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Rain, rain go away, come again another day

Words by Dr Rob Derrick

 

A wet cow is a hungry cow. Here is a quick guide to how to adjust your herd’s feeding programme to the weather. 

 

Who apart from meteorologists knew what atmospheric rivers were just a couple of years ago? Record-breaking rainfall has undoubtedly increased the number of sad-looking livestock that have most likely slipped both in terms of weight and body condition compared to normal for their stage of life. Fully-fed ruminants are normally pretty robust in the face of cold weather, because of the heat generated in a well-fed rumen. However, even acclimatised cattle need to burn calories to keep warm when it is cold, windy and wet. Diet programmes don’t normally have a correction for inclement weather, but the energy cost associated with trying to keep warm can be significant. The Lower Critical Temperature at which livestock burn energy to keep warm increases markedly when they are wet e.g. Penn State Extension in the USA recommend that wet beef cows at 9°C require 20 percent more feed than dry cows at 15°C – depending on the breed and coat condition.

 

Our climate historically has not favoured the proliferation of breeds like Welsh Mountain and Scottish Blackface sheep that have been naturally selected for fleeces that shed heavy rainfall. Red deer that evolved in temperate woodland and alpacas from the cold but very dry Andes are not best prepared for cold rain. Wool coats are practical for young lambs and horses can be rugged, but for most stock some natural shelter and extra feed can be as much as is practical to provide.

 

 

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The wet autumn has been associated with better-than average pasture growth, but after long periods of reduced sunlight the grass could be low in both dry matter and energy. Winter crops and supplementary forage utilisation will decrease as soils become waterlogged. While it seems counter-intuitive to feed out hay or baleage when pastures have good cover, dry, easy-to consume feed can help dry matter intake. Stock will expend more time and energy to consume the same amount of dry matter and even more effort if they want comparable energy intakes to a typical season. Immunity can be suppressed in already compromised animals not only because energy is limited, but because of a lack of essential trace minerals and vitamins from stressed forages.

 

The seasons might balance out but if not, supplementary feeding can be a cost-effective solution to lift condition before critical dates such as lambing, calving or mating in the case of yearlings. With added trace minerals and vitamins, compound feeds can help lift the health of stock beyond delivering just energy and protein in a concentrated, low-wastage form.

 

For those looking to benefit from premiums from key markets by avoiding GM feeds, Farmlands offers a range of products for alpacas, calves, deer, and goats formulated from non-GM grains and by-products. A month or so of feeding can help turn stock around more reliably than an improvement in the weather.

 

Temperature at which beef cows start using metabolic energy to maintain body temperature:

 

 

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