Management practices to keep cattle putting on weight
Sweltering heat and soaring humidity create a challenging environment for putting weight on calves. Heat stress negatively impacts calves’ ability to gain weight. However, there are some management practices producers can implement to give calves some relief and help them to make gains in the summer months.
Heat Stress: It’s natural to assume heat stress will occur during the hot stretches of summer. But cattle can suffer from heat stress during milder temperatures as well. “Interestingly, cattle can get heat stressed in temperatures around 70 to 75 degrees grazing fescue; and prolonged heat stress can reduce feed intake ultimately, decreasing average daily gains,” Daniel Mallory, livestock extension specialist with the University of Missouri Extension, said.
There are signs of heat stress producers can watch for in their animals. The first signs of heat stress include decreased feed and forage intake, slobbering, and increased respiration. The next stage of heat stress is labored, open mouth breathing.
Water Needs: One important management practice for easing the impact of heat stress is for producers to provide unlimited access to drinking water for their cattle. “It is recommended that cattle need about 1 gallon of water per 100 pounds of body weight. So, a 700-pound calf will need 7 gallons of water per day, and this could double in high temperatures,” Mallory explained.
Producers will want to be aware of how fast their water source refills after the herd goes to water. Another tip for meeting a herd’s water needs includes routinely checking water tanks to ensure they are clean and don’t contain contaminants such as feces and algae. Producers may also want to provide additional access to water by adding portable tanks.
Livestock specialists encourage producers to put water tanks in areas that receive shade, this will help keep the water cool. Additionally, it is best to locate waterers several feet away from fences and other structures, creating space allows cattle to access water from all sides of the water source.
Providing Shade: Producers can also help to reduce the impact of heat stress on calves by making sure the calves have access to ample shade. The shade can come in many forms such as a wooded lot, fence row with trees, sheds, or a moveable man-made source. “It is not recommended to let cattle have free access to ponds, not only will cattle damage the pond but there are negative health issues from standing in the water,” Mallory advised. Two examples of health issues that can be caused by cattle standing in water are foot rot and mastitis.
Select Forages: Another management strategy that can help producers maintain gains for their calves is to analyze the forages they have available in their pastures. “Most likely they are heavily cool-season grasses and as temperatures rise the growth of cool-season grasses declines essentially going dormant,” Mallory said. “Supplementing with a commodity blend can boost energy and protein lacking when forage quality is low.”
Offering mineral designed to supplement the forage, climate and type of operation will also give calves and the herd additional nutrients to aid in mitigating the impact of heat stress.
Livestock specialists encourage producers to rotate cattle to new pasture prior to the forage being grazed too short. The pastures containing taller, thicker grass will feel cooler to animals than pastures with short grass and more exposed soil surface.
