Cattle Comfort By Al Clough
Early last spring my 12 year old boy started talking about his need for a 4-wheeler. He assured me that a 4-wheeler was a "need" not just a "want" and pointed out all the ways it could be used on the farm. We quickly decided that he could not do enough cattle chores in a summer to buy the ATV so he needed a project of his own to make some money. He chose feeder pigs. I lined up 10 head of 12lb iso-wean pigs from a 3600 head sow unit down the road. We had a wooden framed hog house on the place that likely served as a farrowing house back in the 60's. We were in the pig business. It had been a long time since I had raised pigs and I was astonished at how fast they grew. Last Thursday I sold 280lb. market hogs 120 days after bringing home 12lb freshly weaned baby pigs. This got me to thinking about our feedlot environment and performance. These pigs gained 2.21 pounds per day and did it on 3lbs of feed for every pound of gain. I'm not sure how that stacks up against pigs in our new confinement buildings but I know how it compares to feedlot performance. I closed out more than one pen of cattle this spring (after terrible cattle feeding weather) that gained slightly over 2.lbs per day and needed 9lbs of feed for every pound of gain. Leaves little to wonder how other livestock sectors produce food for less. The swine guys learned decades ago they had to keep pigs dry and warm in the winter to get acceptable returns while selling their own corn through the hogs. They used to think they could get by keeping the sow and baby pigs in a comfortable environment. Thinking they could finish pigs in about any manner with some bedding. They learned in the late 80's that they had to keep the finish pig comfortable as well to stay in business. The dairy industry went through the same learning phase. Today you can't pick up a dairy industry magazine without seeing an article that pertains to keeping cows comfortable in every season while in a confined environment. Now the dairy industry is finding ways to create the comfort of a pasture under a roof. They call them bedded pack barns, large, open, pole buildings with nothing in them but a bunk and deep bedding of sawdust and/or bean stubble. These buildings use no stalls or concrete. They manage the bedding daily by tilling it like a garden and adding fresh bedding on top. This creates a combination compost pile and manure storage area under the cows feet, cleaning it out spring and fall. Brand new idea and design we will see how it works. The bottom line is that both groups learned they had to keep animals comfortable to get acceptable performance and returns to labor, capitol and management. Our industry is now going through the same learning phase. Hoop barns, steel monoslope buildings we are now learning how to keep cattle comfortable while in a confined environment. Till now we have had to settle for what the weather dictated in our confined feeding environments. Now as new confinement facilities are constructed our management will be the critical factor. I think I have seen about every possible way to feed cattle in central Iowa. From single strands of hot wire strung out in the field with elevator sections as bunks to slatted confinement barns built this spring. We can feed cattle in about any environment. My opinion on the best facility design does not matter. You guys are going to make the design work for you. Remember, cattle comfort with your management is going to be what makes your design work for you. And your management is the main component in our new confined environments not the amount of snowfall or mud depth. I'm not real excited about roofs over our feedlot cattle but it seems we may be forced into that in many situations as we renovate and expand.
We can very effectively feed cattle in open dirt lots. We can certainly feed cattle in any environment long term because they don't need purchased heat like other animals. But to stay competitive we will have to step up our management in open dirt lots while we wait for our DNR and EPA to decide what manure runoff management will be required. We will have to learn how to better manage outside lots like our neighbors learn how to manage cattle under a roof. We cannot simply let weather dictate feedlot returns as we move into the future. Regardless of the manner you choose to feed cattle, know the bottom line with keeping feedlot cattle comfortable is clean and fluffy hair and a soft place to bed down. Cattle have a two stage built in heating system to combat cold weather. First is the rumen. This vat produces a large amount of heat while breaking down feed particles. We need to harvest this heat at least six months out of the year. Second is the under coat of hair. As daylight hours shorten cattle produce a thick under coat of hair. This is the insulation for the rumen that holds in the heat. This under coat of hair is protected from moisture by the outer hair coat or guard hair. Unlike chickens or pigs we can let cattle have wet outside hair coats for a period of time(during a storm) as long as we do not let the under coat become wet by being matted down with manure or mud. You guys all know these things; our management in many cases in the past has not taken advantage of the natural insulation of cattle. We have only taken advantage of the fact that cattle are extremely tough critters and are able to survive in a wide range of environments. We just have to change our mindset toward comfort management. Ironically we can take advantage of this same system to keep cattle cool the other six months out of the year. I will talk about that next spring when we get ready for heat stress management plans. Why a soft place to bed down? Cattle are heavy animals. As we have bred them for heavier carcass weights on a relatively smaller frame we compound the need for a soft place to lie down and rest. A layer of bedding over a concrete surface serves as a cushion or barrier for the weight of the animal on its own internal organs. Blood flow to the internal organs as well as the feet and legs is increased when they have a cushion to lie on. This increased blood flow translates to improved utilization of feedstuffs. We learned these things from the dairy industry. The dairy guys can prove these ideas of providing comfortable resting place with extra milk in the bulk tank. We don't have a daily report card on performance like they do but milk cows are just cows like our feedlot cattle. Remember, as I have said before cattle should be doing one of three things; standing at the bunk eating, standing at the water tank drinking, or laying down resting. Comfortable cattle do not stand except while doing the other two things. Why spend any money on different feedlot facilities or management tactics? Why change the way we think about cattle comfort? Many of you have survived, paid for farms, sent kids to college feeding cattle the same way for 40 years. I can't argue with that but I think the future in cattle feeding will require some changes. Cattle comfort....clean and fluffy hair coat (this means clean from the knees up, belly, sides, flanks all areas need to be clean) soft place to bed down. Simple to get done, no but you will figure it out. We buy 5 x 5 cattle performance in many loads of calves we just have to manage that performance out of them. Before I go think about this; cattle under the stress of hauling, processing and weaning have an increased need for trace minerals and vitamins. This need is increased because during stress the cattle brain sends a trigger to mobilize vitamins and minerals stored in the body. The brain knows the immune system needs these vitamins and minerals to function. Rangeland Stress tubs fills this need in a manner that every calf in the pen will consume, especially the ones that are sick and need it most. Not only that, but the need is filled in a sugar cane molasses carrier. This sugar feeds the rumen microbes. Rumen microbes are replicating and increasing in number spurns the calf's appetite. Every calf walking off a truck will find a stress tub for a dose of what they need. You can get this for $1.80 per calf. Just call me and I can get them to you. Thanks Al 515-570-6038