- Return to Article Of The Month index
Can we decrease frequency of concentrate supplementation for young growing beef calves?
February, 2023
Philipe Moriel,UF/IFAS Range Cattle
Research & Education Center
Joao Vendramini, UF/IFAS Range Cattle Research & Education Center
Reducing the frequency of concentrate
supplementation (for example, from daily to 3 times weekly) can be
implemented to decrease feeding costs. However, this strategy
may reduce forage digestion leading to fluctuations in total nutrient intake
and hormones and metabolites associated with energy and protein metabolism
(Moriel et al., 2012). These fluctuations may or may not affect growth,
reproduction, and immune function in cattle. For example, concentrate
supplementation offered 3 times weekly (Mondays, Wednesday, and Fridays)
either decreased or did not affect the growth and reproduction of
replacement beef heifers (Moriel et al., 2020) and mature beef cows and
their offspring compared to daily concentrate supplementation (Moriel et
al., 2016a; Izquierdo et al., 2022). In recently weaned beef calves
experiencing stress, reducing the frequency of concentrate supplementation
worsened their inflammatory response (Silva et al., 2018) and decreased
average daily gain by up to 30% and antibody production against pathogens
that cause bovine respiratory disease (Moriel et al., 2016b).
Early weaned beef calves can be separated from their dam at approximately
60 to 90 days of age to increase cow pregnancy rate in the upcoming breeding
season. Early weaned beef calves have a relatively small rumen capacity,
limiting forage intake. Therefore, early weaned calves must rely heavily on
concentrate supplementation to meet their requirements. The impacts of
reducing the frequency of concentrate supplementation on growth, forage
intake and digestibility of early weaned beef calves consuming cool-season
grasses was never reported in the literature. We hypothesized that reducing
the frequency of concentrate supplementation from daily to 3 times weekly
would not impact growth performance and average weekly forage intake of
early weaned beef calves consuming ryegrass. Therefore, our objectives were
to evaluate the growth performance during a grazing period (Experiment 1)
and forage intake and apparent in vivo digestibility (Experiment 2) of early
weaned beef calves consuming ryegrass and supplemented with concentrate
either daily or 3 times weekly (Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays).
Treatments consisted of similar weekly concentrate
amount (1% of body weight × 7 days), which was divided in equal amounts and
then offered daily (7X) or 3 times weekly (3X) to early weaned
beef calves consuming ryegrass pastures for 84 days (Jan to March;
Experiment 1) and ryegrass hay in drylot for 20 days (mid- to
late-March; Experiment 2). In experiment 1, reducing the
frequency of concentrate supplementation from January to March did not
impact (P ≥ 0.23) herbage mass and nutritional composition of
ryegrass pastures, and had no impact on calf average daily gain from January
to March (1.54 vs. 1.61 lb/day for 3X and 7X calves, respectively) and their
plasma concentrations of glucose and urea N (important indicators of energy
and protein metabolism). In experiment 2, total dry matter intake (forage +
concentrate) did not differ between treatments. However, overall forage dry
matter intake decreased by 15% (1.51 vs. 1.78% of body weight; P =
0.002) and in vivo apparent digestibility decreased by 1.2% (85.3 vs. 86.5%;
P = 0.007) when calves were supplemented 3 times weekly compared to
daily supplementation. So, despite the slight reduction in in vivo
apparent digestibility and overall forage intake, reducing the frequency of
concentrate supplementation from daily to 3 times weekly did not impact
growth of early weaned beef calves consuming ryegrass, and can successfully
be implemented to reduce feeding costs.
References
Izquierdo, V., M. Vedovatto, E. A. Palmer, R. A.
Oliveira, H. M. Silva, J. M. B. Vendramini, and P. Moriel. 2022.
Frequency of maternal supplementation of energy and protein during late
gestation modulates preweaning growth of their beef offspring. Trans. Anim.
Sci. 6:txac110.
https://doi.org/10.1093/tas/txac110
Moriel, P., R. F. Cooke, D. W. Bohnert, J. M. B.
Vendramini, and J. D. Arthington. 2012. Effects of energy supplementation
frequency and forage quality on performance, reproductive, and physiological
responses of replacement beef heifers. J. Anim. Sci. 90:2371–2380.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2011-4958.
Moriel, P., L. F. A. Artioli, M. B. Piccolo, M.
H. Poore, R. S. Marques, and R. F. Cooke. 2016b. Frequency of wet brewers
grains supplementation during late gestation and its effects on offspring
growth and immunity. J. Anim. Sci. 94:2553-2563.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2016-0427.
Moriel, P., L. F. A. Artioli, M. B. Piccolo, M.
H. Poore, R. S. Marques, and R. F. Cooke. 2016a. Decreasing the frequency
and rate of wet brewers grains supplementation did not impact growth but
reduced humoral immune response of preconditioning beef heifers. J. Anim.
Sci. 94:3030-304.
https://doi.org/10.2527/jas.2015-0250
Moriel, P., E. Palmer, M. Vedovatto, M. B.
Piccolo, J. Ranches, H. M. Silva, V. R. G. Mercadante, G. C. Lamb, and J. M.
B. Vendramini. 2020. Supplementation frequency and amount modulate
post-weaning growth and reproductive performance of Bos indicus-influenced
beef heifers. J. Anim. Sci. 98(8):1-11.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skaa236.
Silva, G. M., M. H. Poore, J. Ranches, G. S.
Santos, and P. Moriel. 2018. Effects of gradual reduction in frequency of
energy supplementation on growth and immunity of beef steers. J. Anim. Sci.
96:273-283.
https://doi.org/10.1093/jas/skx047.