FARM NEWS
WINTER FEEDINGTIPS FORBEEF CATTLE
By Jeremy M . Kichler , UGA Extension , Colquitt County Extension Coordinator , jkichler @ uga . edu
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Let ’ sdiscuss some winter feeding tips for area cattle producers . Grouping cattle according to nutritional needs will reduce feed costs and improve performance . Females should be separated into at least two groups :( 1 ) calf heifers / replacement heifers / thin cattle ; and ( 2 ) mature cows with abody condition score of 5orgreater . The heifers and thin cows often need 0.5 to 0 . 75 % of the body weight of supplement per day to maintain abody condition score above a five . Mature cows with aBCSof5orgreater generally need 0.5 % ofbody weight orless per day . Ifwinter pasture isthesupplement ofchoice , mature cows often require 2to3hoursper day of grazing compared with 4to6hours for heifers and thincows . The best way toeliminate waste istostore hay under acover . Expect losses of 20 to 30 % for hay that isstored outside for six months before feeding . The hay-feeding method can greatly reduce hay losses this winter . Feeding hay in rings results in losses of 5 to 6 % compared withlosses of 10 to 15 % when using trailers or rolling out aone-day supply . Using rings can save $ 10 to $ 15 per cow over a 150-day feeding period . Testing forages for nutrient content can reduce feed costs by supplementing only the nutrients that are deficient in the forage , maintaining
acceptable performance , and planning for purchasing supplements . Anutrient analysis will determine the crude protein , TDN , and relative forage quality of hay . These numbers can beused to determine what supplement if any is required . A lactating cow requires about 11 % protein , and
58 to 60 % TDN , whereas , a dry cow needs only 8 % protein and55 % TDN . Arule ofthumb to use for hay intake isadry cow will eat about 1.9 to 2 % of body weight in hay daily and alactating cow will eat about 2.4 to 2.5 % ofbody weight daily . Cows will quickly increase or decrease hay consumption when different quality hays arefed . Aquickdropin consumptionisagood indicator that lower-quality hay is being fed and supplementation is required . Cows must be in abody condition score of5 or greater for high re-breeding rates tooccur . Constantly monitor body condition to ensure cows are inthe proper body condition at the start of the breeding season . If cows are less than aBCS of 5atthe start of the breeding season , lower pregnancy rates and longer calving intervals arealmost certain . Winter annual pastures are high in protein and highly digestible forages . The best quality hay should befed at this time , along with supplements if needed .
“ PROVIDING QUALITY PRODUCTS AND SERVICE SECOND TO NONE ...
WHILE PUTTING OUR CUSTOMERS ’ NEEDS FIRST .”
184 South Baker Street Norman Park , GA 31771
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18 MoultrieScene JANUARY 2023