From Drovers: cold stress & energy needs

[dun]

http://www.cattlenetwork.com/cattle-res ... 69698.html

 

[Gale Seddon]

I bookmarked this because I have always been curious about temperatures, wind chills, and how they affect the cattle.

Thanks, Dun!

 

[Anonymous]

Good info. Maybe this mild winter the country is having will help us all save some money on hay and feed inputs

 

[HomePlaceAngus]

Thanks dun, good info. :tiphat:

 

[Mid South Guy]

A well written article, but all it says is that as the tempeture drops, it rains, and the wind blows, cattle become stressed and long hair cattle can cope with it better than short haired cattle. Something that I would think most people with any common sense would know. Their soultion is to reduce the cold stress. Don't know how to do that.

Saw and article/study once (can't find it now) that I think was done in IA or MN that used the same tables but also added in the increased % in energy requirements and dry matter intake at various tempetures below the critical temp. If I remember correctly at 10 degrees F the energy requirement for maintance increases 30% and DMI increases about 5%. It had a chart suggesting feeding X amount of corn based upon different energy values of the forage and tempeture to account for the stress. -- It also address heat stress stating the critical high temp was 77 degrees and showed the % of reduced DMI as the temp rises. I think above 95 degrees DMI was reduced 35%, and suggested feeding a protien and grain mix to maintain production. -- Still trying to find this again. If I do I will post the link.

Edit
Here's a link from Kansas State (not the one I was looking for) that says about the same thing on cold. Plus a lot of other good nutritional info.
http://www.ksre.ksu.edu/library/lvstk2/c735.pdf

 

[Roadapple]

Midsouth; Don't know if it's the same article in the link you posted as when I click on your link all that comes on is,"This item contains to much information to use.", but Heather Smith Thomas wrote an article called "Cows in the cold." In it she stated cows with good hair do fine until temperatures go lower than 20 degrees F. Below that the animal compensates for heat loss by increasing energy intake. A rough rule of thumb to compensate for cold is to increase the amount of feed by 1% for each degree of cold stress. For thin cows with poor hair coats or wet haircoat, figure a 2% increase for each degree of temperature drop. For example, a 10 mph wind at 20 degrees has the same effect as a temp. of 9 degrees with no wind. If the temp. drops to zero, or the equivalent of zero, with wind chill, the energy requirement increases between 20 and 30 percent-about 1% for each degree of coldness below her critical temp. For example, a 1100-pound pregnent cow needs 11.2 pounds of total digestible nutrients per day when temperatures are above freezing. If the temp. drops 20 degrees below her lower critical temperature she needs 20% more TDN or 2.2 more pounds of digestible nutrients. To supply that, you can feed her 3 pounds of grain or 5 pounds of hay containing 50% TDN. Cows of British breeds with normal hair coats need about one-third more feed when exposed to wind chill temps.at or near zero than they do at temps. warmer than 0 degrees. When a cows hair coat is wet, the critical temp. is about 59 degrees.

 

[Lucky_P]

I'd have to dig back through my files to find it, but about 20 years ago, folks at Clay Center and U of Nebraska(I think) did some work looking at effect of protein in the dam's diet, relating to early calf survivability.
Calves born to heifers being fed a low-protein diet(50% of NRC recommendations) during their third trimester were slower to get up, less able to generate adequate body heat, less likely to nurse early and obtain a good dose of colostrum - and colostrum quality was poorer than in heifers that were fed 100% of the NRC recommended protein level in their diets. I suspect that the calves born to protein-deficient dams probably had less than optimum immune system function, long-term, as well.
So...adequate calories AND protein are important.

 

[TexasBred]

A well written article, but all it says is that as the tempeture drops, it rains, and the wind blows, cattle become stressed and long hair cattle can cope with it better than short haired cattle. Something that I would think most people with any common sense would know. Their soultion is to reduce the cold stress. Don't know how to do that.

You missed the point. Knowing the above, our job is to help them "reduce the cold stress" by building a fire inside them, usually with an ample supply of good quality roughage and/or supplement.

 

[angus9259]

cows with good hair do fine until temperatures go lower than 20 degrees F. Below that the animal compensates for heat loss by increasing energy intake.

this is why I'm unloading ever stick of lower grade hay into them that I can right now - while we're having this mild december snap going on. hopefully it'll be gone by the time Jan hits and I need to take them up a notch.

 

[TennesseeTuxedo]

Anybody make use of wind breaks or other type shelter when it gets below 20 degrees or so?

 

[TexasBred]

Anybody make use of wind breaks or other type shelter when it gets below 20 degrees or so?

I'm sure some folks do. At least cut some of the chill factor. Doesn't get that cold down here so not that much of a problem but cattle will often go into wooded areas if available or get behind a barn to get out of cold wind.

 

[MistyMorning]

this is why I'm unloading ever stick of lower grade hay into them that I can right now - while we're having this mild december snap going on. hopefully it'll be gone by the time Jan hits and I need to take them up a notch.

Ditto, and they seem to like the 2YO crap better too. Go figure.

Anybody make use of wind breaks or other type shelter when it gets below 20 degrees or so?

Yeah and we use them when it gets to -20 F too!