Third Trimester Cow Nutrition
Examining critical calorie intake.
T
he new year is upon us and most of us certainly have a lot of
things to be thankful for, including plentiful food, a warm place
to take refuge, and the pleasure of working in an industry with the best
people on Earth! Of course, it is also very easy to overindulge on many
unnecessary calories during this time of year. Unfortunately, some of
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our cattle herds may have the opposite issue in the winter months,
as they struggle to find the calories/energy necessary to fully sustain
them in their homegrown forages, especially due to the challenging
weather conditions experienced earlier in the year. For spring-calving
herds, cows and heifers are either in or will soon be entering the third
trimester of gestation, a period of increasing nutritional demands.
Late pregnancy nutritional needs
So, what changes occur during this latter part of pregnancy? You
are probably aware that the fetus grows by 75% or more during the
final three months of gestation, so the increased nutritional need for
protein, energy, vitamins and minerals likewise goes up. These extra
nutrients are needed as the fetus increases its weight as it builds vital
internal organs, muscle, blood, and bone structure. Concurrently, the
mama cow needs to increase blood flow to the fetus, so all of the
structures vital to maintaining a healthy pregnancy are growing while
also preparing for the onset of lactation and the related increase in
mammary tissue.
As we look at various nutritional phases for cows, here are some
typical rules of thumb used by nutritionists, both during pregnancy
and after calving:
Mid-pregnancy: 55% TDN; 7% CP
Late pregnancy: 60% TDN; 9%CP
After calving: 65% TDN; 11-12% CP
While these are average guidelines, we must not overlook the need
to make adjustments during times of “weather stress.” In taking a
look at a recent national weather forecast, it appeared that most
areas of the country were expecting some sort of severe weather
impact from either snow, rain or high winds. The lower critical
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• JANUARY 2020