Beef Cattle Nutrition and Feeding
The concept of precision feeding is providing exactly what the heifer needs to reach its growth requirements. Precision feeding has many benefits to the producer including less chance of over-conditioned heifers, decreased feed costs, and less waste production. Growth is Check this for Animal food chains targeted at 0.8 kg/d while meeting all the needs of the post-weaned heifer. Over the entire period, crude protein is set at 14%–15% for heifers, while metabolizable energy ranges from 3.01 Mcal/kg to 2.84 Mcal/kg of intake as the heifer grows (Table 9.3
). Body weight within a pen should range no more than 90 kg and age variation should be no more than two months per group.
Processing of forages through rollers at the time of harvest will help to expose the contents of the seed (starch) and the hemicellulose of the stalks. This processing will aid in the fermentation of the silage in the silo, but also enhance the digestibility of the internal contents of the plants (starch and hemicellulose). Nutrient recommendations of precision-fed dairy heifers fed to gain 0.86 kg/d. Colostrum can be stored and used for other calves when quality is poor or yield is low. Colostrum should be harvested, quality determined (using a refractometer or colostrometer), and stored in 2 L bottles.
Their ability to break down fibrous plant materials comes from a combination of anatomical structures and a diverse microbial community within their stomachs. This evolutionary advantage has enabled them to thrive in environments where food sources might be limited to tough grasses and other plants that many animals find indigestible. A concern of overfeeding protein is the amount of N that enters the environment; therefore, researchers have conducted research to reduce the amount of N lost to the environment while optimizing N usage within the cow. The research includes optimizing RDP and RUP and further developing research with the use of MP and RPAA to reduce environmental effects (both ammonia volatilization and waste streams). Net energy (NE) – an estimate of the energy in a feed that is available to the animal after accounting for energy lost during digestion and metabolism.
Being vigilant about nutritional disorders and knowing how to prevent them is vital for maintaining herd health. As cattle feed, they take in large amounts of roughage, often swallowing it quickly. Later, they regurgitate this ‘cud’ to further break down the plant fibers through additional chewing. Selenium is an important component of glutathione peroxidase along with vitamin E. This enzyme is responsible for the conversion of cell-damaging hydrogen peroxide to water.32 Deficiency symptoms were fairly common until supplementation began.
Like Na, K is a cation and can exacerbate hypocalcemia, but is beneficial in maintaining a positive DCAD postpartum. In lush pasture or high K diets, a subsequent Mg deficiency can occur (grass tetany) resulting in stiff muscles even when adequate Mg is fed. Potassium is involved in acid-base regulation, water balance, nerve transmission, muscle contractions, oxygen and carbon dioxide transport and a co-factor in many enzymatic reactions. The normal concentration in blood plasma is 3.7–5 mEq/L.32 Potassium is primarily absorbed in the duodenum by diffusion and it is primarily excreted via the kidney in the urine. Lactating dairy cows should be fed a diet containing 1.5% K or more, while calves need 0.4%–0.55%.19 However, lower K can be beneficial in dry cow diets as a means of reducing hypocalcemia. To more accurately consider the utilization of protein by the cow, the use of metabolizable protein (MP) is warranted.
Therefore, anything that limits free water intake will hamper animal performance. As would be expected, free water intake increases as milk production increases. Water intake also increases when the cow is in an environment where the temperature humidity index is above 68.
