Pasture turnout is an important time in a cow herd management calendar. It is critical to make sure both the forage and cattle are ready before opening the pasture gate.
Considering your cow herd, what should you consider before turnout? AJ Tarpoff, DVM and Kansas State University Extension veterinarian, shares his top five tips producers should consider before sending cattle to pasture this summer.
- Perform Spring Herd Health Program. Tarpoff reminds producers the importance of doing bull breeding soundness exams before putting the bull to work. He also encourages producers to do pre-breeding vaccinations, consider synchronization options and plan for common pasture ailments such as foot rot and pinkeye.
- Make a Plan for Internal/External Parasites. Now is the time to decide how you are going to tackle flies, ticks and internal nematodes. Aaron Berger, University of Nebraska beef systems Extension educator, reminds producers there are several options available to help control flies and to consider the option that works best for your management plan.
- Establish Summer Mineral Program. Tarpoff encourages producers to prepare mineral feeders and calculate needs and delivery intervals.
- Assess Forage and Fences. Tarpoff says it is important to walk fence lines and scout pastures to determine forage and water availability. “Be sure to check forage availability and make any stocking rate adjustments, if necessary,” he says.
- Check Cattle Identification. Be sure cattle are identified before turnout. This can include brands if required in your area or tags. Along with identification, Tarpoff shares these tips for protecting cattle from theft: lock gates and don’t leave cattle penned up overnight in an easily accessible location. He also encourages producers to communicate with neighbors who share a fence line when turning out about what types of cattle are going and how the cattle are identified.
Ron Lemenager, Purdue beef specialist, reminds producers to watch for two potential health issues that can occur at grass turnout: grass tetany and bloat.
Minimize Grass Tetany Risk
Early season lush pasture grasses are high in water content, potassium and soluble nitrogen, but low in magnesium and energy content. It should be noted that pastures containing legumes provide a grazing diet that is somewhat higher in magnesium.
“Grass tetany can be a problem, especially in older lactating cows that are less efficient in mobilizing magnesium from body stores,” Lemenager explains. “Feeding a high magnesium mineral for several weeks prior to turnout is a standard recommendation to minimize the incidence of grass tetany.”
He reminds producers magnesium, usually in the form of magnesium oxide, is not palatable. Therefore, it is important that mineral intake be monitored.
Watch for Bloat
Lemenager says legumes are beneficial to diet quality — providing nitrogen for companion grasses and increased forage production — but lush legumes can cause bloat. As legumes advance in maturity, the risk for bloat does decrease.
He shares these recommendations to minimize the incidence of bloat:
- Prior to turnout, survey the pasture. Look for large areas in the pasture where legumes are the predominant forage. These areas seen to attract cattle and can exacerbate the bloat problem.
- Make sure cows are full of a dry forage, such as hay, at turnout to reduce the risk of immediately consuming a large meal of lush legumes.
- Don’t turnout until the forages are dry. Wet forages (dew or rain) reduce the amount of saliva production as cattle consume and swallow forages. Saliva is important not only as a rumen buffer to control rumen pH, but also as a surfactant that can reduce the surface tension of stable gas bubbles (frothy mass) formed during rumen fermentation.
- Poloxalene containing supplements fed prior to turnout and during the early grazing season act as a surfactant to weaken the surface tension of the stable foam and reduce the risk of bloat.
Through following these strategies with accurate planning and preparation, pasture turnout can be stress free for both the producer and the cow herd.
Your Next Read: Pasture Turnout Tips: Optimum Forage Strategies
