Winter Feeding
Feed requirements of cows during winter weather varies, depending on body condition, temperature, moisture, and hair coat. The Mesonet Cattle Comfort Advisor helps calculate how much feed is necessary.
When harsh winter conditions are in the forecast, avoid being caught off-guard and consider these ways to manage your cows, calves, and bulls to help them weather the storm.
Many producers assume providing minimal protein supplementation to target approximately 1.0 pound/day gain during the winter is the most economical system. However, research data would suggest otherwise.
Many livestock operations harvested drought-affected crops, annual small-grains or other alternative forages this year. Those drought-stressed forages can be high in nitrates and cause toxicity issues in cattle.
Making efficient use of harvested hay continues to represent “low-hanging fruit” in both seedstock and commercial cattle operations.
Providing bedding is one of the time-tested strategies for dealing with winter weather. But how does it affect the bottom-line? This SDSU Extension article examines the cost and labor impacts.
Cold stress on beef herds should be addressed for animals during the winter to maintain necessary body condition going into the calving season, a Purdue Extension beef cattle specialist says.
There is nothing cheap or quick about raising cattle and shortcuts will leave cattle exposed and vulnerable.
The recent cold blast should have producers thinking about how much feed to deliver to their cows during frigid temperatures.
Cattle producers in Kansas recently saw temperatures dip below 0 degrees, which called for a little extra care and attention for their livestock.
Provide cattle with adequate feed and protection from winter weather extremes.
High daily temperatures at 20 and 30 degrees confirm the arrival of winter. A week or more of cold temperatures, particularly below freezing, can take a toll on the cow herd.
The feed cost environment for 2013-2014 is dramatically different compared to last year.
Heading into the winter months, cattle producers should give careful attention to adequate nutrition of beef cattle.
If there are any lessons that can be learned from the past few years of sparse rainfall it’s that recovering from drought requires proper management.
The shortage of decent hay for winter feeding has farmers scrambling for some type of replacement roughage.
This winter may bring cattle producers even more challenges in terms of weather and keeping winter feed costs in check.
This winter may bring cattle producers even more challenges in terms of weather and keeping winter feed costs in check.
Hay loss and feed waste are inevitable components of most beef production systems.
Researchers found that using a cone-style feeder or modified cone feeder with a sheeted bottom reduced hay waste.
As hay prices continue to rise, many Midwest cattle producers are searching for cheaper alternatives to winter feeding.
A cold, snowy December has caused many livestock farms to reevaluate their winter supply of forage.
Whether on the soil or in the barn, corn stover is a valuable resource on crop and livestock farms.
Colder weather means livestock need more energy to be able to withstand harsh winter conditions outdoors.
The wide usage of large package, round bales for feeding beef herds has made hay feeding more labor efficient, but may offer a number of management challenges to producers who wish to maintain superior hay quality and cattle performance.
Feed costs for over-wintering a beef cow are a major expense in beef cow /calf operations. Some decisions have already been made that will affect the outcome of both your costs and success at this point.
Winter feed represents one of the largest costs for a livestock production enterprise.
Why is it that nearly every article on beef cow nutrition in the winter seems to focus on body condition?
Drier weather in the last month has led to slow growth of forages in parts of the Midwest, meaning livestock producers need to double check their forage supplies for the rest of the season now.