Cattle and protein supplements

Farmers and ranchers in our neck of the woods, or rather the desert, will never stop praying for rain.  Experience has told them that while we may have a good turn or two of storms, the lands will always need more moisture.  It seems that once again, those prayers are being hurled at the heavens with greater intensity as southern Idaho finds itself in a below average rainfall year.

The early months looked promising as January, February, and March had above average precipitation.  But as April rolled around, the spring showers were too few and far between to hardly grow any May flowers or even any June-grass.  The summer months didn’t look any better with the dry heat continuing late into the fall season.  The few autumn rains have hardly been enough to keep the dust down, let alone provide any significant precipitation for growth.

Funny as it may sound, useful rain on the range isn’t just any rain.  A heavy rainstorm dropping inches of rain in a matter of hours might sound great, but that can often provide more moisture than what the ground can soak in, leaving runoff to simply move downstream.  On the other hand, too little rainfall at once will likely evaporate in the Idaho winds before they can saturate the ground.  

Not only does the quantity and quality of rain showers matter but the timing of rains in the growing season matters as well.  Rains coming late in the spring provide limited growth before it will begin to mature in the summer months.  And without intermittent rains throughout the summer to stimulate new growth, the little range feed available will decline in nutritional value.

When range forages go without rain, they naturally begin to mature.  A part of that maturation process includes nutrients within the plants, such as phosphorus, nitrogen, calcium proteins and sugars, being moved to the roots to prepare for the next growth season.  Depleted nutrients in the plant lend to low quality forages, which in turn will lend to undernourished animals.  Even if nutrient content is still adequate, the dry mature grasses are often unpalatable so that livestock won’t eat enough to fulfill their dietary requirements. 

Fortunately for farmers and ranchers, when the range can’t supply all the nutrients livestock need, the corner feed store has the supplements to make up the difference.  Supplements can come in all shapes and sizes as loose minerals, lick tubs, liquid supplements, cube cake and everything in between.  

Generally speaking, the first priority in adding supplements is adding sufficient crude protein.  Proteins are a critical building block of any living thing, but crude protein is especially important in the diet of ruminant animals.  In their unique multi chambered stomach are microorganisms that consume the cellulose in forages through fermentation.  These microorganisms in turn produce volatile fatty acids that will serve as an energy source for the animal.  

Simply put, the cow feeds the bugs in the stomach that will eventually feed it. 

The microorganisms rely on a sufficient supply of nitrogen, found in protein, to promote adequate numbers and health.  Increasing the health and the number of bugs in the gut will in turn increase microbial activity which will stimulate greater forage intake and overall health.  

Crude protein can be divided into two different kinds- rumen degradable protein or rumen undegradable protein- protein digested by the microbes in the rumen or protein digested after the rumen.  Rumen undegradable proteins are metabolized for the needs of the animal itself.

There are multiple sources of crude protein supplements but it’s important to know how much and what kinds of protein are necessary. Cattle need to eat approximately 3% of their body weight in feed, whatever the combination of range forages, alfalfa hay, or supplements may be.  Of that 3%, the very baseline of crude protein to keep the rumen microorganisms functioning is 7%.

A 1200 pound cow will require 36 pounds of feed a day.  At least 2.52 pounds of that feed should be rumen degradable proteins.  This 7% doesn’t take into account the additional proteins necessary to also meet the protein needs for the cow herself.

A high protein supplement that will address all of these needs will usually contain anywhere from 20-48% of various kinds of protein within that supplement.  Any supplement containing less than 20% is considered a high energy supplement.

The question still remains- how to know if cattle are getting enough protein?  Without sending their feed to a lab to do the breakdown, it’s impossible to know the exact numbers.  And while cows can directly tell you, there are some signs that can indicate if they are getting sufficient protein in their diet.  First and foremost, cattle with poor body condition scores will be protein deficient.  If they are consuming an adequate amount of feed but not maintaining a good condition, the rumen needs more protein to function properly.

Secondly, the consistency of manure can be an easy indicator of protein intake.  Too much protein will result in thin, watery manure that will puddle on the ground.  Too little protein will lend to hard manure with a number of folds on the top.  Sufficient protein will result in a “cow pie” that will stack 1.5-2” high with a dimple in the center.  

Trying to understand sources of protein, determining how much the dry range forages are providing, and exactly how much to supplement cattle can be a lot.  Not enough will hurt the bottom line with fewer healthy calves.  But too much added protein is literally money running straight through them.  Hitting that sweet spot requires careful monitoring and maybe even a consultation with a nutritionist.  However it is accomplished, meeting cattle’s protein needs is worth the time and investment when the feed on the ground just isn’t cutting it.