Envision an idyllic cattle pasture with scattered trees and a quiet wetland bordering acres of healthy, high-quality grass for forage.
It appears perfectly picturesque until digging deeper. When temperatures soar or inclement weather moves in, where can heifers find shade and protection for calving? What predators are hiding beneath that cool water?
“A heifer’s natural instinct is to separate from the herd and go hide somewhere to have her calf,” says Dr. Robin Falkner, Elanco beef technical consultant. “And in that beautiful pasture in Louisiana, heifers were calving under the trees and on the banks of the cool, slowly moving water. The problem was their chosen locations put those calves at risk of drowning or predation.”
Why? Because silently gliding along the water line, with only eyes and nostrils visible, were alligators stalking their prey.
“That producer was losing about 10% of his calves to the water or the alligators,” Falkner says. “The best cattlemen spend a lot of time with their cattle, trying to understand what the cattle are saying and watching what they’re doing. It took spending time watching his cattle to realize the threat.”
While alligators aren’t a problem for most cattle producers, versions of that scenario routinely play out across the country. If a clean, safe space isn’t readily available for heifers to separate and lay down, calving is delayed and calf health is put at risk.
“Riding through the pasture at 50 miles per hour is not checking cows,” Falkner says. “Good cattle husbandry requires taking the time to commune with the cows. Spend the quiet time required to properly observe what they’re doing and learn what you can do to better provide the environment they need to thrive.”
Cattle communicate through behavior, movement, and health indicators, including body condition scores.
“Communication can take several forms. It may be that at a time of day when they should be out grazing, they are instead bunched up because black flies are biting them, and standing together allows them to swat each other’s flies,” Falkner says. “Cattle husbandry is about observing and learning from your cows.”
Prioritize Cattle Care
Cattle husbandry, which is the responsible housing, feeding, breeding and care of livestock, is at the heart of maintaining a healthy herd.
Responsible housing protects cattle from weather extremes, while allowing for feed delivery, safe calving, and easy access and handling of animals if intervention is needed.
In adverse weather conditions, a pasture with good wind breaks or low spots allows cattle to escape the wind. Other housing necessities include access to feed or pasture, the ability to separate animals if needed, and readily accessible facilities to aid in the delivery of a calf or treat for disease.
Nutrition impacts growth, fertility, and production.
During a cow’s annual cycle, energy requirements, nutritional needs, and body condition scores can vary from breeding through gestation to calving.
But determining nutritional needs can be more complex than determining body condition scores and adjusting rations around calving. For example, with seasonal grazing, pasture conditions vary and supplemental feeding may be necessary. A viable tool is the use of ionophores, which can increase feed efficiency and enhance care by preventing coccidiosis.
When breeding, balanced genetic selection includes prioritizing bulls whose genetics promote growth and good carcass qualities while producing heifers with acceptable birth weight genetics and good milk production to wean a heavy calf.
Adapt as needed
Sometimes proficiency can hamper the ability to adjust as cattle needs change.
“You may be proficient at riding a unicycle while juggling on a high wire across a pit of snakes. Is it something you do simply because you’re good at it? Is what’s on the other side something that’s worth moving towards? Often, it’s motion for motion’s sake. Instead, really think about what needs to be accomplished and why it is important to herd health, and then devise a management plan that fits those goals,” Falkner adds.
To learn more about how cattle husbandry affects herd health, and ultimately profitability, visit Elanco.com/us or talk to your local Elanco representative.
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