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Cow and Calf Performance on Tall Fescue- or Kentucky Bluegrass-Ladino Clover Forages^{1 ,2,}

University of Kentucky, Lexington 40546

Abstract

Performance of calves born in the spring was studied in a 4-year experiment in which kind of forage and creep feeding were treatments. In each year, 15 Angus cows and their calves were assigned to 12.14 ha pastures of either fescue-ladino clover without creep (FNC), fescue-ladino clover with creep (FC); bluegrass-ladino clover without creep (BNC); or bluegrass-ladino clover with creep (BC). Creep feed consisting of cracked shelled corn was provided for calves in the FC and BC groups. Pastures were divided into 6.07-ha subplots and rotationally grazed. The cows were wintered on the same pastures and received only limited amounts of hay and ground shelled corn during this period of the year. The 4-year mean ages of the calves at weaning by treatment were: FNC 211, FC 208, BNC 214 and BC 212 days. Calf weaning weights were adjusted for sex, sire, year of birth, age of dam, and calf age at weaning by the method of least squares. Adjusted weaning weights by treatments were: FNC 198.9, FC 231.6, BNC 221.0 and BC 238.2 kilograms. Creep feeding increased (P<.01) adjusted weaning weights of FC calves as compared with calves on FNC, and BC calves were heavier than BNC calves. Forage type did not (P>.05) affect weaning weight when weights of calves on FNC and FC were combined and compared with those of calves on BNC and BC, but the weights were heavier for calves in the bluegrass-clover groups. Calves on BNC weighed more (P<.05) at weaning than calves on FNC. Although the 4-year mean creep feed consumption per calf was the same, (257.5 kg), the calves on FC converted this feed to 31.8 kg of extra gain above the level of noncreep-fed calves (FNC), while calves on BC were less efficient and produced only 17.9 kg more gain than calves on BNC.

¹ This paper (78-5-88) is published with the approval of the Director of the Kentucky Agricultural Experiment Station.

² Department of Animal Sciences.

³ Present address: Iberia Livestock Experiment Station, Louisiana State University, Jeanerette 70544.