Nutrition
Answers to the Four Most Frequently Asked
Nutrition Questions of 2017
By Jason Smith, University of Tennessee
I want to take a moment to
reflect upon some of the most
commonly asked nutrition
questions of 2017. These
topics are not necessarily any
more or less important than
any others that we receive,
however their frequency of
recurrence suggest that there
is quite a bit of confusion
or inconsistent information
available on the respective
topics. Read on if you’d like
to hear these questions and
their corresponding answers
– listed in no particular order.
Q: Why are my first-calf heifers
so hard to get bred back?
A: It’s because they’re different.
They’re different because
they’re still growing. When
standardized for body weight,
their protein and energy
requirements are roughly 10 to
15 % higher than the mature
cows in the herd during late
gestation and throughout the
proceeding lactation. This is
the main reason why we (and
many others) recommend that
first-calf heifers be managed
separately from the mature
cowherd. If the first-calf
heifers are being managed
alongside the mature cows, that
generally means that they’re
being managed to meet the
requirements of the mature
cows, not the heifers. When
that’s the case, nutrition falls
short, and reproduction suffers.
If you want to make sure that
reproduction doesn’t suffer, they
need to be fed to meet their
needs. That generally requires
feeding them something that’s
10 to 15 % higher in protein
and energy than the mature
cows, or feeding them 10 to
15 % more of it – assuming
A no nonsense program
producing cattle that work
for commercial cowmen and
perform in the feed yard.
L.G. & Vickie Gilbert
7095 CR 1100 | Hydro, OK 73048
405/542-6016 (home)
405/648-2464 (L.G.-cell)
80 | JUNE/JULY 2018
John & Angi Gilbert
9065 CR 1100 | Hinton, OK 73047
405/627-8936
that they’re physically capable
of eating that much.
Q: I’ve always heard that
you shouldn’t feed pregnant
cows very much during late
gestation because the calf will
get too big – is that true?
A: No – or at least not to the
extent that it will decrease
calving difficulty. Restricting
the cow results in the cow
restricting the developing
fetus. While this may affect
a lot of things about how
that calf performs for you
in the future, birthweight is
quite resilient to this type of
nutritional insult, and remains
relatively unchanged. And we
can’t increase a calf’s actual
birthweight beyond its genetic
potential for birthweight. So
even though we don’t change
birthweight to a meaningful
degree, we inhibit that calf’s
immune system, as well
as its potential for growth,
efficiency, and reproduction.
We also set the cow up for
failure during the upcoming
breeding season, because she
will more than likely go into
the next breeding season at
a nutritional disadvantage.
Don’t be afraid to feed cows to
meet their requirements and
calve in an adequate state of
body condition – just don’t
make them obese. If they go