TexasBred
Well-known member
Jeanne - Simme Valley":10k630cn said:Noone on this board can tell you what protein your cows are getting, but manure is the first indicator of protein intake. The looser the manure (on a healthy animal), the higher the protein. And the thicker, more solid the manure, the less protein - unless your cattle are low on water intake.
The manure tells the story. Your description of solid & mine may be different. Rockridge explained it quite well.
Its pretty darn hard to get too much fiber into a cow...pretty easy to be short on protein. BUT spring grazing often produces loose manure because of the high moisture content, not high protein. Changes in diet can also cause diarrhea in cattle. Manure can tell you a lot but don't try to read more into it than is there. Pay attention to body condition and the condition of her calf is she's nursing one. Often times you may have two or three cows with diarrhea and the others are fine...or one or two with hard manure and the remainder of the herd more as it should be.