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Residual feed intake (net feed efficiency) in beef cattle

Description

Improving the feed efficiency of a beef cattle herd can mean big savings for producers. One way to achieve this goal is to select breeding bulls that are naturally feed-efficient, since 80 to 90... More ≫

Description

Improving the feed efficiency of a beef cattle herd can mean big savings for producers. One way to achieve this goal is to select breeding bulls that are naturally feed-efficient, since 80 to 90 per cent of the genetic improvement in a herd comes through the sires.

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Feeding the broodmare

Description

Mares are expected to grow a healthy foal inside them for 11 months and produce enough milk for that foal for up to 6 months. Furthermore, many mares are expected to raise healthy foals year after... More ≫

Description

Mares are expected to grow a healthy foal inside them for 11 months and produce enough milk for that foal for up to 6 months. Furthermore, many mares are expected to raise healthy foals year after year, requiring successful rebreeding while the previous year’s foal is still by her side. Because nutrition influences each stage of the broodmare’s production cycle, nutritional management may, in many ways, determine the success of the breeding program.

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Feeding working and performance horses

Description

The horse is an incredible athlete, excelling at both maximal sprinting, such as racing or rodeo events, and low-intensity, long duration activities, such as a 160-km endurance ride. Whether your... More ≫

Description

The horse is an incredible athlete, excelling at both maximal sprinting, such as racing or rodeo events, and low-intensity, long duration activities, such as a 160-km endurance ride. Whether your horses are competing at top levels or just being used for the occasional trail ride, they must be fed adequately to ensure optimal health and performance.

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Feeding the stallion

Description

Many consider the stallion to be the star of the breeding farm. Nationwide, millions of dollars are spent promoting and advertising stallions to attract suitable mare owners. In turn, mare owners... More ≫

Description

Many consider the stallion to be the star of the breeding farm. Nationwide, millions of dollars are spent promoting and advertising stallions to attract suitable mare owners. In turn, mare owners spend thousands of dollars on stud fees and shell out hundreds of dollars in veterinary care to prepare their mares for natural coverage or costly A.I. (artificial insemination) shipments. The stallion is expected to be in top health, physically fit and able to perform on demand when a mare arrives at the breeding shed or when semen is artificially collected. Nutrition certainly plays a key role in maintaining the health and condition of the stallion, before, during, and after the breeding season.

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Feeding and management considerations for horses

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Drought results in poor growing conditions for pastures, hay and grain crops. As a result, pastures often become overgrazed and feed prices skyrocket. A drought can definitely affect your feeding... More ≫

Description

Drought results in poor growing conditions for pastures, hay and grain crops. As a result, pastures often become overgrazed and feed prices skyrocket. A drought can definitely affect your feeding and management choices. The following are some management and feeding guidelines to help get you and your horses through a dry spell.

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Swath grazing in western Canada : an introduction

Description

Swath grazing is a management practice that can be used to extend the grazing season and to reduce feed, labor and manure handling costs for cattle producers in western Canada. The practice may... More ≫

Description

Swath grazing is a management practice that can be used to extend the grazing season and to reduce feed, labor and manure handling costs for cattle producers in western Canada. The practice may also eliminate or reduce the costs for corral cleaning, manure spreading and feed handling. Annual cereals are seeded in mid-May to early June and swathed from late August to mid-September when the crop reaches the soft to late dough stage and before killing frosts. The swaths are left in the field for the cattle to graze during the winter.

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Beef ration rules of thumb

Description

This fact sheet can both guide producers through a feed test and help them understand the results. With a feed test in front of you, look at the following rules and compare them to the feed test.... More ≫

Description

This fact sheet can both guide producers through a feed test and help them understand the results. With a feed test in front of you, look at the following rules and compare them to the feed test. Remember, these are rules of thumb, which means they hold true most of the time, but variations in management and cow type will affect the end result. These rules of thumb should not be considered a replacement for balancing rations with proven software, but rather an aid to understand the feed and where it fits in the management.

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Feeding the fish in your dugout or pond

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Proper nutrition is essential to the health of all animals, and fish are no exception. Recreationally cultured fish stocked at a reasonable density in a dugout or pond will obtain most, if not... More ≫

Description

Proper nutrition is essential to the health of all animals, and fish are no exception. Recreationally cultured fish stocked at a reasonable density in a dugout or pond will obtain most, if not all, their nutrition from their environment. Depending on the ecology of each pond, this natural supply of food may include varied amounts of aquatic and terrestrial invertebrates, such as insects, worms, leeches and freshwater shrimp, as well as amphibians, minnows, plant material and microscopic plankton. However, fish that are found to be slow growing, small at harvest or were knowingly more densely stocked may need to be provided with prepared feeds.

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Managing cattle feed contaminated with mycotoxins

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Mycotoxins are the metabolic by-products of fungi. They can cause serious health problems in cattle and other animals, including reduced weight gain, capillary fragility, reduced fertility,... More ≫

Description

Mycotoxins are the metabolic by-products of fungi. They can cause serious health problems in cattle and other animals, including reduced weight gain, capillary fragility, reduced fertility, suppressed disease resistance and even death. Mycotoxins can interfere with many of the digestive enzymes, causing impaired growth and muscle formation, as well as damaging reproductive hormones resulting in impaired fertility and decreased milk production.

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Cattle feeding : limiting intake and adding corn grain

Description

Producers need options for wintering their cattle herds when fibre is in short supply. Feeding cows limited dry matter intake (DMI) rations may be one answer for Alberta.s beef cattle herd. U.S... More ≫

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Producers need options for wintering their cattle herds when fibre is in short supply. Feeding cows limited dry matter intake (DMI) rations may be one answer for Alberta.s beef cattle herd. U.S research shows that feeding reduced dry matter intake (DMI) rations with corn grain for the beef cow is a possible option to help winter the Alberta cattle herd. The U.S findings are very positive but, Alberta Agriculture wanted to see if these U.S. findings would hold true under Alberta conditions and if straw could be used as a fibre source with corn grain and limited DMI rations.

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