GROWTH PATTERNS OF RANGE BEEF CALVES OVER DISCRETE PREWEANING INTERVALS

Effect of weather patterns on preweaning growth of beef calves in the Northern Great Plains

Records from a 76-year investigation into effects of line breeding and selection of Hereford cattle, and concurrent weather records, were used to assess effects of weather patterns on growth of suckling calves. Calf growth data were adjusted for trends arising from selection and inbreeding, and for effects of age of dam and sex of calf to produce clean estimates of year effects. Daily maximum a...

Brain Regulation of Growth in Beef Calves

Brain Regulation of Growth in Beef Calves

Small peptide hormones produced in the lower part of the brain (hypothalamus) regulate episodic and basal secretion of hormones from the anterior pituitary gland that affect metabolism and growth in cattle. This study focused on long-term growth in young calves subjected to hypophysectomy (HYPOX), hypophyseal stalk transection (HST), and sham operation control (SOC). Crossbred (Hereford x Aberd...

Performance of Beef Calves

These results support the earlier findings by Dr. Bill Kunkle and his research involving limitcreep supplements based on cottonseed meal and salt mixtures. Calf performance responses, as measured by the added gain realized by creep supplementation, are highly variable and cannot always be described by amounts of creep feed consumed. This variability has large and direct impacts on the cost effe...

Early weaning beef calves.

Early weaning is a management practice that reduces grazing pressure on pastures by decreasing the nutrient requirements of cows. Calves that are weaned early are relatively efficient at converting feed to gain, and can weigh as much, or more than, calves allowed to remain with their dams until a conventional weaning age is reached. Balanced diets with excellent physical, chemical, and palatabi...