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Forage Species, Concentrate Feeding Level and Cow Management System in Combination with Early Weaning¹

North Carolina State University, Raleigh 27695-7621

Abstract

One hundred twenty-eight early weaned calves were used in a 3-yr study to evaluate four forage treatments and two concentrate feeding levels on midsummer calf performance. Forage treatments (four plots/forage) were 1) control-hill land pasture, 2) Tillman white clover (Trifolium repens L.), 3) a Tillman white clover and Kenhy tall fescue (Festuca arundinacea Schreb.) mixture and 4) pearl millet (Pennisetum americanum L. Leeke). Calves on each forage treatment were provided ground ear corn ad libitum or restricted to 1% of BW. Calf daily gains were .72, .82, .57 and .92 kg/d for control, clover, clover-fescue and millet, respectively. Calves grazing millet had the greatest response in gain and concentrate/gain (P < .05) compared with controls. Early weaned calves provided the clover-fescue mixture gained less (P < .05) than those grazing the control pasture. Average daily gains and concentrate intakes were higher (P < .05) for calves provided concentrate ad libitum compared with those fed restricted concentrate (.88 and 3.29 vs .64 and 1.43 kg/d). In a second study, 90 cows and 30 calves were used to evaluate pasture productivity from the following three cow management systems: 1) control-cows nursing calves, 2) dry cow maintenance—dams of early weaned calves stocked at a level to maintain BW and 3) dry cow gain-dams of early weaned calves stocked at a similar rate as controls and allowed to gain. Final weights, cow weight changes and cow gains of controls were similar to those on the dry cow maintenance treatment, but were less (P < .05) than those on the dry cow gain treatment. However, the 20.7-kg increase in gain of cows on the dry cow gain treatment over controls offers little potential for increasing efficiency of calf production.

¹ Paper No. 11427 of the Journal Series of the North Carolina ARS, Raleigh 27695-7601. Use of trade names in this publication does not imply endorsement by the North Carolina ARS or criticism of similar products not mentioned.

² Dept. of Anim. Sci.

³ Plant Physiologist, USDA, ARS and Dept. of Crop Sci.

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