Page 10 - AWA Vol. 42-No.2 issue

ANiMAl HEAlTH

Calving Season Nutrition: Fuel The Cow, Support The Calf,

And Prepare For The Next Breeding Cycle

Few times in the beef production year ceptable-quality forage is often suffi- ment focuses on organ formation and
carry as much promise, pressure, and cient to meet a cow’s baseline nutritional skeletal-muscular growth. By contrast,
long-term consequence as calving sea- needs. However, that changes dramati- the third trimester accounts for nearly
son. Each healthy calf represents not cally during the last 60 days before calv- 75 percent of total fetal growth and pre-
only immediate value, but also the suc- ing and the first 60 days post-partum. pares the calf for life outside the uterus.
cess of months of management decisions During this window, cows experience At the same time, cows must accumu-
made long before the first signs of labor. a sharp increase in basal metabolic re- late sufficient energy reserves to with-
While genetics, weather, and manage- quirements driven by three major bio- stand the physical stress of calving and
ment all play a role, nutrition remains the logical events: transition smoothly into lactation. Nutri-
quiet driver behind calving ease, calf 1. Rapid fetal development and prepa- ent partitioning during this phase priori-
vigor, milk production, and a cow’s abil- ration for parturition tizes fetal growth and calving readiness,
ity to breed back on time.
2. Initiation of lactation and colostrum but only if those nutrients are available
At its core, the cow-calf system is built production in adequate and bioavailable forms. In
on a remarkable biological partnership. addition to energy and protein, cows re-
Grazing cattle convert cellulose and fi- 3. The return to a fertile state in prepa- quire vitamins A and E and trace miner-
brous plant material that humans can- ration for the next cattle breeding sea- als such as copper, zinc, manganese, and
not digest into high-quality protein for son selenium to support immune function,
human consumption – nutritious, whole- Spring-calving herds often enter calv- colostrum quality, and calf vigor. Defi-
some beef. Across the domestic cow- ing season during winter months, when ciencies during this stage can result in
calf sector, production systems, forage forage quality is declining, and envi- weak calves, delayed nursing, and com-
resources, and breed types vary widely. ronmental stressors are elevated. Pro- promised immune transfer.
Yet despite these differences, the nutri- ducers may also be managing first-calf Addressing the Fear of Over-Sup-
tional demands of the beef cow remain heifers, which are still growing and have plementation
surprisingly consistent, especially dur- not yet reached mature body size. These
ing the final stages of gestation and early females must partition nutrients toward Some producers remain hesitant to
lactation. And there is no point in the their own growth, fetal development, and supplement cows during late gestation,
year when those demands escalate more calving simultaneously, making precise often because they fear that increased
sharply than during calving season. nutrition even more critical. nutrition will lead to excessive birth
weights and dystocia. Research indicates
At BioZyme®, we produce VitaFerm®, a Optimizing nutrition during this period that calf birth weight is influenced by the
line of nutritional supplements for beef is not an option. It is foundational to pro- maternal plane of nutrition. However,
cattle that maximizes energy and for- duction efficiency, cow longevity, and re- birth weight alone does not determine
age utilization for successful production. productive success. calving ease. Calving difficulty is multi-
Feeding VitaFerm supplements at least What’s Happening Biologically in factorial. Outside of abnormal calf pre-
60 days pre-calving ensures both mama Late Gestation? sentations, the cow’s energy status and
and her calf start strong in the calving lot Understanding the biology of late glycogen reserves play a critical role in
and helps with quicker breed-backs.
gestation helps explain why nutritional her ability to deliver a calf unassisted.
Nutritional Demands Peak During gaps during calving season can have Thin cows with limited energy reserves
Calving Season lasting consequences. During the first may actually experience more difficulty
For most of the production cycle, ac- and second trimesters, fetal develop- calving, regardless of calf size.
8 Vol. 42 No. 2