MELITA, Man. – Producers who monitor shrinkage when shipping yearling calves could save a lot of money each year.
Shrinkage is usually the result of the time calves spend off feed and water and the stress they encounter during handling and hauling. The lost weight most often results from excretions while the animals move from the farm to the auction barn.
“The bottom line is, there’s money to be made in how you handle your shrinkage,” said John Popp, Manitoba Agriculture farm production extension specialist in beef.
Read Also
Calf hormone implants can give environmental, financial wins
Hormone implants can lead to bigger calves — reducing greenhouse gas intensity, land use intensity and giving the beef farmer more profit, Manitoba-based model suggests.
At a meeting in Melita on Oct. 19, Popp cited several things that can reduce shrinkage and stress is one of the biggest.
Some stress can be avoided by getting the calves acquainted with the farm’s loading facilities before shipping. Popp cited an example of a producer who moves the calves to a pasture adjacent to the pens a few days before shipping and entices them to spend time in the loading area using a salt block and minerals.
As well, the loading pen and chute should be kept in good repair. Good facilities can lower the stress on both animals and the producer.
“I’m a big fan of trying to get broken planks fixed before the truck comes rather than while the truck is there,” said Popp.
The more quietly the calves can be handled, the better, and that should extend to the trucker, as well as the farmer. Ideally, it should also apply to animal treatment at the auction barn.
“If you can handle cattle quietly, it’s going to minimize the weight loss,” Popp said.
Hiring an experienced and reputable trucker is important because he or she will know how to work the cattle onto the trailer and how many to place in each compartment. Stress on cattle increases if they are too crowded during the haul, but it can also increase if the trailer is underloaded and the animals shift too much.
The time of day when the animals are loaded is another thing to consider. Popp advised against loading too early in the morning. Cattle typically do a lot of their feeding between 6 and 9 a.m. He cited research that shows producers could lose more than $18 per head by loading the calves at 6 a.m. instead of waiting until after 9 a.m.
“There is a profound effect on shrinkage, so don’t work your cattle too early. They spend a lot of time eating in the morning. If you disrupt that behaviour, they’re not going to eat and then they shrinkage more because they’re just not having their breakfast.”
Shrinkage can also be managed by letting the calves eat dry cured grass hay at least a day before loading and shipping. Dry hay stays in the gut better than lush pasture grass.
“Even if you can just get those cattle off of the pasture and get them on dry feed for one day, it’s going to make a substantial difference in the amount of shrinkage you’re going to experience in the grass cattle,” Popp said.
Grain and alfalfa should be avoided in the 12 hours before shipping, however, because they can have a laxative effect. Dramatic changes in diet should also be avoided.
When the calves arrive at the auction mart, monitor when they are weighed, advised Popp. Try to ensure the animals are unloaded and weighed immediately upon arrival. The longer the calves sit in the trailer, the more shrinkage will occur through lost manure and urine.
Unless managed, shrinkage can amount to seven to eight percent of a calf’s body weight, Popp said.
Steer prices in Manitoba this fall have averaged well above $1 per pound. By lowering the shrinkage by even three percent, producers could save about $15 per head, depending on the weight on the animals.
