Cows Need High Energy Wanda To Mitigate Cold Stress

The January brings with it some of the coldest and most extreme weather conditions, every year. Extreme cold weather conditions can be one of the biggest challenges of managing cattle during the winter, especially for local breeds. Cold weather conditions may influence cattle performance during winter season, but we can’t keep them warm by putting on winter coat, boots or a hat. We need to do something different to keep them warm and protect them from the cold stress. We can maintain a cattle’s body temperature, keeping them warm from the inside out with the help of better housing and nutrition management.

Cattle feels most comfortable when temperatures are neither too cold nor too warm. During the winter season cattle may experience cold stress, when the effective ambient temperature drops below the Lower Critical Temperature (LCT). Lower critical temperature is the lowest body temperature that an organism can tolerate. The organisms cannot maintain their usual body functions below this temperature. The lower critical temperature may vary greatly. Many animals have different lower critical temperature according to their environmental conditions, health and body condition score. Usually cattle begin to shiver blow this point (LCT). This is the time, when

cattle require a much better care and few extra calories to support against the negative effects of cold stress in winter. In other words, to maintain the exact body temperature, they are burning more calories.

The impact of cold stress should not be ignored. The cattle must increase heat production to maintain their body temperature, when the temperature is below the cattle’s lower critical temperature. Extra heat producing process increases the requirement of more energy, as a result, feed consumption increases by up to 20 percent. To generate more heat, cattle need more fodder with extra concentrate/Wanda. Cotton seed cake is not recommended as cotton seed cake is high in protein and low in energy, and cattle need extra energy instead of protein and minerals. Therefore, use of Dasan feed/Dasan Wanda with fodder is the best option.

Cow need daily supply of essential nutrients required for their maintenance, growth, pregnancy and production specially in winter to mitigate cold stress. Quantitatively any type of nutrient can limit performance levels, but the most likely to be in short supply are energy and protein, this is especially true for high and average yielding cows to maintain normal body functions that is known as their ‘maintenance’ requirement. A dairy cow feed needs to be balanced to achieve milk production, body condition and reproduction targets.

During winter, provide your animals high energy nutrition to avoid cold stress and you must be well aware of body condition score of your herd as when body condition score is low the cows have more chances to suffer from cold stress.

Energy requirements of animals increases by 1% for every temperature degree below lower critical temperature is a thumb rule to know the required energy but body condition score of animal also impact its nutritional requirement. More body score has less requirement of energy e.g a cow with body score 3.5 needs 30% more energy to maintain body condition than a cow with body score 4.

Milking Cows need upto 3-4 kg extra Dasan Feed/Dasan Wanda as temperature falls. This additional supplementation helps to balance out the gap in energy requirement of animals. Always consider best quality with extra quantity with available forages. Dasan Feeds/ Dasan Wanda No. 24, 24S and 27 are best choices to provide your animals an additional energy during winter.