Cow-calf producers are historically tied to range and pastureland. If this tie unravels due to unforeseen circumstances such as loss of land lease, acts of God or even voluntary decisions, drylot production may become a serious consideration for many operations.
Karl Hoppe, beef cattle nutritionist and Extension livestock specialist for North Dakota State University, says drylot herds can be managed productively. “You can certainly feed cows and calves in a yard. They don’t have to eat green grass.”
Pen advantages, disadvantages
There are obvious tasks made simpler in a pen system than on the open range such as handling, weighing, tagging, vaccinating and treating of both cows and calves.
Other advantages include ease of accurate recordkeeping and performance management along with marketing flexibility for financial opportunities. Prospective buyers can readily inspect accessible calves. Cows may be culled or fed longer depending on market prices and availability of inexpensive feeds.
Using estrus synchronization and artificial insemination might be simpler, but Hoppe admits it’s sometimes harder to detect heat since females may not exhibit normal behaviors in a yard. Once they are inseminated, bulls could be used for clean-up purposes.
“The problem with this is, everybody is synchronized to breed at roughly the same time, and a clean-up bull has his work cut out for him. You’ve got to have good bulls. And by good, I mean, bulls that are in there to work and breed cows. Not bulls in there to fall in love.”
Hoppe explains weaned calves will generally go on feed quicker with less stress and sickness since they are used to eating creep and learn to join their mothers at the bunk. Early weaning is an excellent option as this can reduce the cow’s costs while maintaining calf growth. “Why feed the cow to feed the calf? Feed the calf directly and the mother won’t have to produce milk. Rather than eight months of lactation, it might be six or seven.”
Congestion effects on calves
But the crux of potential disadvantages might come in the form of health issues before weaning occurs. A drylot system increases close quarter contact compared to pasture scenarios. These atypical settings pose varied risks.
“Veterinary issues are notable,” said Hoppe. “When it’s no longer an extensive situation with lots of acres to roam, the cattle are congested. Even when you have people close together, you face health issues, just like right now in the cities. It’s the same with cows and calves.”
Infectious diseases are the most critical and challenging to manage when handling the health of calves from birth through weaning. An increased likelihood of disease due to concentrations of pathogens in the environment produces a greater risk of transmission in close quarters.
For drylot scenarios beginning with birthing, the most concerning issue is neonatal calf scours with bovine viral diarrhea (BVD).
Calf scours are most common within the first seven to 21 days of life. This fluid and electrolyte imbalance in combination with BVD can result in immunosuppression, predisposing calves to contracting respiratory infections.
Environmental conditions like adverse weather can be a significant stressor, making calf health issues such as scours and BVD worse. In confined situations, if the pathogen load exceeds the capabilities of the immune system to defend against disease, there is potential for immunosuppression. Combined with other stressors such as handling, commingling, transporting and eventually weaning, calves are prone to contracting either acute or subacute bovine respiratory diseases (BRD).
Hoppe believes bedding is crucial in the fight against calf health issues and pens should be routinely scraped or bedding packs created. “Udders must be kept clean for nursing. With extreme moisture, pens will turn to mud; cattle will churn it up and this creates a poor health environment. If a calf starts nursing mud, you will run into scours, bad health, or mastitis issues.”
Other challenges to the calf
A 2015 research study (Smith et al.) on the health management of confined cows and calves concluded dry and dusty pen conditions deliver other substantial health risks. These calves are more susceptible to contracting pinkeye, a bacterial infection of the eye which may become problematic. Dust pneumonias can also become prominent.
Smith added that cattle reared in confinement display increased concentrations of fecal shedding of oocysts that may result in coccidiosis.
Feedlot settings are notorious for internal and external parasites, but Hoppe says this can be controlled by spraying smaller areas or using easily administered pour-on insecticides in a confined setting. The cycle of internal parasites can be quickly broken with no concern of re-infestation. “It’s a real deal. You save a few dollars by deworming and delousing at the same time.”
He does warn of outside disease sources. On pasture, most herds are isolated with only bulls brought in. “It’s tricky if the drylot is part of a large yard, with backgrounded calves or finishing cattle. Animals might come in with BVD and for a naпve cow herd, it will just wreck the calf crop.”
Challenges to the cow
Although a cow’s health is generally sturdier than a growing calf’s, there are some factors to anticipate and prepare for. For continuously confined females, numerous research studies have described a recognizable increase in dystocia versus pasture-calving cows. A 2013 North Dakota beef report on drylot versus pasture herds indicated nearly a 9 percent increase in calving difficulty for drylot females compared to pasture-calving cows. A 2014 study (Gunn et al.) speculated that since parturition is an “athletic event,” the reduced activity of confined females may be the cause of this increased dystocia.
Managing a cow-calf enterprise in a drylot setting will present advantages along with significant health concerns. Hoppe believes drylot systems can work and be cost competitive but will be driven by the ability of managers to capitalize on increased efficiency. Potential health issues of the calves raised in this environment will dramatically influence profitability of confined cow-calf operations and will challenge management skills. — Bruce Derksen, WLJ correspondent
