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Feeding cattle at night in winter can improve feed efficiency and rates of gain by as much as 25 percent, research at the University of Manitoba suggests. While results of a two-year research project led by Dr. Alma Kennedy weren't conclusive, she found some groups of feeder cattle fed after 8 p.m. had increased rates of gain ranging from 9 to as high as 28 percent, and up to six percent improved feed efficiency, over similar groups of cattle fed during the day. The fact that some groups of cattle showed no or limited response to night feeding makes it clear the next step is to pinpoint the combination of factors that produced the improved performance, says Kennedy, an associate professor specializing in environmental physiology in the Department of Animal Science. For groups of cattle that showed a positive response, there are likely several contributing factors, says Kennedy. However, the key appeared to be that night feeding tricked the animals' metabolism into devoting more energy into muscle building rather than to acclimatizing to winter conditions. Kennedy's research attempted to manipulate the natural tendency of beef cattle to acclimatize to the cold temperatures by increasing their resting-heat production rates, described as their "idling" rate. It takes weeks for an animal to elevate its resting-heat production, and weeks, whether cold or not, for it to subside at the end of winter. That means energy that could go to growth is used to support elevation in the idling rate. "By feeding at night we wanted to make feed available to the animal in the colder part of the day," says Kennedy. Food digestion naturally increases body temperature. Suspecting the usual overnight dip in body temperature might direct the body to acclimatize, it was hoped the late feeding would prevent that dip in body temperature and prevent energy being used on elevated resting-heat production. "Since night-time feeding is likely less convenient for most feedlot operators we need to find out what management factors produce consistent results before we can make a clear recommendation, " says Kennedy. Text References Above information was taken directly from the following site: http://www.vets-at-work.com/news_article.jsp?news_storyID=4510
Maybe It Was The Loco Weed? Written By Nathan Hoverter One night, Bryan and I were hiking along the fence on the south-east side of Indonesian Reservoir and we came upon a herd of cattle. The cattle were relaxing just on the other side of the fence from us along a dirt path. Not surprisingly, as we approached the herd, they became fearful and fled the spot to the grass field. The collective sound of their hooves on the ground produced an ear-pleasing, rhythmic thump. What was curious, however, was the manner in which they behaved as Bryan and I stood their watching them. The herd slowly crept back to the spot they were previously resting. The four largest cows led the way for the rest of the herd of twenty five or so. All of the cows had their gazes directly fixed upon us. They slowly settled back at their favorite spot, about twenty feet from Bryan and I. When they seemed to relax a bit, I decided – more out of curiosity than cruelty - to test just how jittery these cows really were. I merely jumped straight up in the air once. I didn't make a step toward them. I didn't scream a war cry or anything. Apparently, jumping up in the air was the most aggressive act ever because the cattle sprinted away at a lighting pace. I never knew cattle could run like that! They ran to the center of the field, about 50 yards away from us. One would think that since the cattle perceived us as an immediate threat, they would remain at this safe distance. But such thought show an obvious ignorance of cattle logic. After a couple of minutes, they slowly began to inch their way back to their spot. The same four cows led the way as they were in front of the herd by about fifteen feet. I don't know what was so special about this spot. It was right near a fence. The ground seemed to be harder there than the grass field just to the north. Apparently this spot was sacred so Bryan and I decided to leave. As we got up to walk away, of course the herd ran away from us yet another time. They returned a few minutes later when Bryan and I were a few hundred yards along our way to the main fields of Horse Canyon.
Picture References Including original photography by Mollie Small and Bryan Nay
Audio/Visual References Including videography by Bryan Nay
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