K-State Research and Extension

“Weaning Decisions – part II”

 by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

If you’ve decided to sell your calves immediately at weaning, read no further. However, if you’ve decided to retain your calves for some time prior to marketing, you’ve got some additional decisions to make.

Vaccination and deworming at least 2 weeks prior to weaning can be beneficial. And we discussed last month that retaining and feeding for at least 2 weeks prior to shipment can also help reduce disease upon arrival at the calves’ next destination. But if you do intend on selling after some period of “preconditioning”, it is necessary to get paid for all your work, time, and risk. The first step to getting paid for the value you’re adding is finding the market that is looking for and paying for the kind of feedlot-ready calves you’re producing. But the next step is ensuring you’re doing everything you need to in order to ensure the calves perform during your retained feeding period.

The first step is to decide how long you will retain the calves. K-State research indicates that if weather is favorable at weaning time, ADG may range from 1.5 to 2.0 lb/d post-weaning. Some would suggest that depending on your weaning system and weather stress immediately after weaning, calves may not gain a great deal of weight during the first 2 weeks after maternal separation. If this is the case, you’ll want to be sure to retain the calves long enough to regain any lost weight caused by the stress of weaning transition, perhaps 45-60 days. In either case, longer post-weaning retention at the ranch of origin can reduce incidence of disease post-shipment, especially if the haul is long.

The final decision is diet. The primary reason to retain calves is that you can put on cheap gains with little health risk due to the minimal stress imposed on the calves without a long haul coupled with maternal separation. To that purpose, the goal should be to utilize inexpensive feeds with good nutrient composition for weaned calves. Normally it is recommended calves have access to good quality loose hay in the feedbunk the day of weaning, with 3-5 lb of a dry, mixed, starter ration (50% chopped hay, 50% concentrate) top-dressed. If most of the calves consume this feed rapidly, eliminate the loose hay and feed the starter ration for 3-7 days, depending on stress and sickness. The diet can then be transitioned to include a slightly higher concentrate level and wet feeds, including wet distiller’s grains or silage.

“Weaning Decisions”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

If you’ve decided to sell your calves, you need to determine how to maximize your return on what you’ve already invested. You may have already determined that selling immediately following weaning through conventional market channels is best for you. However, there are alternatives to selling your calves as a “commodity”.

K-State research has demonstrated the potential values of weaning for at least 2 weeks prior to shipment to the auction market or to the feedyard. Other data have shown benefits of weaning at least 45 days prior to shipment and commingling. But most importantly, you need to ensure that you will get paid for any added investment you make in adding value to your calves.

The term “adding value” only applies if the buyer perceives the same value that the seller does. If the buyers at the sale you use don’t pay more for preconditioned calves, then preconditioning has no value, at that sale. However, other buyers, at other sales, certainly DO value preconditioning, and it’s your prerogative to seek out these buyers to get paid for adding true value.

This may also apply to other aspects of your calf crop. Perhaps your calves have excellent genetics for growth or muscling or marbling. Make sure to seek out the market which will give you the best value for your unique product.

There are certain grocery stores where upon entry, the shopper makes a tacit agreement with the management: “I will pay you more for groceries but you must provide me with quality.” Shoppers don’t go to these stores looking to pinch pennies, but instead to buy high quality products with an assurance of sustained value. The same can be said for value-added sales. Buyers don’t come to a dedicated preconditioned calf sale looking for the lowest price, but for sustaining value, i.e. calves that will perform.

So before you make extensive investment in preconditioning, or after you’ve made a substantial investment in high-value genetics, make sure you find the market that will pay most for your added value.

“Preconditioning: Prevention is Still the Best Cure”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

Vaccine and antimicrobial technology continues to improve at a breakneck pace. Yet we continue to see that calves which are unprepared for life in the feedlot and which undergo significant stress during and after weaning en route to the feedlot will have morbidity upwards of 30% and first treatment success is often 30-50%. Calves which get mild respiratory disease will gain 0.2-0.4 lbs less ADG than healthy calves and those calves requiring multiple treatments will gain 0.6 lbs ADG less for the entire feeding period than healthy calves. This translates to about 15 lb less carcass weight and 10-15% fewer choice carcasses. It pays to keep calves healthy.

Preconditioning can mean everything from giving calves a vaccination prior to weaning, all the way to 2 rounds of vaccination, pre- and post-weaning, weaning from their dams for 45 to 60 days, and transitioned onto a total mixed ration, feedbunks, and waterers.

As far as animal performance is concerned, the extent of preconditioning needed to minimize post-arrival problems and maximize feedlot performance depends on the extent of stress imposed on the calf during transition. Recent studies here at K-State suggest that single-source calves shipped four hours to a feedlot will benefit from pre-weaning vaccination and weaning and feeding for at least 2 weeks pre-shipment. If calves are going to be shipped a great deal farther, will be extensively commingled either in transit or upon arrival, and may experience adverse weather conditions post-arrival, vaccination and weaning for 6-8 weeks pre-shipment would be preferred.

Respiratory disease is the most costly disease in the cattle industry, and the greatest factor affecting calf performance in the feedlot. If you can prevent or control disease, you can, to a certain extent, control performance of calves. Feedlots are paying premiums for calves which are prepared for life at the feedlot. Why? Because they perform. As a rancher, you can and should get paid for your investments of time, money, and management.

“Heat Stress Abatement II: Prevention IS the Cure”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

This summer has been a hot one all across the state of Kansas, and the heat continues. As beef producers and as extension professionals, there is a great deal we can take away from this summer to make us better as we move forward.

The good news is that we can be sure that not EVERY summer will be as hot and oppressive as the summer of 2010. The bad news is that we can be certain to encounter some level of heat stress EVERY summer. It’s our duty to prepare for exactly that inevitability. So that being said, what are the tools we have in our toolbox to be better prepared to deal with the heat next summer and those to follow?

1. Pasture cattle fare better than confined cattle during heat events. Pasture cattle can often find adequate shade and water sources to alleviate heat stress during the hottest times of the day.
2. Black-hided cattle sustain the greatest challenge due to absorption of more solar radiation compared to light-hided cattle.
3. Shade works. If properly constructed to allow convective heat to leave cattle and allow breezes to reach cattle, providing shades during extreme heat events may eliminate the need for emergency intervention. Proper orientation will also prevent permanent wet areas.
4. Wind breaks contribute to heat stress. Even if no extreme heat stress may be evident, reducing potentially cooling breezes can make cattle less likely to consume and perform up to their full potential. If wind breaks are needed for the winter, consider some form of temporary wind break which can be removed for the summer months.
5. Extra drinking water space provides comfort and alleviates the demand on the water system during peak heat hours.
6. Bedding with straw provides a lighter-colored, reflective surface to provide cattle a (relatively) cooler place to lie down and rest, thus reducing their activity and comfort during already stressful conditions.
7. Sprinkling cattle may be essential. Spraying cattle is costly, time-consuming, and can contribute to increased humidity within the pen—but it also may be the difference between life and death for extremely heat-stressed cattle. Both cattle surface temperature and soil surface temperature are reduced as a result of spraying water which then evaporates, taking heat out of the surface.

Let’s make sure we get better next year:

1. Make improvements to facilities. Build mounds and shades and eliminate wind breaks.
2. Update our heat-stress remediation plans.
3. Have water spraying equipment, tanks, and straw bales on hand going into next summer.

As a very challenging summer winds to a close, we all need to make sure we maximize the value of some very difficult and costly lessons.

“Heat Stress Abatement: Prevention IS the Cure”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

When we consider true heat stress and the potential for damaging impacts, we must consider the “Effective Ambient Temperature” which is made up of actual dry-bulb temperature and humidity. But we must also factor in average wind speed (or lack thereof). 95° in Garden City is by no means the same as 95° in Chanute. The difference? Humidity and wind.

Heat-stressed cattle will seek out higher elevations to catch a breeze in order to unload heat. Proper design of mounds within pens can help. Cattle can tolerate a fair bit of heat accumulation during the day, provided they can unload that heat during the evening and nighttime hours. But if the effective ambient temperature (“heat index”) doesn’t fall below about 80° at any point during the night, the cattle will go into the next morning carrying heat from the previous afternoon. And if the subsequent day has similar conditions, the heat load building in the cattle will increase to critical levels.

Black-hided cattle are at much greater risk of devastating heat stress due to the amount of solar radiation absorbed by their dark hide. White or light colored cattle rarely suffer as greatly as black cattle during extreme heat situations. Shades will reduce radiant heat accumulation, but it is important that the shade design not stifle air movement.

The most important factor under your control in preparing for heat stress conditions is sufficient water space and capacity. During the summer months water intake not only increases, but the majority of that increased demand is focused around the mid-afternoon hours. In anticipation of extreme heat events, it is important to have large water tanks available and filled. This will give more cattle a place to drink as well as relieving some of the strain on water flow capacity.

Sprinkling can also alleviate heat during the most extreme conditions. A critical element in maximizing the benefits of sprinkling is making sure the spray consists of large, heavy water droplets. A fine mist will evaporate making air more humid, but large droplets penetrate the hair coat to the surface of the skin maximizing the evaporative cooling benefit.

“What Grade Do You Deserve?”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

How often do you grade your operation? Or do you regularly bring in an outside consultant to evaluate your organization? There is great value in having an outside expert critique your actual operating practices.

Do you view your operation with critical eyes? Or do you believe you’re already doing everything as “right” as possible? The problem with self-evaluation is that it’s hard for us to know what “normal” should be when we are immersed in what is “normal” for our operation.

I have visited some operations where “normal” animal handling procedures are less than ideal based on current standards and best management practices. How frequently do your animal handlers use a whip or hot shot? What is “normal” for your operation may not be considered “normal” for the rest of the cattle industry or, more importantly, acceptable by your ultimate customer—the beef consumer. Do your cattle handlers routinely yell and whistle while moving stock? If this has become “normal” for your operation, it may be time for you to either critically evaluate your standard animal handling practices or bring in an outside expert to do it for you.

How you train and monitor animal handling practices determines the message you send your cattle crew as to what is appropriate. People will fall into old habits when permitted. Just like any other operational procedure, good habits can be trained and reinforced. Catch people doing things wrong and re-direct them; catch people doing things right and commend them. Be intentional. Make this a priority. Have regular training sessions and solicit feedback. Communicate the importance and value of appropriate animal handling practices. Be transparent. Most folks desire to do things right, once they know what the right thing is. Animal caregivers by their nature want to know they are doing right by the animals in their care.

We are at a critical time in all of animal agriculture with respect to our management practices; we are being observed and graded by our customer. The question you must ask yourself is, “What grade do I deserve?”

“Marketing on a Carcass Weight Basis”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist 

This is dangerous ground. The topic of fed cattle marketing can and has filled volumes. But there is one aspect of marketing to be acutely aware of this time of year: endpoints.

If you market fed cattle based strictly on live price, the simple rule is that when the cost of that day’s gain (cost of feed+yardage) exceeds the value of that day’s gain (live price*that day’s gain), feeding more days will cost more than it will return.

If you sell in the beef with no direct premium or discount for carcass parameters, the equation changes slightly. It is still based on daily value gain vs. daily cost, but it changes to cost of that day’s gain vs. the value of that day’s CARCASS gain. This is where it gets interesting. Although overall dressing percentage may be 62-64%, dressing percentage of each pound of live weight increases with days on feed, and dressing percentage of live weight added at the end of the feeding period may exceed 80%. That is, if the steer is gaining 2.5 lbs/day, carcass gain is potentially 2 lbs. Also, because of the increasing dressing percentage with days on feed, rate of carcass gain does not decrease as rapidly as rate of live weight gain.

The reason this is important is that for the carcass weight seller, net value of cattle does not decrease as dramatically at the end of the feeding period as it does for the live seller. If you’ve recently switched from selling cattle on a live to a carcass weight basis, keep this in mind when determining optimum marketing endpoint.

“Feet and Legs: Part Two”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

First, let me state clearly that I am certainly no expert in feedlot lameness; there are many folks out there much more enlightened in this area than I. But like most nutritionists, I am constantly on the prowl for ways to enhance performance and eliminate sources of lost performance. Lameness can come from many potential causes: footrot, swollen joints, toe abscesses, or mechanical injury to the hoof, joints, or muscles.

Data presented at the 2010 Cattlemen’s Day from a recent K-State study conducted in a commercial feedyard confirmed what we may have guessed for a long time; processing feedlot cattle can contribute to a transient increase in the incidence of cattle lameness. Few would argue that lame or sore footed cattle probably do not perform as well as those without discomfort. Whether we blame the facilities, the personnel, or the weather conditions, the data are telling. The good news is that information is power, but only if we use that information wisely and intentionally.

How recently have you evaluated your processing facilities for “comfort” of the cattle’s feet? Are there areas that cattle are required to turn sharp corners where they may likely slip? Slipping can lead to toe abscesses or leg injuries. What is the surface like where cattle exit the chute? Cattle often leap upon exiting the chute; if the area immediately to the front of the chute is hard and/or slippery cattle can fall and injure a joint. Certainly any time there is opportunity for the hooves to slip on concrete there is a chance for toe abscesses to arise.

There are many possible improvements which can be made in these “high impact” areas. One that seems durable and cost-effective is the use of woven tire mats. They provide traction regardless of weather conditions, cushion, eliminate hoof slippage (and the subsequent damage incurred), and are highly durable provided they are properly constructed.

This is one more area we can scrutinize to ensure optimum animal welfare which will lead to optimum performance.

“Feet and Legs: Part One”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

After what has been a long, difficult, winter, feedlot pens are going to need a great deal of repair. This is absolutely critical for performance of the next turn of cattle which will occupy the pen. There have been feed yards which were unable to get pens repaired after a particularly oppressive winter prior to the following winter season and performance suffered greatly—throughout the summer months, the winter, and the following spring.

For optimum intake, gain, and conversion, cattle need smooth, solid surfaces on which to lie down and walk to the bunk and water tanks. Mound space is absolutely essential during wet and/or cold weather to provide comfort to the cattle. It may be said that cattle process and metabolize nutrients more efficiently and burn less energy when lying down than when standing or walking. Therefore, we want to encourage the cattle to move to the bunk to eat as often as possible, but when satisfied, we also need to provide a comfortable place to rest.

As cattle grow, there is greater strain on their legs and joints, making resting time even more essential for optimum performance. If cattle have been slogging through hock deep (or deeper) mud all winter the strain on the joints can be tremendous, especially as they approach finish weight. Clean out excess mud as frequently as possible during or following wet conditions.

One often overlooked source of lameness is foot injury within the home pen. During pen maintenance, take special care to evaluate edges of the concrete pad for broken concrete or exceptionally rough areas. This is especially critical in high traffic areas between the pad, the water tanks, and the mounds. Make sure the junction from the concrete to the dirt area is relatively seamless; a large hole behind the pad not only discourages travel to and from feed and water, the large step required may be a source of injury. Repair these broken and rough areas early, before they can do irreparable harm to cattle welfare and performance.

Clean, comfortable, resting and traffic areas are a good investment: like money in the bank.

“Mud Mitigation”

by Chris Reinhardt, feedlot specialist

As cattle people, we grudgingly accept the various natural elements as part of the cost of doing business. Rain, snow, ice, and extreme temperatures are part of life in Kansas for ranchers and cattle feeders. And each of these factors that move animals outside of their comfort zone, called the “thermo neutral zone”, steals a measure of performance. With respect to mud, however, we know that the cost of fighting mud on lost performance is high, and we can prepare for the inevitability of it.

Researchers have estimated that although pastern-level mud has little effect on performance, hock-deep mud is costly. Gain will be reduced by 1/3 to 1/2 when cattle are fighting mud. The energy required to reach the bunk or water trough increases dramatically so part of their intake energy is lost to this expenditure; the stress of fighting the mud will actually discourage cattle from making the trek to the bunk reducing intake; cattle have a hard time finding a comfortable resting area causing an increase in energy use just standing around; wet hide from resting in the mud will cause cold stress to increase. When we consider that only about half of animals’ normal daily energy intake is going toward gain on “stress-free” days, all these increases in energy expenditures dramatically cut into what is left over for gain.

Preparing for mud won’t eliminate these costs, but we can reduce them.

• Mounds within the pen. Cattle should have about 25 ft² of mound space per animal. Mounds should have a slope of about 1:5 on the sides to facilitate moisture to flow away from the cattle and the ‘valleys’ between mounds should slope about 3-4% away from the bunk. The end of the mound nearest the bunk should connect to the concrete pad so cattle don’t have to slog through deep mud to get to the bunk.
• Increase pen space per animal. Whereas 125 ft² of pen space might be adequate during dry conditions in the summer, 350 ft² may be barely sufficient during wet conditions. Adapt as conditions dictate.
• Smooth pen surfaces whenever the weather allows. The longer muddy conditions persist, the worse the pen conditions become and cattle will have an even greater difficulty moving throughout the pen.

Living and raising cattle in Kansas has many rewards. By preparing pens ahead of time for the wet times of the year we can survive long enough reap the rewards