Night-time versus day-time feeding influences time of calving
US - It is generally accepted that adequate supervision at calving has a significant impact on reducing calf mortality. Adequate supervision has been of increasing importance with the use of larger beef breeds and cattle with larger birth weights.
2 January 2007
1 minute read
On most ranching operations, supervision of the first calf heifers will be best accomplished in daylight hours and the poorest observation takes place in the middle of the night.
The easiest and most practical method of inhibiting nighttime calving at present is by feeding cows at night. The physiological mechanism is unknown, but some hormonal effect may be involved. Rumen motility studies indicate the frequency of rumen contractions falls a few hours before parturition.
Intraruminal pressure begins to fall in the last 2 weeks of gestation, with a more rapid decline during calving. It has been suggested that night feeding causes intraruminal pressures to rise at night and decline in the daytime.
In a Canadian study of 104 Hereford cows 38.4 percent of a group fed at 8 a.m. and again at 3 p.m. delivered calves during the day, 79.6 percent of a group fed at 11 a.m. and 9 p.m. delivered calves during the day. A British study utilizing 162 cattle on 4 farms compared the percentages of calves born from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. to cows fed at different times.
Source: The Tuttle Times
