How To Cope with Poor Hay...
|
Vitamin and Mineral Supplements
May Be
Necessary |
Kay
Dee Feed REPORTS |
| Reprinted from Drovers Journal By Steve Cubbage |
| Even after the skies clear and floodwaters recede, low
quality hay will keep reminding cattlemen of the summer of 1993. |
| Countless tons of hay were soaked after cutting or remained in the fields
long past optimum cutting stage. |
| Reduced vitamin and mineral content of this year’s hay could lead to
serious nutritional deficiencies and health problems unless you provide
your cattle with adequate supplements. |
| Hay suffers severely when rained on prior to baling. Rain can literally
leach out valuable proteins, minerals and sugars. And, according to
University of Kentucky forage specialist Mike Collins, minerals leach more
easily than protein due to the small size of mineral molecules. |
| When baled wet, hay can suffer heat damage, rendering portions of the bale
undigestible. Reduced dry-matter intake compounds the problem of low
nutritional quality. |
| Delayed harvest caused another problem. Dr. Collins says producers can
expect a .5 percent drop in digestibility for each day cutting was delayed
past boot in grass hay. And, along with a drastic drop in protein and
energy values, minerals such as potassium, sulfur and manganese can
decline by 20 percent to 30 percent in late-cut hay. |
| Mounting evidence indicates that minerals and vitamins are just as
important as protein and energy supplements in boosting performance and
maintaining herd health. Trace minerals such as cobalt, copper, manganese,
potassium, selenium, sulfur and zinc, and vitamins A, C, D and E provide
the raw materials necessary for a cow’s immune system to operate at peak
efficiency. |
| Animal nutritionists, such as Cheryl Nockles of Colorado State University,
argue that mineral and vitamin supplementation may pay off bigger than any
other type of supplementing. |
| "Even in good forage years, cattle do not get all the nutrients they need
from hay and grass," notes Dr. Nockles. "So, in poor hay years like this
one, the lack of minerals and vitamins going into the cow reaches
critically low levels." |
| New studies show excellent returns from mineral supplementation in all
types of beef operations. Feeding trials indicate that a complete mineral
and vitamin supplement, provided regularly, can improve a cow’s fiber
digestion by 9 percent, increase pregnancy rates when using artificial
insemination by nearly 15 percent, bolster weaning weights by more than 4
percent and improve hoof scores by nearly 42 percent. |
| Research data from Cornell University and Ohio State University suggest
that beef cattle need far more vitamin and mineral supplementation than
currently recommended by the National Research Council. |
| A cow’s immune system places constant metabolic demands on the animal and
benefits greatly from additional vitamins and minerals. |
| The best time to provide sufficient vitamins and minerals is before
production losses occur. Demand for minerals and vitamins increases
dramatically for cows in the last 50 days prior to calving. |
| Without sufficient vitamin A, the chance for respiratory disease and
reproduction problems increase. Because of wet and dreary conditions, much
of this year’s hay and forage is likely low in carotene (vitamin A), says
Vern Pearson, feed and forage technician with Cenex/Land 0’ Lakes. |
| Zinc helps cattle maintain healthy hooves, hides and other cellular
membranes which provide an animal’s first line of defense against
disease-causing pathogens. Deficiency can result in cattle developing
cracks in their hooves or even foot rot, opening the door to more serious
internal infections. |
| "Just the savings in fewer antibiotics will probably offset a balanced
daily vitamin and mineral supplement," notes Dr. Pearson. "Producers
should think of this as a very solid investment in the health of their
herd." |
| You should already include forage analysis in your nutritional management
program. Emphasize it even more when Mother Nature throws you a curve like
she has this year. |
| Unless you enjoy dealing with respiratory problems, hoof problems, low
pregnancy rates, grass tetany and lower body-condition scores, plan on
providing mineral supplements this year. |
