Cold weather presents horses with some specific nutritional and management demands. As winter approaches it is a good idea to evaluate horses, housing and feeding programs to insure that horses get through the cold weather in good shape. All warm-blooded animals have a critical temperature. This is the temperature below...
Nutritive value key to overall efficiency for beef cattle intake COLLEGE STATION – An inexpensive hay test can offer the best guidance as to how much supplemental feed is required for a beef cattle herd, and at the same time, save ranchers money, according to a Texas AgriLife Research scientist....
Body Condition Scoring allows you to monitor the health and condition of your deer. Optimal Body Condition in bucks will allow for greater antler growth. Does will be more fertile: produce more high-quality milk, resulting in healthier, faster growing fawns. The Purina Mills Body Condition Scoring System allows you to...
People often want to feed deer what is handy, which might be sheep, goat, dairy, or even horse feeds. The problem is these feeds are not formulated for deer, do not meet their specific needs, and may even cause problems. Sheep are very intolerant of dietary copper, so sheep feeds...
There is considerable controversy regarding the percentage of dietary protein that deer should have. Many people believe that deer cannot tolerate more than 16% dietary protein and that high-protein diets are wasteful or even toxic. This simply is not true. Research in South Texas has shown that wild deer diets...
Now is the time to make plans for getting the most from your hay as fall winds down and winter approaches. These tips can help: 1. Inventory the quantity of your hay on hand. 2. Work with your nutrition consultant to determine the quality of the hay you have. 3....
Do you have enough hay stored to meet the needs of your cattle for the remainder of the winter? Even though you may have stored what you think will be enough hay to carry your herd through the winter, conditions often change so you might be concerned that you will...
PURINA’S IM TECHNOLOGY DELIVERS PREDICTABLE PERFORMANCE It’s a well-researched fact that a stable digestive system in cattle results in increased forage utilization, digestive function, and overall health and performance (see “Basic Cattle Nutrition”). Hand feeding range supplements such as range cubes, commodities, or grain mixes, may be causing instability in...
Cobalt, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, selenium and zinc are trace minerals important to good cattle nutrition. Ranchers and feedlot operators need to know whether or not these minerals are available in their regions and supplement deficiencies accordingly. This TDN excerpts an article by Oklahoma State University animal nutritionist Fred Owens...
Body condition scores (BCS) are an excellent means of monitoring the effectiveness of your beef-cow-nutrition program. Here are 10 management tips to help ensure your cows are at a target BCS of 6.0 by calving: Late summer-Evaluate your cows while still on grass. If they score thin to borderline moderate during this time and forage...
