Key Technical Points for Winter Feeding and Management of Beef Cattle
In winter, cattle are in a state of consuming feed, and both feed utilization rate and market-ready rate are very low, thus forming a vicious cycle of “full in summer, fat in autumn, thin in winter, weak in autumn.” After a winter, cattle can lose up to 25%-30% of their body condition. To solve this problem, the following technical measures should be taken.
1 Pay attention to heat preservation
The cattle shed should have good heat preservation performance. It should not leak rain or let wind through, the floor should not be damp and should be clean and hygienic, and the room temperature should be kept at 10-18°C.
2 Ventilation of the cattle shed
Because the warm shed cattle shed is tightly closed in winter, the temperature difference inside and outside the shed is large, and in addition, cattle respiration and heat dissipation, excretion of manure and urine, and other reasons cause high humidity inside the shed. The content of harmful gases such as ammonia, carbon dioxide, and hydrogen sulfide is too high, affecting the normal growth and development of cattle. Therefore, the cattle shed must be ventilated and aired in a timely manner.
3 Maintain hygiene
The hygiene of the warm shed cattle shed must be maintained to ensure the normal growth and development of beef cattle. ① Remove cattle manure in a timely manner, and remove cattle manure every day when feeding the cattle. ② Clean the cattle shed and feed troughs, sweep up the mixed feed every day after feeding the cattle, and promptly sweep the feed troughs clean. ③ Disinfect the cattle shed once a month, using a 1% concentration sodium hydroxide solution to spray and disinfect the floor and walls of the cattle shed; when the ammonia smell is strong, use peracetic acid for disinfection; white lime can be used for disinfection at the entrance of the cattle shed.
4 Scientific feeding
Feed is the material basis for fattening cattle to gain condition and grow meat, and feed must be reasonably matched. The daily ration is: 5 kg dry green grass, 8 kg corn stalk silage, 10 kg distillers' grains, 3 kg corn meal, 0.5 kg soybean cake, 100 g urea, 50 g salt. Feed three times a day, namely once each at six in the morning, twelve noon, and six in the afternoon. Feed should be added in small amounts and frequently, with each feeding period lasting 1-1.5 h. Do not let the cattle eat too full, so that the cattle maintain a strong appetite at each feeding, thereby improving feed utilization rate.
5 Provide sufficient drinking water
In winter, cattle mainly eat dry forage, so sufficient drinking water must be provided. Insufficient drinking water not only affects cattle feed intake, but also affects cattle digestion and utilization of feed, causing the cattle's coat and skin to be dry and their spirit to be poor. Cattle should drink water 2 times/d, and drink water 1 h after eating. The water provided should be clean and hygienic, and the temperature should be suitable (about 20°C).
6 Expose to more sunlight
When the weather is clear, the cattle should be led out of the shed to bask in the sun, and at the same time the cattle's body should be brushed, which can prevent the occurrence of skin diseases and external parasitic diseases, and can also promote blood circulation, enhance the cattle's resistance to cold, and is extremely beneficial for beef cattle gaining condition.