Winter feeding and management (Animal Science Update)

If you are facing limited supplies of hay, pasture, and/or corn silage for winter feeding, you do have options.
Forage supplies provide an excellent source of nutrients, fiber for proper rumen fermentation, and energy and protein for optimal growth and performance.
It is difficult to achieve the highest levels of production without adequate forage supplies.
Preparing for forage shortages will require planning, innovation, and good management to be successful.
Animal Inventory. When budgeting feed supplies, it is first important to determine which animals need to be fed.
Separating into different management groups based on life stage and production level is a good place to start.
The following groups can be identified: 1.) Gestating animals before lambing, kidding, calving, etc.; 2.) Lactating animals; 3.) Calves/kids/lambs; 4.) Replacements; 5.) Growing animals to be sold for meat; 6) Bred young stock; and 7.) Males if used for breeding on the farm.
Determine Nutrient Requirements. Lactating animals are the single most important group to be fed.
Calves can receive mother’s milk and commercial starter or grain as they grow.
Replacements and animals raised for market can receive diets higher in concentrates provided adequate fiber is available.
Bred replacements are still growing and need energy and protein in addition to high quality forage.
Gestating animals can fed be a lower quality forage, provided animals receive adequate energy and protein without getting over-conditioned prior to giving birth.
Bulls can be fed the general herd grain mix provided access is limited and some forage is available.
If forage availability is limited and quality is poor, farmers still have options.
1. Purchase extra forage. It is likely that there will be available forage, particularly hay, which may be purchased.
Forage testing and balancing diets to meet nutrient requirements will be useful to determine extra feed needed when purchasing supplemental feed and forage.
2. Increase concentrate feeding. It is possible to balance poor forage quality with increasing grain in the diet.
Maintaining adequate fiber minimums in the diet is important. Adequate fiber is essential to stimulate proper rumen fermentation and eliminate digestive disorders.
3. Purchase by-product feeds having forage replacement value.
There are numerous by-product feeds available which may be substituted for forage.
Many of these are excellent sources of fiber and are highly digestible.
By-products which may substitute for forages: apple pomace (dehydrated), beet pulp (dehydrated), brewer’s grains, corn cobs, cottonseed hulls, soybean hulls, whole cottonseed, wheat middling’s, wheat straw.
These all may be fed, especially when included as part of a complete ration. When brewer’s grain or apple pomace or any byproduct is fed wet, they may pose storage problems.
Combinations of by-products may be used to replace forage in a mixed ration.
4. Nutrient loss of vitamins and minerals may be a problem, especially with poor quality hay.
Ensure that there are adequate vitamins provided in a premix, particularly vitamins A, D and E.
In addition, trace minerals such as cobalt, iron, copper, manganese, potassium, selenium, sulfur, and zinc, will provide raw materials to ensure the immune system is operating at peak efficiency. Copper toxicity is a risk whenever supplementing copper to sheep, contact your veterinarian if you think copper supplementation is needed.
Managing the Environment
• Monitor the weather;
• Cows in the last trimester may require additional grain feeding when the temperature falls below critical levels;
• Protect animals from the wind. Wind will increase the effect of cold stress on animals;
• Dry bedding will help animals tolerate cold weather;
• Keep cows clean and dry. A dry, winter hair coat creates a protective pocket of warm air next to the body. Wet or mud-caked hair coats have reduced insulating properties and can affect a cow’s response to cold temperatures.
Mud cakes hair together and removes its insulating value. If cattle lie in mud, they never get a chance to dry off and cold stress continues;
• Feed more hay and grain. Be careful that succulent feeds such as silages are not frozen; and
• Provide water. Make sure cows always have ample water available. Insufficient water consumption will reduce feed intake and make it difficult for cows to meet their energy requirements. Frozen troughs and excessively cold water will seriously limit water intake.
Summary
Time spent calculating needs and supplies will be far more profitable than time spent buying whatever is available at the last minute.
It will be essential to plan, test available feeds for nutrient content, buy to meet needs and to balance diets.