
%0 Journal Article
%A Hennessy, D. W. 
%A Wilkins, J. F. 
%A Morris, S. G. 
%T Improving the pre-weaning nutrition of calves by supplementation of the cow and/or the calf while grazing low quality pastures. 1. Cow production
%J Australian Journal of Experimental Agriculture
%D 2001/08/29
%V 41
%N 6
%P 707-714
%K 
%R https://doi.org/10.1071/EA00151
%U https://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/EA00151 
%X Large numbers of weaner calves destined for meat production in Australia are born to cows grazing low quality pastures and have low growth rates to weaning. A study was undertaken in a New South Wales subtropical coastal area (Grafton, 29&#176;38&#8242;S, 152&#176;54&#8242;E) to increase these growth rates by supplementing cows to mid lactation and/or their calves up to weaning. This paper reports on the effects of these supplementation regimes on cow production. Cows were either not supplemented or supplemented with cottonseed meal twice-a-week at 4.2 kg/head over 145 days, commencing before the expected start of calving. Calves, depending on their treatment group, either had unrestricted access to a &#8216;creep&#8217; containing a high-energy, high-protein pellet given from 75 or 150 days old, or had no access at all to &#8216;creep&#8217; feed. However, all cows and their calves had access to mineral blocks. Cottonseed meal-supplemented cows were heavier (408 v. 362 kg) and had higher condition scores (3.3 v. 2.9 units) than non-supplemented cows when weighed and scanned in November 1996, after all cows had calved, and they maintained these differences until April 1997 when calves were weaned. There was a trend for cows, whose calves had access to a &#8216;creep&#8217; from 150 days old, to gain weight towards the end of lactation whereas cows from other treatment groups lost weight. Non-supplemented cows had a 3-fold greater daily intake of mineral blocks than cottonseed meal cows (178 v. 61 g/cow) providing them with an additional 9.8 g phosphorus/cow. Cottonseed meal cows were observed to have fewer grazing incidences (60 v. 75% of activities) during supplementation than non-supplemented cows, with grazing instances increasing for all cows during lactation. Cottonseed meal cows whose calves had access to &#8216;creep&#8217; feed continued to have fewer grazing incidences (74 v. 90%) than other cows 70 days post-supplementation. Milk yield was higher in cottonseed meal cows than in non-supplemented cows (4.8 v. 4.0 kg/day). Following a synchronised insemination program, at the end of cottonseed meal supplementation, the pregnancy rate of formerly cottonseed meal-supplemented cows was twice that (40 v. 20%) of non-supplemented cows. The combination of cottonseed meal supplements and macrominerals from blocks improved cow liveweight, condition score, milk yield and fertility, and was a successful strategy for increasing production from low quality pastures. 
