What are the key points for beef cattle feeding and management in early spring?
In the chilly early spring, as temperatures gradually rise and daylight hours gradually lengthen, beef cattle, although they have a strong ability to adapt to cold, are highly susceptible to stress responses from sudden temperature changes and large temperature differences, which can trigger various diseases. Therefore, doing a good job of feeding management and health care for beef cattle in early spring is especially important. During the cold spring period, the following 7 aspects of beef cattle feeding and health care should be noted:
1. Disease prevention. Many beef cattle farms choose winter for breeding beef cattle. Winter breeding can avoid calving in the hot summer, which not only helps beef cattle achieve high production but also facilitates calf rearing and improves calf health. At present, with the widespread adoption of animal husbandry science and technology, beef cattle are almost entirely bred by artificial means. However, when some breeders perform artificial insemination on beef cattle, due to technical reasons and carelessness, sanitation and disinfection are not thorough, which often easily causes varying degrees of trauma or infection to the vagina and uterus of beef cattle. During the cold spring period, it is essential to observe daily whether there are abnormal lesions in the vaginal secretions of beef cattle, do a good job of preventing diseases such as metritis, and treat diseases as soon as they are discovered, to ensure the safety and health of beef cattle during the cold spring period.
2. Forage and feed. The daily ration for beef cattle should consist of no fewer than 3 kinds of feed at a time. The daily ration should be based mainly on high-quality hay, with more silage fed, and supplementary feed should include more green, succulent feed such as carrots and potatoes. The amount of roughage fed should be limited to the beef cattle eating their fill, and the amount of concentrate fed should be determined according to the individual beef cattle and their requirements.
3. Drinking water. During the cold spring period, the drinking water temperature for beef cattle should be maintained at 10°C~12°C. If conditions permit, the drinking water should be disinfected at high temperature and then cooled to 10°C~12°C before use. It is essential to ensure that beef cattle have sufficient drinking water.
4. Persist in brushing the cattle's body. Ensure two 8-minute to 10-minute health brushing sessions for the cattle's body every morning and evening. The health brushing should cover the entire body of the beef cattle. For the udder of beef cattle, appropriate gentle squeezing and massage with the hands should be performed, which helps prevent udder inflammation in beef cattle.
5. Increase the health care time for sunbathing. Regular sun exposure has a health care effect on beef cattle, enhancing their immunity and preventing various infections. This is because ultraviolet rays in sunlight have the effect of killing pathogenic microorganisms. Moreover, ultraviolet rays can increase calcium absorption. During the feeding process in the depths of winter, beef cattle consume large amounts of heat energy and nutrients in their bodies to resist the cold, and calcium intake is relatively lost to a greater extent. Calcium intake relies on vitamin D in the blood of beef cattle. Natural vitamin D can only be absorbed into the bloodstream of beef cattle after being converted into vitamin D2 and vitamin D3 by ultraviolet irradiation.
6. Appropriately increase exercise. In early spring, as temperatures rise and the weather becomes warmer, beef cattle are accustomed to lying down after eating and are unwilling to move. The exercise time for beef cattle should be increased by 2 hours to 3 hours per day, which can not only promote the health of beef cattle but also promote their milk production. On bright spring days with gentle breezes and warm sunshine, driving the cattle to open grassland to breathe the fresh air of nature and letting the herd move freely is crucial to the health of beef cattle.
⟧ 7. Maintain the temperature of the cattle shed. In spring, the weather is sometimes cold and sometimes hot, with large temperature differences between day and night. Farmers easily neglect cold protection work for beef cattle, which can easily lead to the occurrence of diseases in beef cattle and easily result in excessively high feeding costs. Therefore, after maintaining ventilation in the shed for 3 hours to 5 hours during the day, doors and windows should be closed promptly and ventilation holes adjusted properly. Regular disinfection should be carried out, the excrement and feces of beef cattle should be cleaned up promptly, the shed should be kept dry and clean, and the bedding straw on the ground that has been soaked and contaminated by feces should be replaced promptly, creating a better living environment for beef cattle.
