Published October 1966. Facts and recommendations in this publication may no longer be valid. Please look for up-to-date information in the OSU Extension Catalog: http://extension.oregonstate.edu/catalo

Frischknecht, W. Dean

Oregon State University. Extension Service

Undetermined

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Many Oregon cattlemen must decide whether to sellsome of the basic breeding herd or to buy additionalfeed for wintering. Complicating the decision is thefavorable long-time outlook for beef cattle, and therelatively short supply of available feeds in some areas.It appears economical to winter as many as possibleof the good producing cows and also the desirable heiferreplacements. HOW?Evaluate the available feed supply; then determine,how many and what kind of cattle are to be wintered.Cull to the necessary level.Culling: Eliminating the NonproductivePregnancy testing will help determine the cows tobe culled. Cows that are not pregnant this fall willnormally not be bred until the breeding season nextyear. This means two winters before any returns. Forexample, a 6-year-old cow not pregant in the fall of1966, bred during June of 1967, will calve in March of1968. At weaning time in 1968, her calf will have toweigh 500 pounds at 30 cents per pound in order forher to return $75 per year. The cow will be 8 years ofage by that time and soon be decreasing in productivity.This is a good time to cull open cows of any age that areof inferior quality.In order to select for early calving cows, select thelargest heifers of desirable quality at weaning time.Large calves means that their mothers are productive,and this is one of the best indications of heifer produc-tivity. Identifying calves with their mothers removesmost of the guesswork.In this period of high production costs, it is almostmandatory that heifers be well-grown-out and willcalve as two-year-olds. The smaller and later heifercalves should not be retained by operators who desireto calve their heifers at two years of age.Alternatives would be to sell the small heifers to afeeder for feeding or to some operator who might wantto calve them in the fall at about 26 to 30 months of age.It is a great temptation to keep old cows for justone more calf. As a general rule, cows are going down-hill at 9 and 10 years of age. Two good heifer calvescan be wintered for about the same cost as for anold cow.Segregating CattleHeifer calves, bred heifers, and possibly two-year-olds should be segregated into groups separate fromBeef Cattle--Shaping up for Winter `'))W. DEAN FRISCHKNECHTExtension Animal Science Specialist, Oregon State University, CorvallisFS 111October 1966the main cow herd. These young cattle are growing, andthey need a ration higher in protein than mature cows.When these heifers are fed in groups of their own sizeand age, they should be able to compete and get adequatefeed. Rations can be designed for each of the agegroups.Feeding Replacement Heifer CalvesRequirements for replacement heifers vary, depend-ing on the age at which the heifers are to be bred. Ifcalving at two years of age is the program, then a higherfeeding level is necessary throughout the first year ofthe heifer's life than if she is going to be calved as athree-year-old. Replacement heifers should have thebest feed that is available.Feeding heifers for optimum growth rate andbreeding ability is one of the critical problems. Researchshows that over-feeding might be even worse thanunder- feeding.Heifers should weigh around 650 pounds when bredas yearlings. This gives a target to shoot at so far asheifer development is concerned. Heifers weighingabout 400 pounds in October will need to gain at about1 pound per day during the winter and spring, in orderto be of sufficient size for breeding as yearlings. Calveswill need a minimum of 300 pounds of good quality dryroughage per month. This should supply at least 150pounds TDN per month. As these heifers increase insize, their feed requirements will increase.Feeding Bred HeifersDuring their second winter, pregnant heifers shouldbe fed a ration that will maintain their summer weightand also add some gain during the winter. The mainobjective is to insure adequate growth for the heifer,proper nutrition for the developing calf, and at thesame time not get the heifer too fat. The ration shouldgive the heifer a chance to be of good size and in goodcondition when she calves as a two-year-old. This willalso help to assure her rebreeding ability after she hascalved the first time.Wintering Two-Year-Old HeifersYoung cows that have just weaned their first calvesare still considerably smaller in size than the maturecows in the herd. If feed is scarce, they should be segre-gated and fed separately. One of the big problems in theThis is one of a series of Fact Sheets reporting Cooperative Extension work in agriculture and home economics,Gene M. Lear, director. Printed and distributed in furtherance of Acts of Congress of May 8 and June 30,1914. Oregon State University, Oregon counties, and U. S. Department of Agriculture cooperating.cow business is to get a good crop of calves from three-year-old heifers when they have already raised a calfas two-year-olds. Nutrition is the main factor deter-mining reproductive ability. These heifers are stillgrowing, and should have a full feed of hay. Thequality of the roughage will determine the advisabilityof adding a protein supplement. A ration of alfalfa haywith nothing else should do the job. A full feed ofnative meadow hay also is adequate. If hay is of poorquality, then 1 to 2 pounds of additional protein, suchas cottonseed meal, should be supplied.Wintering the Cow HerdA mature, dry cow requires a minimum of about600 pounds of dry roughage or 300 pounds TDN permonth during the fall and winter. Adequate energy andprotein are essential. If fall pasture is short, supple-mentary feeding should start before the cattle get thin.A little supplement started while the cattle are on fallpastures will help maintain condition and extend theforage supply. Poor forage or roughage quality willrequire more supplemental energy, protein, andvitamins.The most critical time is after the cows have calved.Good nutrition is most important when cows are nursingtheir calves, so adequate feed is necessary at that time.Feeding BullsBulls should receive a ration that provides from 25to 30 pounds of dry matter per day. This ration shouldbe high enough in protein to make sure that each bullgets 1 to 1-1 pounds of protein. Bulls should not beallowed to get too fat, but the biggest problem is thatbulls are wintered too thin and sometimes are really notready to go out and do a top job during the breedingseason. If bulls are given a feed of fairly good qualityhay, additional grain should not be necessary untilthey are being conditioned for the breeding season.If the hay is of poor quality or is in short supply, thenthe bulls may need from 3 to 5 pounds of grain per day,along with the ration of roughage.Preparing FeedsGrains such as corn, barley, oats, milo, and wheatgive the best results when they are rolled, cracked,coarsely ground, or pelleted.Steam rolling costs about $5 to $6 a ton. Grinding,mixing, and pelleting cost around $10 a ton. Sackingin 100-pound bags runs about another $4 a ton. If bulkwhole barley costs $53 per ton, by the time it is readyto feed, charges for pelleting and bagging will raise theprice to $67 per ton at the mill. Compare this pricewith that of pelleted commercial feeds that have alreadybeen reinforced with protein, vitamins, and minerals.Also compare it with alfalfa prices. Rolled barley maycost as much as 1.6 times as much as 12 to 14% hay.Pellets have the advantage of being easy to feedalmost anywhere, just by scattering them on the ground.Rolled grain must be fed in bunks, and this is quite aproblem where many animals must be fed.Avoiding the Wintering of ParasitesWeaner calves and yearlings are the cattle mostlikely to harbor a heavy load of internal parasites. Fallworming for internal parasites should be governed bychecking fecal samples. Two or three fecal specimensshould be collected and submitted to a laboratory or aveterinarian for parasite evaluation.Lice and grub control can be accomplished in oneoperation by treating the cattle with one of the systemicinsecticides. One of the pour-on products, such as Co-Ral, Ruelene, or Ronnel (Korlan), is satisfactory. Fol-low the directions on the container. Do not give aninternal treatment with Phenothiazine at the same timean external treatment is given. Thibenzole is consideredsafe at any time.Ronnel, mixed with salt during the pasture season,is giving good control of lice, grubs, and horn flies.Dipping and spraying also are effective against lice. Aresearch report indicates that a heavy infestation oflice caused cattle to lose over 100 pounds in weightduring the winter, even when they were being fed anadequate ration.Some Suitable Wintering Rations for Beef Cattle.* These figures can be used as a guide, but quality and protein contentof roughage are quite variable.Proteins, minerals, vitamin A, and available energy are most often de-ficient in low-quality roughage. Supplements containing these nutrients areparticularly important when the winter supply of roughage is limited.When cattle have been on dry ranges, their vitamin A supply will berather low. Ordinarily 3 to 5 pounds of good quality alfalfa hay will supplyall the vitamin A necessary for young cattle and dry pregnant cows. Aftercalving, the vitamin A requirement is about doubled. Additional vitamin Acan be supplied by mixing in a feed supplement or by injection .Commercial mineral supplements are available, and they are very effi-cient in supplying animals' needs.Al-falfaMead-owhay StrawCornsilageCottonseedmeal BarleyLbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs. Lbs.Calves 400-500 lbs.Ration 1 12 ____ .... ..._ .....2 5 8 ...- .... ....3 6 .... 12 .... ....4 . ... .10 .... ____ 1 15 10 .... .... ..._ 26 .... 8 .. .--- 3Yearlings 700-800 lbs.Ration 1 16-18 .... .... ....2 15 . 1345-lb88id10............26............2........6 .... 10 .... . ... 4Dry cows 1,000-1,200 lbs.(For lactating cows,add 40-50%)Ration 1220 ----20-2.,.... ........................3 10 .... 20 .... .... ....4 5 20 .... 1-2 ....5 10 10 ....-.... ....6710....___.15........Z5........1....2-38 .... 10 .... .... 1 5-6BullsRation 1 25-30 . . .... .... .... ....23 1530-35 ....-ib............4 .... .... 30 .... 1.............................. ..........................1....1........

Beef cattle : shaping up for winter

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Beef cattle : shaping up for winter

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