When it comes to ruminant nutrition most people think of things like crude protein, energy, and possibly mineral content. Although these factors are important, roughage intake can often be overlooked. A minimum amount of roughage is important to keep the rumen functioning as it should.
The purpose of the rumen is to degrade complex structural fibers found in plants. Once it does that it metabolizes them to provide nutrients for the animal to make meat and milk that can be consumed by humans. They can produce better with plants that have lower fiber levels and are more digestible.
The quality and availability of roughage can have a direct effect on the success of a cattle enterprise. Providing better quality roughage can reduce the cost of feeding high-producing animals. But just how are you to go about providing better roughage for your animals? Well here are some things for you to consider.
Creep feeding can be a very useful tool for producers raising young calves. Using this tool can both improve your overall bottom line as well as your profitability. Not to mention also helping calves in being more productive.
Mesquite trees are the most popular “trash” tree out there. Though mostly that popularity is due to the excellent firewood that it provides. Despite it being able to provide us with some really good firewood it does pose some problems for range managers.
Salt blocks are available to producers in a variety of different colors. This is something any trip to your local feed store can tell you. Each color represents different things about it.
It may not seem like it now but spring weather will be here before you know it. All of the ice and snow (if you get any) will melt away and things will become green again.
Having the right replacement heifers is important for the long-term profitability of any ranch. It is necessary to be able to rotate the breeding stock out to improve the overall genetic gene pool. Also, cows will get to a point where they will be too old to breed anymore and no longer be profitable. When this happens you will need to have new stock ready to take their place.
Knowing when to assist with calving can be a very tricky matter. It requires a delicate balance between not acting too quickly and not reacting too late. Finding this balance can require a lot of experience and maybe a little bit of luck.
A feed tag is a very informative but often overlooked item on a commercially produced feed. Other than looking at the Crude protein or maybe the energy content not many people really look at them. With some of the confusing numbers and such listed on them, it is understandable how that can happen.
Well here we are. at the beginning of a new year. And with this new trip around the sun brings both optimism for what the future can hold. As well as potential challenges. While I will mention the optimism it is also important to plan ahead for any speedbumps that may be coming to us.
BRD, or bovine respiratory disease, is a general term for respiratory disease in cattle. A range of factors can cause this disease. The common names normally used for this disease is pneumonia or shipping fever. Stocker and feedlot operations is often where this disease occurs.
