How Are Cows Raised? A Detailed Explanation of Key Feeding and Management Techniques

When people raise beef breeding cows, they expect the cows to have a high conception rate, high milk production performance, and a strong ability to nurse calves, and to return to estrus early after calving; they expect the calves produced to be of good quality, with good birth weight, large milk yields, and a high weaning survival rate.

(1) Feeding and Management of Pregnant Cows

After a cow becomes pregnant, not only does its own growth and development require nutrition, but it must also meet the nutritional needs of fetal growth and development and accumulate nutrients for lactation after calving. Therefore, the feeding and management of pregnant cows should be strengthened so that they can calve and nurse normally.

1. Strengthen the feeding of pregnant cows. In the early stage of pregnancy, cows are generally fed as non-pregnant cows. In the last 2 to 3 months of pregnancy, nutrition should be strengthened, as the nutrition of the cow during this period directly affects fetal growth and the cow's own nutrient accumulation. For pregnant cows kept in barns, the ration formula should be adjusted as the months of pregnancy increase, and the amount of nutrients supplied should be increased. For grazing pregnant cows, the usual practice is to select high-quality pasture, extend grazing time, and supplement 1 to 2 kg of concentrate feed per day after grazing. At the same time, attention should be paid to preventing pregnant cows from becoming overly fat, especially first-calf young cows, which should be prevented from being overfed to avoid difficult calving.

2. Do a good job of protecting the pregnancy of pregnant cows. During the pregnancy of cows, attention should be paid to preventing miscarriage and premature birth. In practice, attention should be paid to the following aspects:

(1) Group cows in late pregnancy separately from other cattle groups, and graze them separately on nearby pasture.

(2) To prevent cows from crowding and colliding with each other, do not whip or drive them during grazing to avoid startling the herd.

(3) Do not graze or drive them to move on rainy days, to prevent slipping and falling.

(4) Do not graze on pasture with dew, and do not let cattle consume large amounts of young legume forage that easily causes bloat. Do not let them eat moldy feed, and do not let them drink water with ice chips.

For pregnant cows kept in barns, they should be exercised for about 2 hours every day to avoid becoming overly fat or lacking exercise. Attention should be paid to observing cows about to calve, and preparations for assisting delivery should be made in a timely manner.

(2) Feeding and Management of Nursing Cows

A nursing cow is a cow that uses its milk to nurse a calf after calving. In recent years, with the continuous deepening and development of yellow cattle breeding and improvement work, the yellow cattle of Arong Banner have gradually developed toward both meat and milk production, producing obvious social and economic benefits. Therefore, strengthening the feeding and management of nursing cows is of very important practical significance.

1. Feeding and management of barn-kept nursing cows. Within 10 days after a cow calves, it is still in the stage of body recovery, and cows that are too fat or too thin after calving must be fed appropriately. For weak cows, feed only high-quality hay within 3 days after calving. After 4 days, an appropriate amount of concentrate feed and succulent feed can be given, and according to the recovery status of the udder and digestive system, gradually increase the amount fed, but the daily increase in concentrate must not exceed 1 kg. When udder edema completely disappears, the feed can be increased to normal. If the cow has no udder edema after calving, is healthy, and has normal feces, succulent feed and concentrate can be fed on the first day after calving, and by 6 to 7 days it can be increased to the normal feeding amount.

For first-calf cows after calving, due to insufficient concentrate rich in carbohydrates in the feed and excessively high protein supply, ketosis is likely to occur, which can lower blood sugar and increase ketone bodies in blood and urine. In practice, great attention should be paid to this. When raising beef nursing cows, it is generally appropriate to feed 3 times a day.

2. Grazing management of nursing cows. Because green forage is rich in crude protein and contains various essential amino acids, vitamins, enzymes, and trace elements, the sufficient exercise and sunlight during grazing, as well as the rich nutrition contained in pasture grass, can promote the metabolism of the cow's body, improve reproductive function, increase milk production, enhance the health of the cow and calf, and improve resistance to disease. Before grazing, the following preparatory work should be done.

(1) Preparation of grazing land facilities: Before the grazing season arrives, inspect and repair houses, sheds, and fences; determine water sources and temporary rest points after drinking; and repair roads.

(2) Preparation of the cattle herd: including hoof trimming; dehorning; deworming internal and external parasites; checking cattle numbers; weighing and grouping cows, etc.

(3) Transition from barn feeding to grazing: Before cows are driven to grassland for grazing, they should be pre-fed with roughage, haylage, and silage, and the ration should contain sufficient cellulose to maintain normal rumen digestion. In summer, the transition period is 7-8 days; in winter, when there is very little succulent feed in the ration, the transition period should be 10-14 days. During the transition period, in order to prevent grass tetany, graze 2 to 3 hours a day, gradually transitioning to 12 hours a day at the end.

(4) Because pasture grass contains more potassium and less sodium, special attention should be paid to salt supplementation to maintain the sodium-potassium balance in the cow's body. Salt supplementation methods: it can be mixed into the cow's concentrate feed, or a salt trough can be set up where the cows drink water so they can lick it freely.