Spring Calving Strategies: Insights From a Veterinarian-and-Nutritionist Team

Each spring brings new opportunities for you to improve the health and productivity of your beef herd. The Elanco veterinarian-and-nutritionist team of W. Mark Hilton, DVM, DABVP, and Sara Linneen, PhD, beef nutritionist technical consultant, discuss ways to help ensure your nutrition program aligns with your long-term herd-health goals and profitability.

The following three key takeaways will support your calves starting out on the right hoof this spring and well into grazing season.

1. Why is it important to proactively evaluate nutrition programs heading into spring calving season?

Dr. Hilton, veterinarian: Nutrition is the foundation of health, an essential building block that affects the gestating calf, the quantity and quality of colostrum produced by the dam, and it can even affect how quickly a calf jumps up to nurse—a reflex that is a critical marker of that calf’s well-being from day one onward.

Dr. Linneen and I both love it when a producer comes to us and says, “The business is doing well, but I want a second set of eyes on my nutritional program to see where we can improve.” There are numerous ways we can holistically evaluate a program to address a herd’s overall health and productivity. Cattle today are quite different than herds of the 1950s and ’60s. The genetics are different, cattle have a greater mature weight and are more productive today; therefore, herds have different nutritional needs.

Additionally, since we see a strong connection between herd health and nutrition, it’s critical that we use feed and forage analysis tools to ensure animals are receiving adequate intake for both protein and energy. Evaluating the nutritional composition of feed is one of the tried-and-true ways to promote health and, therefore, improve bottom-line business efficiencies.

2. Where should producers start when evaluating their herd’s nutritional program?

Dr. Linneen, nutritionist: I first recommend evaluating the established nutrient requirements needed to meet your productivity goals. I start out by asking: Is your nutrition program meeting your herd’s requirements? What is the cost of your current program and how well is it meeting your goals? It’s not uncommon to buy the same feed year-in and year-out, but I highly encourage testing the nutrients in hay and in the pasture’s forage—at least once, if not twice a year—to determine if it meets the cow’s requirements. I advise clients to test large quantities of harvested hay within similar forage types and/or a cutting, and to test more than a single bale. It’s also helpful to clip pastures for forage samples to test quality, especially given the unprecedented weather patterns we’ve been experiencing of late.

Nutritionists as well as feed companies or local extension representatives can all help producers interpret feed and forage testing results to compare to their current program. Overfeeding or underfeeding nutrients can significantly affect cow productivity and operating costs, so this is a significant way to move the needle in any operation.

I look closely at crude protein, energy (total digestible nutrients) and mineral composition, all while considering cow feed intake, to help inform supplementation options. Clarity around nutrient composition allows us to recommend energy supplementation with tools like Rumensin^® to support feed efficiency. Rumensin helps reduce feed intake by 5% to 10% while maintaining production, equating to a $20 to $30 per cow opportunity during the feeding season.¹ This is particularly important now to reduce feed costs without impeding production, given elevated feed prices and drought recovery.

3. From both a veterinarian’s and nutritionist’s perspective, what’s the most critical way to support a calf’s health in its first day of life?

Dr. Hilton: I like to point to the importance of a calf’s initial reflex to jump up and nurse. Studies out of Canada show that calves with a weak suckle reflex are 42 times more likely to have failure of passive transfer.² Strength of suckle reflex was determined by assessing the response to placing two fingers longitudinally in the oral cavity and gently rubbing the roof of the calf’s mouth. This simple test provides critical information to the farmer, who can then support those calves that have a weak suckle reflex by using an esophageal feeder to give 2 to 3 quarts of colostrum within the first 12 hours of life. Decreased colostrum consumption affects calves with long-term consequences, all the way to the feed lot.³

Dr. Linneen: It requires a significant amount of effort for a calf to begin suckling directly after birth, and I want to see that effort rewarded with colostrum intake. This checks two boxes for the calf: immune protection and nutrient intake to further calf vigor and support health. Colostrogenesis is the process of the cow transferring immunoglobulins to the mammary, and this begins prior to calving. The nutrients the cow consumes during late gestation are used for colostrogenesis (in addition to a long list of other physiological needs) to ensure the proper quality and quantity of colostrum are available at birth.

Colostrum quality in beef cows is a topic that is not often discussed but is critical to calf lifetime productivity, as pointed out by Dr. Hilton. The more information we can learn about cow and calf health and nutrition and how they rely on one another, the more that productivity in a herd can be optimized.

Nutrition Program Resources Available

Knowledge is power. Reach out to a nutritionist, extension representative, or Elanco Animal Health consultant to assess your herd’s nutritional program in preparation for spring calving.

Dr. W. Mark Hilton is a veterinarian and technical consultant with Elanco Animal Health. Dr. Hilton earned his degree in Animal Science and a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine at Purdue University. As a partner of the DeWitt Veterinary Clinic, an 80% food animal practice, Dr. Hilton developed the Total Beef Herd Health Program to assist clients in producing healthier and more profitable herds. Dr. Hilton became a diplomate of the American Board of Veterinary Practitioners in the beef cattle specialty in 1996, and then he stepped into a role as clinical professor of beef production medicine at Purdue’s College of Veterinary Medicine, where he taught for 18 years. In addition to numerous professional awards and accolades, Dr. Hilton was honored as one of the 20 most influential bovine veterinarians in North America in 2013.

Dr. Sara Linneen is a nutritionist and beef technical consultant with Elanco Animal Health. She’s a sought-after researcher and consultant for customers in the non-confinement beef cattle management and nutrition sector. Dr. Linneen received her BS in animal science from the University of Arizona, MS in animal science in swine nutrition from Kansas State University and PhD in animal science in ruminant nutrition from Oklahoma State University.

References

¹Duffield TJ, Merrill JK, Bagg RN. Meta-analysis of the effects of monensin in beef cattle on feed efficiency, body weight gain, and dry matter intake. J Anim Sci. 2012;90(12):4583-92. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/22859759/. Accessed: February 13 2023.

²Homerosky ER, Timsit E, Pajor EA, et al. Predictors and impacts of colostrum consumption by 4 h after birth in newborn beef calves. Vet J. 2017;228:1-6. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29153100/. Accessed: February 13 2023.

³Wittum TE, Perino LJ. Passive immune status at postpartum hour 24 and long-term health and performance of calves. Amer J Vet Research. 1995;56(9):1149-54. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/7486391/. Accessed: February 13 2023.

The label contains complete use information, including cautions and warnings. Always read, understand and follow the label and use directions.

CAUTION: Consumption by unapproved species or feeding undiluted may be toxic or fatal. Do not feed to veal calves.

Growing beef steers and heifers on pasture (stocker, feeder, and slaughter) or in a dry lot, and replacement beef and dairy heifers:

For increased rate of weight gain: Feed 50 to 200 mg/hd/day in at least 1.0 lb of Type C Medicated Feed. Or, after the 5th day, feed 400 mg/hd/day every other day in 2.0 lbs of Type C Medicated Feed. The Type C Medicated Feed must contain 15 to 400 g/ton of monensin (90% DM basis). Do not self feed.

For the prevention and control of coccidiosis due to Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii: Feed at a rate to provide 0.14 to 0.42 mg/lb of body weight/day, depending upon severity of challenge, up to a maximum of 200 mg/hd/day. The Type C Medicated Feed must contain 15 to 400 g/ton of monensin (90% DM basis).

Type C free-choice medicated feeds: All Type C free-choice medicated feeds containing Rumensin must be manufactured according to an FDA-approved formula/specification. When using a formula/specification published in the Code of Federal Regulations (CFR), a Medicated Feed Mill license is not required. Use of Rumensin in a proprietary formula/specification not published in the CFR requires prior FDA approval and a Medicated Feed Mill License.

Beef cows:

For improved feed efficiency when receiving supplemental feed: Feed continuously at a rate of 50 to 200 mg/hd/day. Cows on pasture or in dry lot must receive a minimum of 1.0 lb of Type C Medicated Feed per head per day. Do not self feed.

For the prevention and control of coccidiosis due to Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii: Feed at a rate of 0.14 to 0.42 mg/lb of body weight/day, depending upon severity of challenge, up to a maximum of 200 mg/hd/day.

For calves (excluding veal calves):

For the prevention and control of coccidiosis due to Eimeria bovis and Eimeria zuernii: Feed at a rate of 0.14 to 1.00 mg/lb of body weight/day, depending upon severity of challenge, up to a maximum of 200 mg of monensin/hd/day. The monensin concentration in Type C medicated feed must be between 10 and 200 g/ton.

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