FOUNDATIONAL NUTRITION

FOR SHOW CATTLE

…LET’S START WITH THE FEED TAG

JASON SMITH

PH.D. CANDIDATE AND CALS GRADUATE TEACHING SCHOLAR

DEPARTMENT OF ANIMAL AND POULTRY SCIENCES

VIRGINIA TECH

The feed tag

What does it really tell us about a feed?

Animal requirements

What are they?

Supplementation strategies

How can they benefit a feeding program?

Show day feeding practices

Current opportunities in nutrition

OVER THE NEXT HOUR…

Major sections

Guaranteed analysis

Average nutrient composition

Ingredients

Feedstuff composition

Directions

How to feed the product

Caution

What to be careful of

How not to feed the product

THE FEED TAG

Guaranteed analysis

% of dry matter

Min and max

Crude protein Crude fat Crude fiber Calcium Phosphorus Salt Micro ingredients

THE GUARANTEED ANALYSIS

Describes the relative amount of dry feed

Following removal of the water

DRY MATTER

Moisture and dry matter content of typical feed ingredients for show cattle

Moisture (%) Dry matter (%)

Vitamins and minerals 2 98

Cottonseed hulls 8 92

Grain and oilseed byproducts 10 90

Grains 12 88

Hay 14 86

Silages 65 35

Fresh pasture 82 18

Major component of the body

Involved in almost all cellular processes and chemical reactions

Typically made up of 16 % nitrogen

To determine crude protein…

…analyze for nitrogen content

…multiply by 6.25

“crude” = rough estimate

Not all crude protein is actual protein

Cattle DO NOT have a dietary crude protein requirement

CRUDE PROTEIN

Cattle are ruminants

Remember when you were told that “cows have four stomachs”?

Four distinct compartments that take place of the stomach

Rumen

Reticulum

Omasum

Abomasum

THE RUMINANT DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

RUMEN

Cattle are ruminants

Remember when you were told that “cows have four stomachs”?

Four distinct compartments that take place of the stomach

Rumen

Reticulum

Omasum

Abomasum

THE RUMINANT DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

RETICULUM

Cattle are ruminants

Remember when you were told that “cows have four stomachs”?

Four distinct compartments that take place of the stomach

Rumen

Reticulum

Omasum

Abomasum

THE RUMINANT DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

OMASUM

Cattle are ruminants

Remember when you were told that “cows have four stomachs”?

Four distinct compartments that take place of the stomach

Rumen

Reticulum

Omasum

Abomasum

THE RUMINANT DIGESTIVE SYSTEM

ABOMASUM

Cattle are ruminants

Symbiotic relationship with microorganisms (“bugs”) in the rumen

When we feed cattle, we’re feeding the cattle and the “bugs”

The “bugs” are selfish

They break nutrients down and then rebuild what they need to thrive

Digested and utilized by the animal when they flow out of the rumen

THE RUMEN

Provides amino acids and non-protein nitrogen

Essential for growth and “functions” within the body and the rumen

Major component of muscle (other than water)

Cattle DO have an amino acid requirement!

We just don’t know what it is

What do we know about dietary protein?

Need to meet the needs of both the animal and the rumen

Balance the type of dietary protein

60 % of crude protein in a rumen degradable form

40 % of crude protein in a rumen undegradable form

DIETARY CRUDE PROTEIN

TYPICAL COMPOSITION OF GROWTH

Birth Maturity

Gro

wth

Min

imu

m

Max

imu

m

BONE MUSCLE FAT

CRUDE PROTEIN FOR SHOW HEIFERS

0

5

10

15

20

25

Birth Weaning Breeding Calving

Cru

de

Pro

tein

(%

)

CRUDE PROTEIN FOR SHOW STEERS

0

5

10

15

20

25

Birth Nursing Weaning Finishing Harvest

Cru

de

Pro

tein

(%

)

Let’s use a 12.5 to 14 % crude protein show feed as an example

…what if we use that same feed as a creep feed for nursing calves?

…what about using that feed shortly after weaning?

…what about during gestation?

Aren’t we potentially feeding next year’s show calf?

ARE WE MEETING THEIR REQUIREMENTS?

Provides an indication of the fat content of a feed

Fat is important in the body because

Source of energy

Important component of all cells

Required for the production of some hormones

Fat in the diet doesn’t always equal fat in the animal

CRUDE FAT

Fat IS NOT the major form of energy in cattle feed

Then why is it on the feed tag?

Can affect how well the “bugs” do their job in the rumen

Too much can kill them

Safe levels are between 3 and 8 %

FAT AS AN ENERGY SOURCE

Major source of energy for ruminants

Include…

Fiber and starch

Converted to small fats by the “bugs” in the rumen

Volatile fatty acids

Absorbed across the rumen wall

CARBOHYDRATES

Indicates the amount of fiber in a feed

Fiber is the carbohydrate portion that makes up the structure of plants

A corn stalk, or a hay stem

Cattle and other ruminants are unique

They can efficiently convert most fiber to gain

What doesn’t crude fiber tell us?

Anything about the types of fiber in the feed

How well it can be digested by cattle

It isn’t very useful

CRUDE FIBER

Grains are typically higher in non-structural carbohydrates (starches and sugars)

Hay and “bulky” feeds are typically higher in structural carbohydrates (fiber)

Cottonseed hulls, beet pulp, wheat middlings, soybean hulls

There isn’t an official numerical fiber requirement for cattle

STRUCTURAL VS. NON-STRUCTURAL CARBS

0

0.5

1

1.5

2

Grains Fibrous byproducts Beet pulp Grass hay Cottonseed hulls

Net

en

ergy

fo

r ga

in

Required for normal function of the rumen

Determines the time that feed stays in the

rumen

Affects overall feed digestibility

Helps keep the “bugs” happy

Stimulates regurgitation

Makes sure that the rumen doesn’t

become too acidic

WHY DO WE NEED TO FEED FIBER?

Importance often overlooked

Why pay $16.00 for a 50 lb. bag of grain but refuse to pay $6.00 for a 65 lb. bale of high quality grass hay?

Fed to keep cattle “bound up”

Enhances the volume of the rumen

Increases “capacity” and “body size”

Ingredients to consider as supplements

HIGH QUALITY hay

Cottonseed hulls

Beet pulp

Wheat middlings

What about corn silage or haylage?

FEEDING FIBER AT HOME

Alfalfa and clover

Wheat pasture and immature wheat haylage

Leaf protein is VERY soluble

Can act like soap in the rumen

Creates small bubbles that form a “froth”

If you are going to feed it, be sure to

supplement with…

Baking soda

Free-choice mineral supplement

An ionophore or poloxalene

CAN WE FEED FIBER THAT’S TOO HIGH IN QUALIT Y?

Utilization dependent upon surface area

Breaking into smaller pieces increases

opportunity for digestion

Access by the “bugs”

Access by digestive “juices”

We can change surface area by processing

Steam-flaking

Dry-rolling and cracking

Grinding

WHAT ABOUT GRAINS?

Nutrients too accessible to the “bugs”

Acid production exceeds the animal’s ability to…

Transport it out of the rumen

Chemically reduce the acidity of the rumen

Results in something called acidosis

Cattle go off feed

Reduces growth and gain

Increases susceptibility to other diseases

WHAT HAPPENS WHEN WE PROCESS TOO MUCH?

Adapt cattle to feed changes very slowly

Increase amount of feed over a few days

Change the type of feed or new ingredients over a few weeks

Practice consistency – know your animals!

Time

Amount

Clean waterers regularly

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO PREVENT THIS?

Remember that high quality hay that I talked about?

Feed a textured feed

Avoid feeds that look like chicken or pig feed

Supplement cattle with bicarbonate

BAKING SODA

Neutralizes acidity in the rumen

Yeasts, probiotics or other fermentation products

Avoid feeding wheat grain

If you do feed it, make sure that it isn’t processed

WHAT ELSE?

Macro minerals (high amounts)

Calcium

Phosphorus

Magnesium

Potassium

Sodium and chlorine

Sulfur

MINERALS

Micro minerals (low amounts)

Selenium

Copper

Iodine

Iron

Manganese

Zinc

Chromium

Cobalt

Molybdenum

MINERAL REQUIREMENTS FOR BEEF CATTLE

Mineral Minimum requirement Toxic level

Calcium (%) 0.50 – 1.00 Unknown

Chlorine (%) Unknown Unknown

Chromium (mg/kg) Unknown 1,000.00

Cobalt (mg/kg) 0.10 10.00

Copper (mg/kg) 10.00 100.00

Iodine (mg/kg) 0.50 50.00

Iron (mg/kg) 50.00 1,000.00

Magnesium (%) 0.10 0.40

Manganese (mg/kg) 20.00 1,000.00

Molybdenum (mg/kg) Unknown 5.00

Nickel (mg/kg) Unknown 50.00

Phosphorus (%) 0.30 – 0.70 Unknown

Potassium (%) 0.60 3.00

Selenium (mg/kg) 0.10 2.00

Sodium (%) 0.06 – 0.08 Unknown

Sulfur (%) 0.15 0.40

Zinc (mg/kg) 30.00 500.00

Just because it isn’t listed on the tag, doesn’t mean that it isn’t in there

But then how do you know that your animals are getting what they need?

Option 1: Send off a sample of your feed for analysis

Option 2: Offer a free-choice mineral supplement

Loose form

Block

Lick tub

Option 3: DO BOTH

DO YOU KNOW WHAT’S IN YOUR FEED?

Two types

Fat-soluble

Can only be absorbed with fat

Vitamin A, D, E and K

Water-soluble

Can only be absorbed with water

All the others

VITAMINS

Important for reactions and processes within the body

Cattle have no dietary water-soluble vitamin requirement

The “bugs” are capable of making what the animal needs

But they do for fat-soluble vitamins

With the exception of vitamin K and vitamin D…sometimes

VITAMINS

Vitamin Minimum requirement

Vitamin A (IU/kg) 2,200 – 3,900

Vitamin D (IU/kg) 275

Vitamin E (IU/kg) 15 – 60

Vitamin K (IU/kg) none

What does the word “supplement” mean?

What supplements do you feed?

Why do you feed them?

SUPPLEMENTS

What “stresses” the animal?

Exposure to something that they’re not used to

Weaning

Coming out of a cooler

Going out on the road

MANAGING STRESS

Environmental stressors

Hot

Cold

Rain

Dust

Unfamiliarity

Decreases the effectiveness of the animal’s immune system

STRESS AND RESPIRATORY DISEASE

Breaks during travel

A good vaccination program

Consider using pre-show intranasal

vaccines as “insurance”

Chlortetracycline

Aureomycin

Be cautious of meat residue

withdrawals

Feeding after the show is as important as

before

PROTECTION AGAINST RESPIRATORY DISTRESS

Fans, misters, coolers

Help to maintain “normal” body temperature

What happens when the cattle go on the road?

Heat stress

Reduced ability to utilize nutrients

Compromised immune system

LET’S TALK ABOUT BODY TEMPERATURE

Supplements to consider…

Omnigen-AF

Choline

Kelp meal (Tasco)

When’s the right time to use them?

Adapting cattle back to a “hot”

environment

Not all the time!

HEAT STRESS

Joint supplements

Glucosamine

Chondroitin sulfate

How effective are they?

What about hoof health?

Soundness begins at the ground

Sore hooves can make sound cattle lame

Chelated zinc

Rumen-protected biotin

LET’S TALK ABOUT SOUNDNESS

Melatonin

It works!

How?

Tricks the animal’s biological

“calendar”

If we increase hair growth, what else do we

need to supplement?

Rumen-protected amino acids

Vitamins and mineral

Fats or oils

WHAT ABOUT HAIR?

Carcass contests

Beta adrenergic receptor agonists (+ zinc)

Ractopamine hydrochloride (Optaflexx, Elanco Animal Health)

Zilpaterol hydrochloride (Zilmax, Merck Animal Health)

Promotes muscle mass

Reduce carcass fat

Increases dressing percent and ribeye area

Decreases backfat and marbling

Combination implants

Should every steer receive a beta-agonist and/or implants?

WHAT IF WE DON’T CARE ABOUT HAIR?

How can we enhance marbling?

Increasing digestible carbohydrates

Corn

Creates a lot of heat

Fat/oil won’t do it!

Limiting (but not excluding) some

enzyme precursors

Vitamin A

Vitamin D

WHILE WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE CARCASS…

The animal’s body thinks it’s just another day

Provide as much high quality hay as they’ll eat

Plan ahead…

Provide a bulky fibrous supplement

Winning Fill (Kent Feeds)

Depth Charge (Land O’Lakes – Purina)

Moorman’s Showtec RumaFill (ADM)

Showmaster Full and Fresh (Cargill)

Don’t forget about water!

More than likely, they’ll drink

But don’t offer it too early

ON SHOW DAY…

Animal science

Biology and biotechnology

Human foods and nutrition

Many others

Engineering

Chemistry

Math

Statistics

Crop and soil sciences

EDUCATIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN NUTRITION

Academia

Research

Teaching

Extension

Industry

Research and development

Technical Sales

Consulting

Regulatory

U.S. Department of Agriculture

U.S. Food and Drug

Administration

State Departments of

Agriculture

PROFESSIONAL OPPORTUNITIES IN NUTRITION

How do you determine which path to take?

Don’t limit yourself

Embrace every opportunity

Step outside of your comfort zone

“Bad” experiences can sometimes

be the most beneficial

Create opportunities for yourself

Think outside the box

THE CROSSROADS

QUESTIONS OR COMMENTS?