Fall born replacement heifers have been (or soon will be) weaned
and will be at a very critical growing period. It is imperative that
they reach the target weight of 65% of their mature weight by the start
of the breeding season. Warm season pastures such as native grass
or bermudagrass will be declining in forage quality in the hot dry days
of August and September. Also they are reaching plant maturity which
accelerates the decline in protein content. Therefore, the young
heifers must receive supplemental protein to continue to grow at the necessary
pace of 1.3 to 1.5 pounds per head per day going into their first breeding
season. An economical solution would be to give these heifers 1.5
to 2 pounds of the protein supplement called Oklahoma Gold. This
is an OSU-developed protein supplement scheme that consists of a high protein
(38% - 45%) pellet that contains the label-recommended dosage of one of
the ionophores. Ionophores are feed additives (monensin or lasalocid)
that improve feed utilization, inhibit coccidiosis, and enhance the onset
of puberty in growing heifers. Research from Texas A&M in the
1970's indicated that heifers receiving an ionophore reached puberty about
2 weeks earlier that counterparts that did not receive an ionophore.
Therefore inclusion of the ionophore in the growing program should cause
a few more heifers to be cycling early in the breeding season. Light
or young weaned heifers that need an added boost while still on late summer
pasture may benefit more from the Oklahoma Super Gold supplementation program.
"Super Gold" consists of feeding 3 pounds per head per day of a 25% crude
protein pellet. These usually contain wheat mids as a base part of
the ration. Once again, an ionophore is included at the proper dosage
and will be beneficial to these young growing heifers.
Some ranchers choose to booster replacement heifers with modified live
vaccines for the respiratory diseases. This is a sound practice that
will encourage the development of long-lasting cell-mediated immunity.
The modified live vaccines should be given to the heifers at least 30 days
prior to the onset of the breeding season. This will insure maximum
disease protection and reduce the already small possibility of a reduced
pregnancy rate due to giving the modified live vaccine near the time of
breeding.
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