Managing Newly Arrived Feedlot Cattle

Lance Kennington, Ph.D.
CHS Nutrition

Introduction
Feedlot operators are continually faced with challenges when backgrounding and finishing cattle in the feedlot. Recently, the marketplace has demanded the beef cattle industry be more aware of quality and better meeting the desires of the consumer. As a result, grid marketing of cattle has focused on premiums for good quality and discounts for poor quality carcasses. Managers have needed more than ever to focus on details to get cattle to 'hit' these grids. Research has shown cattle who easily make the transition to the feedlot environment have greater average daily gains, better feed efficiency, and superior carcass traits compared to cattle who become sick and go off feed. Superior carcass traits in cattle making smooth transitions may be related to higher energy intake early in the feeding program. This article will suggest some guidelines to follow to help cattle get on feed quickly and perform better for today's market.

Key indicators of stress
Economic losses due to the incidence of bovine respiratory disease in cattle have been estimated to cost the beef industry $500 million annually (NASS, 1996), which calculates to about $15 per cow. Bovine respiratory disease accounts for 57.1% of death loss in the feedlot, with most of these losses occurring in the first 45 days (Ackerman et al., 2002). Research has shown a strong correlation exists between the time cattle spend in transportation and the prevalence of bovine respiratory disease. Therefore, time in transport is a strong indicator of stress level of cattle upon arrival and gives an opportunity to plan accordingly. Additionally, young, recently weaned calves have difficulty adjusting to unfamiliar feedlot conditions, such as bunk feeding, water troughs, and crowding. Unfamiliar feedlot conditions coupled with the stress of recent weaning make these cattle high risk. Transport time and age are good indicators of how much stress cattle are experiencing. These two indicators can be used to prepare managers for what can be expected from these animals during the starting period.

Facility requirements of starting cattle
Provide cattle with a clean environment for them to rest from transportation stress. Keep receiving pens small so sick animals can be identified with ease. Plan to give starting cattle 18 to 24 inches of bunk space and 200-300 square feet of pen space to decrease competition between animals. Assign newly arrived cattle to a shallow pen (60' deep) that keeps them near the feed bunk. If this size of pen is not available, use panels to force new cattle close to the feed bunk. Also, keep new cattle away from the major activity going on at the feedlot. This will allow them to rest and not become more stressed by the unfamiliar commotion around them. Make sure the water trough is clean and the water does not contain high levels of sulfates. Sulfates will bind some trace minerals important to cattle and have been implicated in causing polioencephalomalacia problems ('brainers'). High sulfate water will also decrease water intake. Recent research in South Dakota has shown feedlot cattle drinking high sulfate water have decreased feedlot performance compared to those fed rural water. Cattle transported great distances often do not have an opportunity to drink water and will be dehydrated upon arrival. As a result, providing a clean, abundant source of water is critical. In addition, some animals are not familiar with drinking from a water trough, particularly those who have spent their entire lives in a range setting. Letting the water trough overflow or spray and cleaning it daily during the first five to seven days will help cattle recognize troughs as their water source.

Processing newly arrived feedlot cattle
Low or moderately stressed cattle should be vaccinated for the common feedlot diseases (IBR, PI3, BRSV, BVD and clostridial disease) so immunity to these diseases can develop as quickly as possible. Vaccination against other diseases may be necessary depending on your area. For the majority of cattle, vaccination should be done within 24 hours of arrival. However, severely stressed cattle may not respond as well to vaccination for multiple reasons, including poor nutritional status. Delaying processing of these cattle for 48 to 72 hours will give them time to recover from transport stress, start eating, and subsequently, help them develop a stronger immunity to disease. Try not to delay processing past 72 hours. Processing three to four hours after sunup will help decrease shadows in the processing facility that spook cattle and will help decrease heat stress. Handle the animals gently and quietly during processing and keep hot shot use to an absolute minimum. If animals are not entering the processing facility with minimal use of hot shots, have the facilities redesigned to facilitate better flow. Take rectal temperatures to identify sick cattle when processing high stressed cattle. If a lot of the cattle have temperatures above 104° F, mass medicate the cattle with either an injectable antibiotic or by feeding antibiotic crumbles. Check pens often to look for sick cattle and treat accordingly.
Implant programs should be designed to fit individual animal types; however, the initial implant should be low to moderate potency to minimize the adverse affects high potency implants have on quality grade during periods of low energy intake. Another strategy would be to delay implanting until later when cattle have greater energy intake.

Nutrition
Dry matter intake of stressed cattle needs to be increased as soon as possible after arrival for the animal to be healthy and productive for the rest of the feeding period. The goal of any starting nutrition programs must be to maximize dry matter intake, not to focus on gains. Since this may take a few days, diet nutrient density needs to be increased so small amounts of dry matter intake will result in greater nutrient intake. For example, calves need approximately 12.5 to 13 % protein in normal feedlot rations. However, when these calves are starting on feed, the protein content of the diet must be raised to 13.5 to 14.5% protein to offset low feed intakes. This practice must be followed for the other nutrients as well (energy, vitamins, and minerals).
Start feeding cattle by offering feed at 1.8 to 2.2% (dry matter basis) of body weight depending on the amount of stress to which the cattle have been subjected. Be prepared to feed new cattle a few times during the day to keep the feed fresh and to get them curious about approaching the bunk. In the past, a common practice was to feed long stemmed grass hay as the sole dietary ingredient to starting cattle because the animals were usually familiar with hay and would readily consume it. However, feeding hay as the sole ingredient in a starting ration limits nutrient intake, particularly energy, which is critical at this time. Feed long stemmed grass hay only immediately after the cattle are unloaded, then limit the amount of hay to about two to three lbs per day. Feed two to three lbs of hay on the bottom of the bunk with a high energy starting ration (46 to 48.5 Mcal NEg per cwt) on top. After the cattle start eating all the feed offered, remove the two to three lbs of long stemmed grass hay and feed only the total mixed ration.
Try to avoid formulating the ration to be too wet. To accomplish this, the ration dry matter should not drop below about 77% dry matter. Keep in mind the idea is to increase dry matter intake with every bite. For instance, if an animal who does not feel well comes to the bunk and eats a few bites of feed, then leaves the bunk, it is better for those few bites to contain high amounts of dry matter instead of high amounts of water. Avoid using a lot of ensiled feeds in starting rations, particularly for cattle unfamiliar with silage. If attention is paid to keeping the diet above 77% dry matter, overfeeding silage to starting cattle will not be a problem. Be careful to avoid including rotten silage or moldy hay in starting rations. Rotten or moldy feed will depress feed intake.

Feeding a complete pelleted starting feed can also help get cattle on feed quickly. These commercially prepared feeds are well mixed and contain a balanced and consistent package of nutrients. Cattle usually readily accept well-balanced complete feeds and will be better prepared to switch to the total mixed ration later on.
Animals transported long distances need to replenish minerals, particularly potassium and sodium, that are lost due to the lack of feed and water during transport. Formulate the diet to contain 1 to 1.2% potassium to correct potassium losses. Starting rations should contain approximately 0.5 % salt to replace sodium losses. Increased levels of copper and zinc are also necessary because these elements are utilized by certain immune systems to help fight disease. In addition, starting cattle diets need to contain adequate amounts of degradable protein to stimulate the growth of ruminal microbes. When cattle are deprived of feed during transport or at the sale barn, the growth and activity of the ruminal microbes is depressed. These microbes are vital to digestive processes in cattle. Research has shown growth and activity of ruminal microbes increases dry matter intake.

Feed Additives
Antibiotics such as chlortetracycline and sulfamethazine have also been successfully used to help prevent disease in high stressed cattle. Oral antibiotic treatments will be most effective if dry matter intake can be increased as soon as possible after arrival. Ionophores such as Rumensin (monensin) or Bovatec (lasalosid) should be fed to help decrease the incidence of coccidiosis and increase feed efficiency.

Ensuring success
Getting stressed cattle on feed can be challenging. Remember that newly arrived cattle need to be treated much differently than other cattle on the feedlot. Keeping a close watch over newly arrived cattle and feeding them a balanced, nutritious diet will help ensure a smooth and successful transition.

June 2003