Recently, I gave a dinner presentation to a group of beef producers outlining the importance of feeding a good mineral program to pre-calving cows. Afterward, I was surprised by the number of questions about the possibility of a copper deficiency in their beef cattle. With calving season underway or soon to start, we all agreed […] Read more
Copper critical for pre-calving cows
It doesn’t take much to correct a deficiency so watch for symptoms
Proper body score pays dividends
Target pre-calving feeding to avoid animals that are too skinny or too fat
The warm weather we had a couple of months ago has given me a false sense of security. I somehow think climate change lasts forever, yet one good arctic blast snaps me out of it. In the same way, producers should make sure that their pre-calving cows’ plane of nutrition is adequate during the last […] Read more
Proper diet reduces risk of lame cows
A well-balanced ration and a clean barn are a great combination to keep dairy cows mobile
Recently, I conducted a barn walk in a 300-cow robot-milking dairy and within 10 minutes I spotted more than a half-dozen limping cows. I did not know what caused them to limp, but after I talked to the dairy manager, I discovered that lameness was a significant problem on his operation and several of these […] Read more
Beware of “things” in dairy cow water
Dairy Corner with Peter Vitti
A professor who once taught our nutrition class a long time ago (a long time ago) said the actual amount of water drunk by lactating dairy cows was important for milk production. However, she said it was the “things” that existed in their drinking water, which often limit their health and production during lactation. Even […] Read more
Make sure your mineral feeders for cattle are full
Minerals for the cow also help get the calf off to a good start
Beef cows cannot live without minerals and vitamins, which are often deficient or biologically unavailable in many overwintering forage. I advise people to put loose mineral on a regular basis for their gestating cows, so all essential mineral and vitamin requirements are supplemented. Unfortunately, some people don’t always feed enough mineral. With a little effort, […] Read more
Hutch-reared calves need good diet and TLC
Keeping them dry, out of drafts and well fed leads to a healthier calf
Each year, I literarily see hundreds of preweaned dairy calves overwintered in outdoor calf hutches. Most perform well, but there are also more “poor doers” than I care to see. I find that each poor calf tells a similar story. Some of the mediocre calves are shivering, others are skinny, a few calves are coughing […] Read more
Corn residue can cut winter feeding costs
Cows can find at least 1,250 pounds of feed per acre after corncobs are harvested
For years, I have seen cornfields popping up over the Prairies (sorry for the pun). Much of this crop is harvested for corn silage, but significant acres are picked for grain. When just the cobs are harvested there is a tremendous amount of residue left on the ground. This is an abundance of forage for […] Read more
Visible and invisible benefits of preconditioning
‘Truck weaned’ calves are highly stressed and ultimately suffer from a higher rate of shrink during trucking to a feedlot
Preconditioned is a general term for feedlot-destined calves that have been vaccinated, castrated, dehorned, weaned, have some feed-bunk/waterer experience and have been fed a nutritious post-weaning diet for at least 30-45 days prior to being sold to a feedlot. Recently, I’ve talked to some cow-calf operators selling spring calves to feedlots in the fall, who see […] Read more
Test corn silage moisture for better milk production
The Dairy Corner: Dairy producers should test every time a new bag, bunk or silo is opened
There are three stages to the corn harvest in Manitoba. The first starts in September when the corn crop matures and whole plant moisture dries to about 35 per cent dry matter — it’s one of the best time to take off corn silage. The second occurs weeks later when the grain corn dries to […] Read more
Mineral deficiency can affect weaned calves
Even preconditioned and vaccinated calves can get sick in a feedlot
Recently, I drove some back roads and took a picture of a herd of Black Angus cattle with a few of the cows and calves with a rough red hair coat or a red sheen to them. I was always taught in school that a red coat colour was a classic sign of a copper […] Read more
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