• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

To Honor and Protect the Ranching Way of Life

  • Home
  • Who We Are
    • Why Join
    • Leadership
    • Staff
    • Partners
    • FAQs
    • Newsroom
    • Sponsorships
    • Employment
  • What We Do
    • Theft and Law
    • Issues and Policy
    • Education
    • Students and Young Professionals
    • The Cattleman Magazine
    • Disaster Relief Fund
    • Cattle Raisers Insurance
    • Cattle Raisers Trading Co
  • Events
    • Cattle Raisers Convention
    • Policy Conference
    • Summer Meeting
    • Ranch Gatherings
    • Ranching 101
  • Join
  • Member Center
  • TSCRA Store
  • Show Search
Hide Search

Coming down the gestation home stretch

Source: Kassidy Buse, Hay & Forage Grower | Feb. 12, 2019

For many spring-calving herds, cows are well into the last three months of gestation. Ken Olson, associate professor and extension beef specialist at South Dakota State University (SDSU), highlights some key questions to ask yourself during this last trimester.

What body condition are the cows in?

“Depending on weather and feed conditions since weaning, some cows may now be in a less than desirable body condition score,” Olson starts in a recent iGrow newsletter post. According to Olson, the ideal body condition score (BCS) is around 5 or 6. These cows will have some rib cover but the last rib will still be defined, and they should have some fat around their tail head.

Cows who go into their last trimester of pregnancy in good condition will be easier to maintain than cows with a BCS of 4 or lower, since it is harder to improve BCS in late pregnancy or postcalving.

Olson also notes that it is important to consider the energy demand of cold stress. “Two weeks of 20 below zero temperature will take off one point in BCS if the diet isn’t adjusted for cold stress,” Olson explains. This is even more pronounced in thin cows.

Is there enough forage available for them to graze?

If there is not enough grass or hay for cattle to meet their energy needs, supplementation will be required. Late-gestation cows need a ration testing 50 to 56 percent TDN (total digestible nutrients).

To meet this TDN requirement, by-product feeds can be supplemented. If there is sufficient forage but with a low-protein content, a protein supplement is needed. Most low-quality forages have a protein content of 3 to 4 percent, while a cow in late-gestation needs a diet that has around 7 to 9 percent protein.

Does protein and energy need to be supplemented?

“A mature cow on winter range during her last trimester without supplement will lose a BCS point in about 40 to 50 days,” Olson says. “Both protein and energy are deficient in dormant-standing forages,” he adds.

To overcome these deficiencies, Olson recommends adding 4 pounds of a 20 percent commercial cake-type of supplement to winter range-fed cattle to maintain BCS.

Other options include providing a by-product feed like distillers grains or use homegrown, harvested forages instead of a purchased supplement. Adding 12 pounds of a 10 percent crude protein hay to winter range or crop residue diets will help maintain BCS.

If you need to supplement energy, high-fiber energy sources such as soy hulls, sugar beet pulp, and corn gluten feed are your best options. If protein is needed in conjunction with energy, feeds associated with oilseeds, oilseed meals, and by-product feeds such as fishmeal and distillers grains are options.

“When feeding by-products, palatability must be taken into consideration,” Olson elaborates. With distillers grains, sulfur toxicity can also be an issue.

Given that there are several options for supplements, what you decide to use should be driven by the equipment that is available to deliver it.

“It is best to start managing your cows’ BCS in the fall because this is the easiest and cheapest time to improve body condition,” Olson explains.

While a BCS of 5 or more in late pregnancy is desired, if adverse weather causes BCS to be less than ideal, feed management to improve BCS by the time of calving will be critical for calf health and cow fertility in future breeding seasons.

Written by:
kristin
Published on:
February 28, 2019

Categories: Animal Health, Feed & Forage, Livestock Management, The Cattleman Now, The Cattleman Now - App

Recent Posts

TSCRA Talk Episode 65 – Direct beef sales – tried and true wisdom 

June 23, 2025

Kayla Jennings with Jennings Ventures and Tucker Brown of the R.A. Brown Ranch join TSCRA …

Continue Reading about TSCRA Talk Episode 65 – Direct beef sales – tried and true wisdom 

TSCRA commends Secretary Rollins and USDA on Texas sterile fly facility

June 18, 2025

FORT WORTH, Texas (June 18, 2025)— U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Brooke Rollins today announced …

Continue Reading about TSCRA commends Secretary Rollins and USDA on Texas sterile fly facility

Crime watch: Brangus bull missing in Fayette County

June 13, 2025

Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association Special Ranger Kenny Murchison, District 20 in …

Continue Reading about Crime watch: Brangus bull missing in Fayette County

Footer

Who We Are

Why Join
Leadership
Staff
Partners
FAQs
Newsroom
Sponsorships
Employment

What We Do

Theft and Law
Issues and Policy
Education
Students and Young Professionals
The Cattleman Magazine
Cattle Raisers Insurance
Cattle Raisers Trading Co.
Texas and Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association

Information

Cattle Raisers Blog
News Releases
Bereavements
Events
Sponsorships & Advertisement
Tip Hotline
Get Involved
Links

Membership

Membership Center
Membership Center Instructions
Join
Renew
  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

PO BOX 101988
FORT WORTH, TX 76185

1-800-242-7820

© 2023 Texas & Southwestern Cattle Raisers Association; All Rights Reserved.

COPYRIGHT | PRIVACY POLICY | TERMS OF USE