HEADINGLEY, Man. – Feedlot managers need to make sure their cattle develop good eating habits.
When given the choice, cattle will stuff themselves, said Robbi Pritchard, a ruminant nutritionist at South Dakota State University.
But in feedlot diets high in grain and low in roughage, overeating causes indigestion, which is followed by a day or two of avoiding feed, said Pritchard.
Rather than making sure feedlot bins are always full and putting cattle at risk of developing problems with metabolism, it’s more efficient to manage their feeding so they eat the right amount every day, said Pritchard, who spoke at Manitoba Feedlot Days in Brandon and Headingley Nov. 19-20.
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He told producers managing feed bunks can make up to $55 (Cdn) per head difference in net returns.
Twenty years ago, when feedlot diets included more hay, feedlot managers figured quantity was sufficient as long as cattle had feed in their bunks all the time.
But taking roughage out of the diet puts more responsibility on feedlot operators to manage feeding, said Pritchard.
“Acidosis is a people problem,” he said, referring to liver abscesses caused by rich diets. The feed conversion of over-indulging cattle slowly erodes, gradually hitting farmers in the pocket book, he said.
“Feed conversion, when it comes to dollars and cents, is the most important factor for profitability in your yard.”
Pritchard tries to match the amount of feed he gives cattle to the amount of feed they consume, removing the peaks and valleys of consumption.
In his approach, controlling variations in how cattle are fed is the key.
When delivering feed to a pen, he considers how much feed the cattle received and what the bunks looked like in each of the previous four days.
He looks for leftover feed and evidence that cattle are picking and choosing what they eat as clues to problems in feed or delivery.
He watches cow patties to gain insight into the cattles’ insides.
Rough-looking stool with some visible grain is a good sign. But grey stool indicates cattle may go off their feed in two days.
“When you look at these stool, you can tell these cattle are setting themselves up for a digestive wreck,” he said.
Pritchard said consistent timing when feeding is critical.
He has a copy of the 1923 Henry and Morrison’s Feeds and Feeding that shows changing a feeding schedule by 15 minutes will affect cattle performance.
He feeds yearling cattle a full dose of monensin, a feed additive, to help reduce day-to-day variations in feeding.
Monensin is known to improve feed efficiency and help prevent coccidiosis.
