A32-Lancaster Farming, Saturday, July 28,1990 sg Summer Tips For Dairymen Prolonged periods of hot humid weather can severely depress cows’ appetites, milk production, fat tests and conception rates and dairymen’s profits, especially if there is no nighttime relief. How can we help prevent this from hap pening? Last month’s column focused on ventilation, shading, sprink ling, etc. This month the focus is on herd management Maintain Appetites One of our big challenges is to maintain cows’ appetites. Keeping cows cool with good ventilation, shade and sprinkling will help. 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Cows generate heat when they are active and when they di gest feed, especially hard to digest forages. Feeding less forage and more grain can reduce heat pro duction, but be careful in doing this. Remember, cows need a cer tain minimum amount of forage and fiber in the ration (26-28% NDF) to keep the rumen function ing normally. Don’t violate this basic principal. If you do, you could make the cows acidotic, de pressing appetites rather than pre serving them, and severely reduc ing fat tests. 3 PT. & PULL TYPE Model Width Reg. 600 S 6’ $689 600 P Pull Behind...6’ 7000 T #l IN THE INDUSTRY Double Dipped Galvanized 34” Hog $14.99 52" Cattle $17.99 11’ BUNK FEEDER Reg. SALE $129.99 $119.88 High Pressure Washer Trigger Gun - 33’ Hose 900 P.S.I. 1000 P.S.I. 5329.00 $399.00 ♦ ROUND FEEDERS 1800 Lb. Capacity X Reg. $369 - 95 * “““ your One Slop Hardware ■ Farm Supply Store —, f E/mh:77 r.iT | —| 14 lift |\ illo Ud„ Willow Si root, I’\ 17554 7309 00 I | 7 ' 2Q I’li. 71 7-4(>4-.M21 101 l I ..t In l»\, \|, 1)1 , Ml), S()() 7.M (1(15,< 730 S 00 ACE Hardware If the herd is already consuming near minimum levels of forage and fiber, consider feeding more of the forages during the cooler hours of the day or night To re duce the work of digestion, feed higher quality, easily digested for ages. To stimulate intake, keep forages as fresh as possible and keep the mangers clean. The more nutrient dense the ra tion is, the less dry matter the cows need to consume and digest to meet their nutrient needs. If grain levels are increased, if for age intake is reduced or if fat is added to the ration in order to form a more nutrient-dense ration, reduce the risk of digestive upsets and help maintain dry matter in takes by feeding grain frequently or by using total mix rations, and by feeding buffers more generous ly. Also be sure the ration is prop erly balanced. Dry matter intakes are also in creased by having an abundant supply of cool, clean water close to the feeding area. Be sure the to tal bunk space and watering area is adequate for herd size. The feed and water should also be close to the cows ’ rest area, and in a shady, breezy area. Besides improving dry matter intake, increased consumption of water, especially cool water, can help reduce cows’ body tempera tures and respiration rates. When cows consume more water and ex crete more fluids, they also ex crete more minerals from their system. Thus, it becomes neces sary to increase the potassium (K), magnesium (Mg) and sodium (Na) levels in the rations to about 1.3%, 0.3% and 0.5% respectively. The use of feed additives, such as niacin, live cell yeast and asper gillus oryzae have helped some $899 $ 795 $1159 $1069 8’ Red w/Panel 8’ Red 8’ Oalv KARCHER SALE $329.94 SALE $ 639 HRAfIMASTER GATES an ”~t Dip Galvanized 6' $29.99 12’ 8’ $37.99 14 1 io’ $41.99 16’ ROUND BALE FEEDERS Reg. SALE .$169.99 ....$155,88 .$149.99 ....$135,88 ,$139.99 ....$125,88 herds combat heat stress and maintain higher levels of produc tion. Cow Handling, Conception, Etc. Holding areas can be hot and stressful, especially in summer. Reduce the size of the group in the holding area for two reasons: 1.) less cow density means less heat production, better air circulation and more comfort, 2.) less stand ing time means cows have more time to be at the bunk and more time to rest in a cooler environ ment. Limit the time spent in the holding pen to one hour or less. Handle the herd gently to avoid getting cows excited and over heated. This is especially import ant for cows and heifers that are' being caught and restrained for breeding; excited, over-heated cattle have lower conception rates. Observe cows for heat in the cooler hours of the day or night when they are most active. Con sider separating sexually active cows from the remainder of the herd for two reasons: 1.) it keeps the rest of the herd calm and cool er, 2.) grouping sexually active cows together stimulates more ac tivity and makes the challenge of heat detection easier. Hormones can also be used to help synchronize heats and create groups of sexually active animals. This can also help concentrate heat detection times. The use of heat detection aids may be espe cially beneficial in summer. Remember that heat affects bulls as well as cows. So, if you are having difficulty getting cows settled artificially, think twice be fore relying on a herd bull to get the job done. Hot weather could make him sterile temporarily, and it will take several weeks to a month for a bull to recover from ||M[| ADS d&SESB&h Available In 100 & 250 Ft. Rolls BOTHUgB Culvert Grade Pipe (20’ Lengths Only) Available From 6” to 24” $46.99 $55.99 $59.99 BALE CARRIER Extra Rings Available For More Capacity -V his sterility after the heat spell ends. Cows, on the other hand, re spond rather quickly when cooler weather returns. So, when cooler weather re turns and cows become more sexually active, and your goal is to get as many cows settled as quick ly as possible, you might have bet ter success using A.I. than using a herd sire. With A. 1., the semen was safely in storage during the hot weather and is viable, upon demand. The herd bull on the other hand, may be sterile for another few weeks; precious time could be lost if you rely on him. Sick cows generally have poor er appetites and higher body temp eratures two problems we can do without especially in summer. Hot mucky conditions, sloppy areas and damp, stuffy bams are ideal conditions for supporting the growth and spread of infectious organisms. During the summer months the demands of field work may divert some of our attention away from the herd. Continue to focus on sanitation to help prevent uterine and udder infections. Maintain clean dry stall beds and maternity areas. Prevent shaded areas from becoming slop holes; if enough shade can’t be provided to prevent this, no shade is probably better than a sloppy shade. Minimize stresses at calving time; a good dry cow and heifer raising program will help. Avoid having cows calve in hot weather. If cows become very hot and are panting hard, hose them down frequently, while also protecting them from coliform mastitis. 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