“If cows have less stress during pregnancy, they have a better calf crop,” Ron Scott, director of beef research for Purina Animal Nutrition, says. “And, not only does it affect the calf crop right then, but close-outs at the feedyard, it influences fertility of the replacement heifers. And all of that has to do with the type of environment that calf had when its mama was pregnant.”
It’s a phenomenon known as fetal programming, and it has the potential be a paradigm-changer in cowherd management.
Source: Beef, October 12, 2016.
‘It’s called fetal programming because of the cascade of specific events that occur during fetal development,’ Scott says. ‘There’s a specific hierarchy in the programming of events,’ he says, ‘and under extreme stress, or in some cases under moderate stress, it can cause an individual, when it’s born, to perform differently.’ His recommendation is to keep cows on a level plane of nutrition throughout pregnancy.
INSIGHTS: Veterinarians and representatives working with cow-calf producers will enjoy discussing a lower stress environment for cows and calves. Calving timing, conditions and facilities, along with how humans should behave will be natural discussion topics. The Fear-Free initiative for companion animal practices offers ideas that correlate with cow-calf production.