Staright From the Horse's Mouth

Duane A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator, Webster County January 16, 2010 Edition The previous open winters have spoiled us with excellent weather (and cattle performance), however this past December 2009 had days that remind us what terms like wind-chill and blizzard are. We will also start to experience what it is like with snow melt and mud, with more reminders to soon be on the way. While we can not change the weather, we can implement some management and production techniques that increase cattle comfort and keep cost of gain figures and cattle losses from increasing. This has the potential to be a big problem for producers this year and we will probably have to utilize a couple of sessions to fully cover this topic. We will need to revisit this topic again next week. Dealing with wet conditions and mud in cattle operations will always be challenging, especially during times like the up coming calving season. Mud makes chores hard to complete and unpleasant to carry out, and makes checking on cows and calves difficult. Muddy areas are dangerous to work in because mud reduces footing for livestock, farmers, and equipment. The ability to move around safely is even more critical when new born calves enter the equation. We are about to enter that season and are likely to see the effect of the snow, wind chill, cold weather and now the mud. The best approach to dealing with mud in a livestock setting is preventing the creation of mud in the first place. Of course with the current state of affairs, we don’t have much control on that. Although we are never able to totally eliminate mud, proper management and some common sense can significantly reduce the amount and duration of muddy conditions we have to deal with in a beef enterprise system. Before we address that however we probably should take a look at how affects performance and why we need to really be aware and proactive when it comes to these conditions. As we talked about in an earlier edition of this column, many environmental factors influence nutrient requirements and the subsequent performance of livestock. The most important variable is probably temperature; however, wind, snow, rain and mud also cause winter stress. Cold is an obvious stress factor that increases an animal’s demand for energy. As this demand for energy (maintenance) increases more feed is used for heat and less is available for maintenance and gain. I see mud as being the enemy of good animal health. Wet situations create stress for livestock; a wet hair coat loses its insulating quality and cattle suffer more cold stress in wet weather than in dry cold. Under dry conditions, the hair is fluffy and has tiny air spaces between each hair, holding a layer of warmer air next to the body. A good clean hair coat can keep cattle warm even when temperatures drop to zero and below. When the hair becomes wet, however, it lies down flatter and loses this insulating layer of air. If cattle must lie in mud, the hair becomes wet, muddy and matted with fecal material and as a result destroys the insulation value of the hair. Cattle chill more readily, and this stress can lead to illness; stress inhibits the immune system and makes cattle more vulnerable to disease. If they must stand in deep mud, this is also a stress. It's harder to keep warm when standing or laying in cold mud. It is estimated that it can increase the maintenance requirement from 7 percent to 30 percent. If cattle have to deal with mud, then their ration should also be improved, to help avoid the consequences that may follow. Research is clear on the negative impacts of muddy conditions on animal performance. Mud can reduce daily gains of animals by 25 to 37% and increased the amount of feed required per pound of gain by 20 to 33%. The NRC reports that small amounts of mud (4 to 8 inches deep) can reduce feed intake of animals by 5 to 15%, while larger amounts of mud (12 to 24 inches deep) can decrease feed intake by up to 15 to 30%. University of Nebraska studies show that loss of gain or even the loss of Body Condition Score (BCS) caused by mud measured during 21 to 39°F were as follows: No mud 0%, Dewclaw deep mud 7%, Shin deep mud 14%, Below hock 21%, Hock deep mud 28%, and Belly deep mud 35%. Those studies also showed that the estimated effect of mud on net energy needed for maintenance requirements (based on lot condition and utilizing a multiplier for NEmb) that an outside lot with frequent deep mud multiplied the net energy requirements by 130%. In an outside lot, well mounded or straw bedded during adverse (chill stress) weather still increased the net energy requirements by 110%. It of course changes dramatically as the temperature and conditions go down. Incidentally in those same conditions, the studies showed that cattle given access to shelter during winter months had increased gain by 15%, and improved feed efficiency by 11 %. The metabolic response to the stimulus of wet & cold involves practically all the systems of the body. The striated muscles shiver, the heart beats faster, breathing becomes deeper, urine flow is increased and the sympathetic and pituitary controlled systems are activated so to elevate biological oxidations (energy expenditure or heat production) in all tissues. The result is an increase in the cow's requirements for energy. Spring calving cows, and particularly heifers, in poor body condition are at risk for calving problems. The result may be lighter, weaker calves at birth, which can lead to a higher death loss, and more susceptibility to things such as scours. Animals in poor condition before calving, provide inferior colostrum and lower milk production. This can lead to lighter weaning weights or fewer pounds of calf to sell. Females that are in less than desirable body condition at calving, are slower to return to estrus, therefore body condition at calving affects the current calf crop (milk production) and next year's calving date (rebreeding date). I think you see the pattern! The preceding information comes from the research and personal observations of the writer which may or may not reflect the views of UNL or UNL Extension. For more further information on these or other topics contact D. A. Lienemann, UNL Extension Educator for Webster County in Red Cloud, (402) 746-3417 or email to: dlienemann2@unl.edu or go to the website at: http://www.webster.unl.edu/home