Everglades Station Mimeo 63-17 April, 1963


 BALANCING PASTURES WITH PROPER FEED SUPPLEMENTS a

 Herbert L. Chapman, Jr.
 Everglades Experiment Station


 The basic feed for any cattle operation in Florida should be pasture.
 This raises three questions.

 1. What are the nutritional requirements of beef cattle;
 2. How much is furnished by pasture?
 3. How can nutrients not furnished by pasture best be supplied?

 Factors affecting nutritional requirements of beef cattle.

 The nutritional requirements of beef cattle are affected by age, sex, con-
dition of the animal, stage of life cycle, purpose for which the animal is
being kept, genetic potential of the animal and the level of disease and para-
sites present. Cattle have a minimum nutritional requirement to maintain
normal body functions, even though they do not gain weight, have a calf or
give milk. If the minimum needs of water, protein, minerals, carbohydrates and
fats are not provided the animal will supply its needs by depleting its body
tissues. This necessitates the use of properly-balanced supplemental feed and
mineral mixtures for cattle grazing pastures lacking in the required nutrients.
When the animal uses its body stores of nutrients there will be a loss of body
weight, lowered reproduction, poorer weaning weights, and the usual deficiency
symptoms in muscles, bone and blood tissue.

 Maintenance requirements for many nutrients are roughly related to animal
size. The rate of gain will directly effect the amount of nutrients needed.
There will be a greater need by cows for many nutrients the last 2 months of
pregnancy and first 4 months of lactation. (Failure to have these available
will result in thin cows, thin calves, breeding failures and possibly deaths.)
Some animals have the ability to utilize available nutrients more efficiently
than others and will need less feed to gain weight. The presence of disease
or parasites will place an additional stress on the animal and may reduce
utilization of available nutrients. All of these'factorp ae important.

 Generally, the major nutrients that cattlemn inF rida should be con-
cerned about in supplemental feeds are proteini''ngy (carbohydrates and fats),
phosphorus, copper, cobalt and Vitamin A.


a/ Prepared for presentation at 1963 Vegetable and Pasture Field Day,
 Indian River Field Laboratory, Fort Pierce, Florida.