PROTEIN & COWS

Nutrients change constantly depending on the animal’s state of health, sex, age, breed, level of activity, parasite numbers and of course the environment.  The very basic nutrients are supplied by the environment via extensive grazing.  A seasonal strategy must be developed by farmers in order to ensure that the animals receive optimum nutrition by supplementation.

 Cattle grazing...

  Herd on licks

Protein is necessary for growth.  It is used for building body tissues and cells.  Sources of proteins are licks which are made from raw ingredients that contain proteins like cotton seed, sunflower and fish meal perhaps.  During the rainy months, the grass in the veld is plentiful and green.  Thus, protein levels are high in pastures.  Little to no supplementation is needed. During the winter months, when the veld is dry and yellow, the opposite arises.

Symptoms of protein deficiency in animals

• The hair stands up and skin is hard
• The body condition and weight worsen.
• The animal walks with curved backs
• The stop of grazing arises
• The animals are constantly thirsty, lie down next to water troughs and drink a lot of water.
• The animals manure is dry, black and hard.
• The animals intestines can be clogged easily.

Protein is an important requirement, especially in cows.  An animal stresses the most when calving.  This is when the protein requirements increase drastically because the milk is full of protein to sustain the calve and help it grow. Supplementation is necessary during this time.  In addition the animal also needs to maintain body condition because within three months after calving, the cows are on the bull again.  The closer the cow comes to her target weight, the sooner she will be pregnant and the earlier she will calve.

XoXo

LIVESTOCK INVENTORY

I have taken a few days to visit the farm.  I usually have a through visit every quarter.  My first production quarter has come and gone by so quickly.  I am surely looking forward to this current quarter.

    Heifers looking good...

    Brahman mom and swiss calf plus a big weaned calf.  Nose ring works wonders.

    Pure breed Santa Gertrudis heifer.

  OKB677-12 still adjusting to the new environment.

Purpose of the visit was to conduct a livestock inventory. Specifically, a cattle inventory.  This should be part of every farmers management regimen.  I was not only able to count the animals physically, but I was also able to record their production histories.  This is very important.  Every cow should calf every year. The cows that are not productive will be marketed.

So why conduct a livestock inventory?

To identify any missing livestock.  This livestock can either be stolen, dead and never found or perhaps they could be roaming around in neighbors camps.  

To track the production histories of your cows.  Are the cows producing calves yearly.  If not, what could be the reason. Consider the bull to cow ratio.  They say for every 25 cows, 1 bull is needed.  This will increase the calving rate (ratio/percentage of calves born to the total cows in a production system).  My goal is to have more than an 80% calving rate.

To budget.  It is important to know how much one is spending on the operation for water, diesel, licks/supplements, vaccines.  One should also know their expecting income from marketing of livestock. And to do such, figures are needed to work with.

Following my hard copies, I type my data up into a long excel spreadsheet.

Xoxo