Keep Cattle Performing in Cold

By Jennifer Carrico, DTN Senior Livestock Editor

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (DTN) -- Cattle must get the proper nutrition to withstand temperature changes in the winter. Even though the difference is slight, cattle can suffer when the thermometer dips from 32 to 15 degrees Fahrenheit.

"Slight changes in temperature can have a considerable impact on energy and cow nutritional requirements," said Elizabeth Belew, a cattle nutritionist with Purina Animal Nutrition.

When cattle experience cold stress, more energy and other nutritional requirements are needed to sustain basic bodily functions at a specific temperature. Cows who are short on nutrition during these dips in temperature can suffer with performance.

"Nutritional deficiency resulting from cold stress can lead to cows producing lighter and weaker calves," Belew said. "Low-quality colostrum and later return to estrus in the breeding season can also result, compromising conception rates and weaning weights."

Belew suggests being sure cattle have proper protection from the colder temperatures, wind and precipitation by using good bedding, windbreaks, mounds to get out of the mud, and shelter when the weather is extreme.

Feeding strategies can help keep animals' body temperatures at the proper level to prevent stress. Meeting their needs to keep cows at the proper body condition score can prevent further performance losses.

Forages should be tested to determine if cows need additional supplements. Knowing the total digestible nutrients (TDN) will provide an estimate of the total amount of nutrients that could be digested by the animal. The greater the value, the more energy cattle get from forages.

A cow's energy requirements, or TDN, increase by 1% for every degree below the lower critical temperature to ensure bodily functions are properly fed. A cow's body condition score (BCS) will also affect the nutritional requirements.

"A cow in a BCS 5 needs 30% more energy to maintain body condition than a cow in a BCS 6 at 32 degrees F. The same holds true as BCS decreases below 5," Belew said.

For example, a 1,300-pound cow in her third trimester will require 13 pounds of TDN at 32 degrees F, but at 0 degrees F, she needs 17 pounds of TDN. A high-quality supplement can help fill in the gaps found in the forages.

For more information on a winter nutrition program, visit www.purina.com.

Jennifer Carrico can be reached at jennifer.carrico@dtn.com

Follower her on X, formerly known as Twitter, @JennCattleGal

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