When drought forces tough decisions, or expanding herds find themselves without pasture availability, drylotting beef cows may be an option to consider. Drylotting cows takes extra planning, especially if calves are on the cows. Here are a few tips if you are looking into drylotting cows.
First, make sure you have enough space. Pen space for outdoor lots needs to be 500-800 square feet per pair. It is best to allocate 2 feet of bunk space per cow. If calves are also expected to consume feed from bunks, consider adding another foot of bunk space per calf. Less bunk space may be acceptable for smaller cows or if you plan on feeding twice per day. Sorting cows based on age, weight and stage of production is necessary to efficiently use space.
Remember that cows are dominant, so providing creep areas or bunk space only calves can reach is needed if you want calves to consume the total mixed ration (TMR) from the bunk. Using false bottoms in bunks can help calves reach the feed. Feeding a creep feed in a calf escape area can also work.
In many cases, good cow nutrition and cows with plenty of milk production can reduce the need to creep feed in a drylot setting. If your calves are to be retained or backgrounded, creep feeding for added weaning weight likely serves little purpose. Early weaning calves fits this production scheme well and can help reduce the nutritional demands of lactation on beef cows. Be sure to consult with your veterinarian on vaccination and herd health protocols before early weaning.
Access to water for calves is vitally important. Make sure the height of the water source is easily accessible to calves. Sometimes the simple things are the biggest things when deploying a different management strategy.
When drylotting beef cows, getting the ration right is critical. Start by testing feeds and formulating a balanced, least-cost ration that is approved by a nutritionist. Cows are really good at upcycling different byproduct feeds. This can be an advantage in many drylot rations, but avoid overly wet rations and rations that consist of too many off-spec feeds. If forages are expensive or unavailable during times of drought, limit-feeding grain and byproduct rations can work. However, the diet will need adequate amounts of functional fiber to keep cows chewing their cud and satisfied. It is also important to include feed additives to manage the risk of rumen acidosis. Many times, including straw or ground cornstalks can help accomplish this goal while pairing well with byproduct feeds like distillers, corn gluten feed or soybean hulls. Finally, feeds should always be checked for molds, mycotoxins, nitrates and potential mineral imbalances.
