Winter feeding of upland suckler cows

Abstract

One of the main goals of the management of the suckler herd is to minimize the quantity of feed given to the cows. This is particularly important in the upland areas, where the length of the wintering period (about 6 months) increases the total stored feed requirements. In these regions, calving occurs during the first trimester of the year and the cow nurses her calf during about 8 mor ths till the end of the grazing season. Adult cows can be underfed, at least those from hardy breeds, if they have a normal condition score at the end of the grazing season. However, as the bulling period begins before the turn out to grass and as the grazing season is short, the level of underfeeding has to remain moderate (minus 1.0 to 1.5 UFL per day, i.e. -12 to -18 MJ of ME/d). Multiparous cows with a poor condition score and primiparous cows must be fed at a higher level to satisfy all their energy ex penditures.