Seasonal Updates

Supplementation Key For Winter-Housed Cattle

Supplementation of youngstock at housing should be a key consideration this year, given the variable quality of forages, and carrying out analyses to determine protein and energy content and identify any mineral deficiencies will be an important prerequisite.

This is the advice of our nutritionist Dr Alison Bond, who says the provision of well-formulated free access blocks or buckets will offer the balanced, little-and-often nutrition required to help overcome any shortfalls and also underpin general health and well-being at a critical time.

“Housing is a sudden change of environment for cattle, and may involve mixing of different groups, so it is an inevitable stress-point,” she points out. “The aim should be to minimise any further disruption and this should start with knowing what your forages are supplying nutritionally so that you are in a position to provide of an adequately balanced diet.

“Where forages are lacking, our feed blocks and buckets provide energy, protein, and are formulated to aid rumen function. They have been shown to support forage intakes whilst also providing a package of essential minerals, trace elements and vitamins that will remedy key deficiencies and support immune system function. Whether young calves fresh from weaning, bulling heifers, growing beef cattle, or in-calf dairy replacements, correct supplementation using blocks or buckets will be important to maintain health and growth rates.”

Alison advocated feeding our Maxx Cattle Booster Plus supplement, which contains a unique combination of ingredients to support the nutrition of a full range of growing cattle. As with all our products, the formulation is backed by scientific research and on farm trials, with benefits such as improved rumen health, increased forage utilisation and digestibility leading to tangible increases in liveweight gains. These benefits will be particularly beneficial when variable forage is fed to youngstock.

“With rumen health supported in this way, there will be more energy available for growth and support of the animals’ immune functions. This is particularly important at and beyond the point of housing, when cattle are already dealing with the change of environment at a time when they are being potentially being mixed with other cattle that may present fresh disease challenges.”

Maxx Cattle Booster Plus also contains a full package of minerals and vitamins that are essential for optimum performance. Key elements such as iodine and selenium along with readily available sources of copper and zinc are included, all of which have important roles in maintaining overall health and immune function. This will be important for growth rates and, in breeding cattle, for boosting reproductive performance. High iodine levels and phosphorus are also included, which will be particularly important if cattle are at any point out-wintered on forage crops.

For farmers on certain supplier contracts, the fact that Maxx Cattle Booster is soya protein-free will also be of significance. The product is available in 22.5kg buckets and 80kg tubs.

Rumen stability

Supplementation using blocks or buckets has significant advantages over alternative methods, such as feeding concentrate feeds.

“Whilst concentrates are usually offered in a lumpy fashion, perhaps in a once-a-day feed-out at a trough, buckets and blocks are designed for free access, allowing little-and-often feeding.

“Firstly, this removes the stress and bullying that can result from periodic trough feeding. Also, the little-and-often intakes that occur with free access feeding helps to avoid the peaks and troughs in rumen pH that tend to result when feeding once a day. The more stable rumen pH ultimately means greater forage utilisation, which is all the more important in a year when silage or hay may be in short supply.

“The convenience factor of avoiding a daily feed-out may also be significant, particularly on farms where the availability of labour may be an issue.”

In terms of budgeting and feed allowances when feeding blocks or buckets, Alison provides a guideline of 200-300g/head/day for growing cattle and advises that where multiple feeding points are required, these should be spaced out to maximise access.

“It is also important to remember that success with any feeding method is dependent upon the cattle being housed in a clean, well-ventilated and dry environment,” she concludes.

Mid-Pregnancy Supplementation Could Boost Returns From Upland Flocks

Supplementing hill and upland ewes during the critical mid-pregnancy period will help to avoid any loss in body condition that could result in lower survival rates and reduced viability in new born lambs.

Our nutritionist Dr Alison Bond has reviewed new evidence-based thinking that references the importance of maintaining ewe body condition scores (BCS) in the second trimester, rather than accepting a decline as the norm.

She recommends supplementation with specialist high protein feed blocks, using a formulation that will complement low quality grazing and provide additional minerals and trace elements vital to the development of a healthy placenta.

“We now know that the majority of placental growth takes place in the earlier stages of pregnancy, so this is not a time for ewes to be losing body condition,” she explains.

“Weight loss at this critical stage could inhibit placental development and lead to some disruption in the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the foetal lambs. This will impact on lamb birthweights, vigour and survivability. Furthermore, even at this early stage, a female foetus will be developing ovaries, so the implications could reach as far forward as the future reproductive performance in those unborn lambs.”

Whilst acknowledging the capability of upland ewes to do well on poor quality forage, Alison says that providing the right supplementation at the right time will nevertheless be a cost effective intervention, even for the most hardy, low-maintenance flocks. She says the target BCS for an upland ewe should be 2.5 during the mid-pregnancy period, which can require up to 6.0 MJ/ewe/day of energy to maintain, something that will be challenging even in the most favourable circumstances.

“Grazing during the late autumn and winter months will typically be very fibrous, low in protein and hard to digest, so achieving the intakes required is difficult,” she adds. “There is then the increased likelihood of adverse weather conditions, which will put more pressure on the ewe in terms of her maintenance requirements and potentially the availability of forage.”

Alison’s recommendation is to monitor flock condition as closely as possible and, if loss of condition is a concern, to provide a little-and-often feeding solution with molasses-based feed and mineral blocks where required.

“Trough feeding of concentrates is not often a practical solution in upland situations,” she says. “Free access blocks require less labour input and are a far more natural way of feeding, and they can be used to manipulate grazing and ensure better use of forages.

“Our Rumevite Hill Grazer is a 23% protein feed block with high levels of urea, ideally suited to supporting hill and upland ewes in mid-pregnancy. Forage quality is likely to be variable at best, so the inclusion of the specially selected yeast fermentation product, in the formulation will be particularly beneficial in helping to create a more stable rumen environment that will lead to improved forage digestibility and utilisation.”

Irrespective of any potential loss of condition, it is important to consider the general health and wellbeing of the upland ewe, and the impact of this on the unborn lambs. The inclusion of readily available minerals, vitamins and trace elements in Rumevite Hill Grazer is another advantage to supplementation with feed blocks.

“The supply of important micronutrients can be particularly important in upland and hill grazing flocks, given the likely low quality of forage available,” adds Alison.

Cobalt, zinc and selenium are examples of the key inclusions in Rumevite blocks that are designed to prevent potential problems resulting from deficiencies.

Zinc is essential in maintaining internal and external tissue health, so is particularly important, for example, in flocks where there may be a history of lameness. Cobalt, which can be deficient in forages, is important in embryo development in early pregnancy, and also has a wider role in the ewe’s immune system. Selenium and vitamin E are another good example of an important inclusion, these also being vital in immune function as well as fertility.

“Providing these important micronutrients, little and often to the whole flock, throughout these critical stages of pregnancy, will help to prevent – or in some cases solve – some of the more common flock problems,” says Alison.

Rumevite Hill Grazer blocks are molasses-based and formulated to be attractive to the ewes, to promote intakes. The 22.5kg blocks are available in 14 inch and 19 inch sizes, with one block recommended per 30 to 35 ewes.

Find out more about Rumevite here: https://www.rumenco.co.uk/news/product_range/rumevite-19/

Avoiding Mid-Pregnancy Weight Loss Boosts Lambing Outcomes

In a season when forage stocks have been under pressure following the dry summer, sheep farmers should take particular care to ensure ewes maintain body condition score throughout pregnancy.

This advice comes from our nutritionist Dr Alison Bond, who says allowing significant weight loss in the mid-pregnancy period in particular could result in reduced lamb birthweights, lower lamb survival rates, and even poorer reproductive performance in future flock replacements.

Prioritising flock nutrition during the second trimester is important, she says, with supplementary feeding being a key consideration if grazing or forage supplies are lacking in either quantity or nutritional quality.

“At one time it was considered acceptable for ewes to lose up to 0.5 in body condition score during mid-pregnancy, but the most recent research shows otherwise,” she explains.

“We now know that the majority of placental growth takes place in these earlier stages of pregnancy and understand far better the vital role this plays in foetal development. If ewes are losing weight at this critical stage, this could lead to sub-optimal placental development and some disruption in the supply of oxygen and nutrients to the foetal lambs. Even at this early stage, a female foetus will be developing ovaries, for example, so the implications could reach as far forward as the future reproductive performance in those unborn lambs.”

Given the importance of avoiding weight loss in mid-pregnancy, Alison says supplementary feeding of ewes will be cost effective if grazing or conserved forage is insufficient to maintain body condition score.

“In an ideal world, well-planned grazing or homegrown forage should provide most of a flocks requirements,” she adds, “but many areas are suffering a deficit this year. It will be all the more important to closely assess what is available and to have analyses carried out to test protein and energy content as well as the mineral and trace element profile if possible.

“Where there is pressure on supplies or the quality is not there, it really is vital not to allow this to impact on flock condition.

“It is important to monitor ewes closely and take action before there are any significant signs of weight loss. In circumstances where some level of intervention is required, it is far better to offer a little-and-often feeding solution with molasses-based feed and mineral blocks.

“Trough feeding of concentrates is an option, but it is more labour intensive and will result in a lot of bumping, barging and bullying at feeding time, which is not an ideal scenario for pregnant ewes. Free access blocks are a far more natural way of feeding and can be used to manipulate grazing and ensure better use of forages.”

Our Rumevite All Season is a high energy and protein feed block ideally suited to supplementing ewes in mid-pregnancy. Its proven formulation is designed to complement lower quality forages by supporting rumen function and stimulating intakes. In addition, the feed block provides essential minerals, vitamins and trace elements that may be lacking in forages.

“The natural protein and urea supplied in these blocks are particularly valuable where lower quality forage is being fed,” says Alison, “whilst good levels of energy from fermentable sources of sugar and starch are there to help maintain ewe condition.”

Overcoming potential deficiencies

Beyond body condition score, it is also important to consider the general health and wellbeing of the ewe, and the impact of this on the unborn lambs, so the inclusion of readily available minerals, vitamins and trace elements is another advantage of feeding blocks.

“The supply of important micronutrients may be particularly important if farms are reliant on bought-in bales, of unknown mineral status, or have a predominance of reseeded leys with modern grasses that are typically lower in certain minerals,” says Alison.

Cobalt, zinc and selenium are examples of the key inclusions in Rumevite blocks that are designed to prevent potential problems resulting from deficiencies.

Rumevite All Season blocks are molasses-based and formulated to be attractive to the ewes, to promote intakes. The recommended feeding rate is one 22.5kg block between 30 to 35 ewes.

Find out more about Rumevite All Season here: https://www.rumenco.co.uk/product/rumevite-high-energy-and-protein/