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<blockquote data-quote="Lucky_P" data-source="post: 1122087" data-attributes="member: 12607"><p>Some 'outside reading' that might be enlightening for some of you folks:</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/beef/newsletter/Dec13OfftheHoof.pdf" target="_blank">http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/be ... heHoof.pdf</a></p><p>Scroll down to Dr. Lehmkuhler's article predicting what many of us have seen this winter - nutritional quality of 2013 hay, in a lot of places, was lacking.</p><p>Sometimes, there is just not enough digestible energy or protein to meet a cow's basic metabolic needs, particularly if temps are cold, and weather conditions are wet.</p><p></p><p><a href="http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/beef/facts/07-001.htm" target="_blank">http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/liv ... 07-001.htm</a></p><p>Effects of cold stress on cattle. Check out the info on 'low critical temperature' and the increased nutritional needs associated with conditions below LCT.</p><p></p><p>Cow nutrition affects calf survival:</p><p><a href="http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1151&context=rangebeefcowsymp" target="_blank">http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewc ... eefcowsymp</a></p><p><a href="http://www.angusbeefbulletin.com/extra/2010/12dec10/1210hn_cold-nutrition.html" target="_blank">http://www.angusbeefbulletin.com/extra/ ... ition.html</a> </p><p></p><p>Looking at those photos, they look like the 'starving kind', not just 'hard-keeping'. </p><p>I see - and have seen, in spades, this winter - way too many of those types. Often it's due to ignorance or lack of observation on the part of the owner - they've fed this way for years and never had a problem - and can't believe that even though they've got 'hay' out for the cows, that if the nutritional content is not sufficient for age, stage of production, and environmental conditions, that cows can actually starve to death with a rumen full of poor nutritional-quality hay, if they're not receiving adequate energy/protein supplementation.</p><p>Most years, I see some old toothless 'grannies', heavily pregnant or nursing a big calf, that just 'run out of gas' with green grass right around the corner - but this year, I was seeing solid-mouthed young cows - and weanling to yearling-age calves - essentially starving to death with a belly full of what looked like decent hay - as early as December. Without forage testing, we really don't know what the nutritional content of those harvested/stored forages is. </p><p></p><p>My fall-calving herd was hit pretty hard this winter; we were feeding ~ 27# hay/hd/day and 3# DDG/hd/day. When I started seeing 'starve-outs' coming through the diagnostic lab, back in late December, I took a realistic look at my cows, and realized that some of ours were in not much better condition. So... we increased hay and DDG levels by at least 50%, and most regained 1 or 2 body condition scores before we turned them out to grass a month or so ago - but some of them still look pretty rough.</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Lucky_P, post: 1122087, member: 12607"] Some 'outside reading' that might be enlightening for some of you folks: [url=http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/beef/newsletter/Dec13OfftheHoof.pdf]http://www.uky.edu/Ag/AnimalSciences/be ... heHoof.pdf[/url] Scroll down to Dr. Lehmkuhler's article predicting what many of us have seen this winter - nutritional quality of 2013 hay, in a lot of places, was lacking. Sometimes, there is just not enough digestible energy or protein to meet a cow's basic metabolic needs, particularly if temps are cold, and weather conditions are wet. [url=http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/livestock/beef/facts/07-001.htm]http://www.omafra.gov.on.ca/english/liv ... 07-001.htm[/url] Effects of cold stress on cattle. Check out the info on 'low critical temperature' and the increased nutritional needs associated with conditions below LCT. Cow nutrition affects calf survival: [url=http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1151&context=rangebeefcowsymp]http://digitalcommons.unl.edu/cgi/viewc ... eefcowsymp[/url] [url=http://www.angusbeefbulletin.com/extra/2010/12dec10/1210hn_cold-nutrition.html]http://www.angusbeefbulletin.com/extra/ ... ition.html[/url] Looking at those photos, they look like the 'starving kind', not just 'hard-keeping'. I see - and have seen, in spades, this winter - way too many of those types. Often it's due to ignorance or lack of observation on the part of the owner - they've fed this way for years and never had a problem - and can't believe that even though they've got 'hay' out for the cows, that if the nutritional content is not sufficient for age, stage of production, and environmental conditions, that cows can actually starve to death with a rumen full of poor nutritional-quality hay, if they're not receiving adequate energy/protein supplementation. Most years, I see some old toothless 'grannies', heavily pregnant or nursing a big calf, that just 'run out of gas' with green grass right around the corner - but this year, I was seeing solid-mouthed young cows - and weanling to yearling-age calves - essentially starving to death with a belly full of what looked like decent hay - as early as December. Without forage testing, we really don't know what the nutritional content of those harvested/stored forages is. My fall-calving herd was hit pretty hard this winter; we were feeding ~ 27# hay/hd/day and 3# DDG/hd/day. When I started seeing 'starve-outs' coming through the diagnostic lab, back in late December, I took a realistic look at my cows, and realized that some of ours were in not much better condition. So... we increased hay and DDG levels by at least 50%, and most regained 1 or 2 body condition scores before we turned them out to grass a month or so ago - but some of them still look pretty rough. [/QUOTE]
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