find out weight has a whole new meaning when it comes to efficientcattleproduction . According to beef specialist Ron Lemenager at the Purdue University Cooperative Extension , fragile moo-cow can be economically devastating as farmers head into spring calving time of year .
“ natural spring - calving cowsneed to be in moderate body stipulation at the metre of calving because it has a pretty significant effect on how quickly these moo-cow will return to estrus after have young and , subsequently , when or if they conceive , ” Lemenager says . “ If cows are thin at calving , producer can wait recollective postpartum separation , which means they will have young later the following time of year . ”
or else of having a 12 - calendar month calving separation , farmers may present 13- to 14 - month musical interval and at last fall back cattle - breeding productiveness .
slight cow also tend to have lowercolostrumquality , which means calves are n’t do n’t receive the peaceful resistance they need to guard against disease , cold stress and other stress factors .
“ These thin cow are going to have lower milk yield , resulting in unclouded weaning weight of their materialisation , ” Lemenager says .
Ideally , cows should have a moderate soundbox condition score of 5 to 6 out of 9 on the physical structure condition grading ( BCS ) system for boeuf cows . for evaluate whether cows are at a healthy BCS , Lemenager recommends manufacturer look past the wintertime hair coat the animate being are take correctly now .
Three places on the cow are good indicator ofbody condition : along the top communication channel , in the rib section and along the loin edge .
“ If you may see bone complex body part along the top furrow right under the hide , the moo-cow is in all probability reasonably flimsy , ” he say . “ If the cow testify the twelfth and 13th rib , she ’s border . If you may see more ribs — the 10th , 11th , 12th and 13th , the cow is too slight . ”
The loin edge between the 13th costa and the hook is least affected by muscle , fill and tomentum .
“ If a manufacturer can see os body structure at the edge of the lumbus , the moo-cow is too thin , ” Lemenager aver .
At this clip of year , spring - calving cows are well into the last trimester of pregnancy . Because of foetal alimentary requirements , correcting low BCS can be a challenge , but it ’s not impossible if farmer can strategically supplement the animals with mellow - quality feed .
“ Producers should be looking at cows monthly and using BCS as a heat - up call , ” he enounce . “ They are a good indicant of nutrition and reproduction . If cows see to be gaining or fall behind BCS , producer postulate to assess and adjust ration to optimize performance and minimize expenses . ”
