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Efficient and effective cow feeding

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  22 November 2017

I.A. Wright  and
A.J.F. Russel
I.A. Wright
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 OPY
A.J.F. Russel
Affiliation:
Macaulay Land Use Research Institute, Bush Estate, Penicuik, Midlothian EH26 OPY
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Extract

The financial success of beef cow enterprises depends to a large extent on efficient control of cow feeding. The fact that the single suckled beef cow has to be maintained for a whole year to produce one calf means that the cost of feeding the cow represents the biggest single variable cost. Thus winter feeding must be controlled to ensure the correct balance between feed inputs and cow and calf performance, and summer grazing management must be designed to ensure high animal performance, high output per hectare and efficient grassland utilization.

Eighty percent of foetal growth occurs during the last 3 months of pregnancy and so any effect of energy restriction on calf birth weight should be most evident at that time. Russel et al (1979) showed that relatively severe levels of undernutrition were required to reduce calf birth weight by 10-15% and that subsequent calf viability and growth rate were unimpaired.

Type
Increasing the Productivity of Suckler Beef Systems
Information
Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production (1972) , Volume 1989 , March 1989 , pp. 7
Copyright
Copyright © British Society of Animal Production 1989

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References

Topps, J.H., Nurul Islam, M., Broadbent, P.J. and Patterson, G.F.M. 1989. Proceedings of the British Society of Animal Production Meeting, Scarborough, 1989.Google Scholar
Russel, A.J.F., Peart, J.N., Eadie, J., Macdonald, A.J. and White, I.R. 1979. The energy intake during late pregnancy on the production from two genotypes of suckler cow. Animal Production, 28: 309–327.Google Scholar
Wright, I.A., Russel, A.J.F. and Hunter, E.A. 1986. The use of body condition scoring to ration beef cows in late pregnancy. Animal Production, 43: 391–396.Google Scholar
Wright, I.A. and Whyte, T.K. 1988. The effects of sward survey height on the performance of continuously stocked spring-calving beef cows and their calves. Grass and Forage Science (in press).Google Scholar
Wright, I.A., Whyte, T.K. and Osoro, K. 1988. The effects of water feeding level and summer sward height on the performance of autumn-calving beef cows and their calves. Animal Production 46: 501 (abst.).Google Scholar