperature rises above 75 degrees, cattle begin to
experience levels of heat stress. They can generally cope with this heat stress
until the temperature reaches 90 degrees. After that many cattle begin to
exhibit noticeable signs of heat stress. One of these signs is for the cattle
to reduce consumption of feedstuffs. There are some management tactics that
have been used in an effort to maintain feed intake.
Maintain an ample
water supply. Cattle will drink more water when they are suffering from heat
stress. The extra water consumption helps the animal dissipate body heat,
through sweating and urination. It is important to make certain that cattle
have adequate mineral during these times, as the increased urination removes
minerals from the body. Feedlot cattle should have at least three linear inches
of water trough space per animal in the pen, during periods of extreme heat.
Some producers will add extra water tanks in the pens. Others have lined feed
bunks with plastic and filled them with water. The water should be fresh and
clean. This will promote drinking. Cattle do not like the taste of stale, dirty
water. Also, it is beneficial to provide cool water. The rumen temperature can
be influenced by the temperature of water that is consumed. In turn, the
animal’s blood temperature reflects the rumen temperature and signals the
nerve centers in the brain that control feed consumption. Therefore, the
consumption of cool water can increase feed consumption.
Another way to
maintain feed intake during hot periods is to add and adjust feeding times.
Fresh feed is generally more palatable to cattle than feed that has been in the
bunk for a while. This is especially true when silage or fats are included in
the ration. So by feeding less feed, more times per day you can increase the
amount of time that available feed is fresh. Another feed-time factor relates
to temperature patterns during the day. During hot periods, cattle will eat
more when the daily temperature is decreasing. So if you feed 70 percent of the
day’s total ration between two and four hours following the peak heat of
the day, cattle are more likely to maintain intake. Research suggests that this
late day feeding schedule can help prevent sub-clinical acidosis during heat
waves.
In theory, digestibility and quality of feedstuffs can also be
factors in maintaining feed intake during excessively warm periods. Producers
often refer to “hot” and “cool” feeds. Typically, hot feeds
refer to high energy items, like corn; while cool feeds are low energy, such as
grass hay or straw. Many feeders don’t like to back cattle down from hot
rations, once they have stepped the animals up to a new level. However,
research suggests that lowering the energy level of a ration, or switching to a
storm ration, during periods of heat stress can reduce the animal’s
metabolic heat load. On the other side of this argument, concentrates like corn
are far more digestible than the cool feeds. This infers that the heat of
digestion that is created when feedstuffs are broke down is less significant
when cattle are consuming grain when compared to forage digestion.
These
are just a few thoughts to consider when feeding cattle during heat stressed
times. There are many other management practices that can help your livestock
in hot weather. I hope that you find this article helpful and feel free to
contact your local Colorado State University Extension office if you have
questions about this.