Because condition at calving and breeding
are so important, it may at first seem silly to begin worrying about condition
in the middle of summer. However, it must be remembered that there
are few economical ways to increase body condition once winter has arrived.
So, good body condition in the winter must depend on the nutritional program
the previous summer. If on July 1, the cows are in good condition
and are rapidly regaining weight lost the past winter, the program can
run normally. If, on the other hand, the past winter was severe and
cows are still then on July 1, with every likelihood that they will be
thin going into the next winter, thought needs to be given about the most
economical method of improving condition before winter. Weaning dates
can be moved up; remember calves would be young and weaning weights will
be reduced. A well-planned supplementation program may offer help.
When forage is available, feeding small amounts of protein supplements
during late summer can efficiently increase weight and condition gain of
spring calving cows (Table 1). Feeding as little as .6 lb/head/day
of soybean meal, (about 1.5 lb/head, 3 times per week) during August and
September increased cow weight by 25 lb. and improved condition score by
.67 units.
Table 1. Late Supplementation to Increase Weight and Condition of Spring
Calving Cows (source: OSU Beef Cattle Manual; 3rd Edition)
Time Period
No Supp
0.6
SBM
Aug 4 - Nov 9
Weight change (lb)
27
52
Condition change
-.15
+.52
Milk (lb/day)
Aug 4
6.5
3.9
Oct 10
6.7
5.6
A supplement level of 1 to 1.5 lbs/head/day would probably have been
more desirable and provided greater weight increases. The important
point is that during late summer, protein supplements can permit efficient
increases in weight and condition when forage is available. If one
waits until winter to try to increase cow weight, protein alone will likely
not be sufficient and larger amounts of energy supplements or hay will
be required. If weather conditions are very cold, it may not be economically
feasible to increase condition during the winter.
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