Late-gestation heifer nutrition does not affect dystocia

According to the U.S. Department of Agriculture Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, 28 percent of all calf deaths before weaning are due to birth-related problems. Therefore, managing females to calve with minimal difficulty is extremely important. A topic that is often discussed in cattle production is whether or not the level of nutrition given to a pregnant female late in gestation affects birth weight and calving difficulty (dystocia). Many producers worry that providing good nutrition to a pregnant female — especially heifers — increases birth weight of the calf and, subsequently, dystocia. However, providing inadequate nutrition can have long-term effects on pregnancy rates and profitability. This is a topic that has been very well researched over the past several decades. Read more at Noble.org…