ISSUE FOCUS 24 FEED & ADDITIVE MAGAZINE April 2022 allow them to recoup before other stressors manifest throughout the following transition stages. 3. Minimize commingling Just like with humans, anytime you bring animals from different sources together, you run the risk of exposing them to pathogens. You can reduce this risk of exposure for calves by being strategic about minimizing mixing between sources of cattle. There is also an element of social stress as the newly commingled animals work to establish a pecking order. 4. Expose calves to feed bunks and water troughs Familiarize your animals with feed bunks and water troughs prior to shipping. This can help reduce stress during feedlot arrival, as getting calves to feed bunks prior to shipping will help them get onto feed quicker. The sooner they get on feed and start consuming water, the better they will bounce back from transportation stress. When transitioning cattle, it is important to make sure that their nutritional requirements are being met. Meeting the cattle’s protein, energy and trace mineral requirements is essential for their immune function and growth. During periods of stress, it is common for animals to reduce their feed intake. In these cases, providing diets that are more nutrient-dense to compensate for reduced intake is recommended. It is unrealistic to think that we can eliminate all stress from the production system, but we can minimize the duration and severity of the stress that animals experience. When utilizing these management techniques, consider a schedule that exposes calves to stressors gradually, rather than all at once. When calves feel high levels of stress and no mitigation strategies are used, they can experience critical setbacks. The most important reason to help calves through periods of stress is to set them up for success for the rest of their life — ultimately leaving you with healthy animals, a healthy reputation and a healthy bottom line. About Dr. Shelby Roberts Shelby Roberts is currently a Beef Research Scientist at Alltech in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Roberts passion for the beef industry started at an early age while growing up on a commercial cow-calf operation in West Texas. Roberts earned a B.S. degree in Animal Science at West Texas A&M University, a M.S. degree in Ruminant Nutrition from Oklahoma State University and a Ph.D. in Agriculture with an emphasis in Ruminant Health and Immunology from West Texas A&M University. With experience in ruminant nutrition and ruminant health, Roberts interests focus on applied beef management practices that aim at improving animal health through nutrition.
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