Cow Maintenance and Body Weight

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cattle_gal

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Here's something that I've been wanting to get on here. Everyone talks about weight of cattle being how well or not well the maintenance will be.

Here's a quote from an article:

"...research has shown that cow maintenance is related to body surface area instead of body weight. Body surface area can be mathematically described as body weight raised to the 3/4 power (i.e., Maintenance Cost = Body Surface Area = Body Weight 3/4)."

Harlan Ritchie, Professor of Animal Science, Michigan State University
 
The reason weight is probably used is because most all calculations are based on animal units. It's easy to weigh a cow, harder to measure her surface area. The weight gives you a good rule of thumb to work with, i.e. 2% body weight, etc.

dun
 
Interesting formula, wonder if it would apply to Brahmans. They have a lot of surface area compared to weight which is one of the ways they cope with extreme heat.

From everything I have read here and elsewhere I understand that in the area I live the formula is 3 round bales of hay per cow per winter (we have about a 100 day haying period). But year after year after year my Brahmans average 2 round bales per cow per winter and we do not feed any cubes.

Feedback will be appreciated.

:heart:
 
cherokeeruby":1jtx4stm said:
Interesting formula, wonder if it would apply to Brahmans. They have a lot of surface area compared to weight which is one of the ways they cope with extreme heat.

From everything I have read here and elsewhere I understand that in the area I live the formula is 3 round bales of hay per cow per winter (we have about a 100 day haying period). But year after year after year my Brahmans average 2 round bales per cow per winter and we do not feed any cubes.

Feedback will be appreciated.

:heart:

Ruby I average 2 round bales per cow also in a normal year also. In our hard winters( which are mild to most) we will use three per head. I always try to put up 3 5x5 rolls per cow.
 
Glad to know someone else has that average, I believe you are somewhere around the big thicket so do you have a shorter haying season that I do?
 
cherokeeruby":1ba5mgx0 said:
Glad to know someone else has that average, I believe you are somewhere around the big thicket so do you have a shorter haying season that I do?

Girl I just put hay out last week, on average I would say we have 90 days. I really didn't have to put hay out yet just felt like I should, we got our first frost last Tuesday.
 
I watched some of a sale on RFD today and watched some bred heifers go through that weighed about 1140(I think). And they were shelly looking (lots of surface area).

Talking about how much feed a cow get through the winter. For 200 days the average would be about 2.78 ton here at the ranch. Down where they are now at 5,300 feet they get about 2.5 ton for that period of time. If all was being straight hay. Cows lbs average 1250 lbs. I've got a hand full that are Salers. I sold a dry fat one this Oct and she weighed a whopping 1700 lbs. Yikes!!!.

CKC,

His articles are in the American Chi Journal and the ACA Commerical journal each time they come out.
 
Harlan Ritchie was a great guy to work for! I am glad to hear he is still out there doing well. He must be "getting up there" in years.
 
He has judged the Texas Longhorn's World show a few times if i remember correctly. He is also on our Breed Advisory Committee.
 

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