Effects of supplemental feeding interval on adult cows in western Texas.

Two experiments involving Brangus and Hereford x Brangus cows (3 to 10 yr) were conducted at four locations in western Texas to determine the effects of supplemental feeding interval on serum urea nitrogen (SUN) patterns, intake of supplement and forage, and winter changes in live body weight and condition score. Treatments were control (Control; no supplemental feed) and the equivalent of .91 kg/d of cottonseed meal (CSM) fed daily (Daily), three times per week (3T/WK), or one time per week (WK). At each location, one pasture group was given all four treatments (four cows/treatment) using Calan gates. In Exp. 1, conducted in 1994-95, blood samples were obtained for determining SUN during the last week of the study. Experiment 2, conducted in 1995-96, included both an individually fed herd and four additional herds at each location that were group-fed the four treatments. Experiment 2 included estimates of intakes of both CSM and forage in both individually fed and group-fed herds. A bolus containing chromium (Cr-bolus) was used to estimate fecal output in the individually fed cows. A double marker technique was used to determine total (Cr-bolus) and CSM (Yb) intakes in the group-fed cows. Data included initial and final cow weights and condition scores (Exp. 1 and 2), SUN patterns (Exp. 1), and supplement, forage, and total intakes (Exp. 2). Feeding CSM to range cows increased SUN concentrations (Exp. 1), reduced losses in live body weight and body condition score (Exp. 1 and 2), and tended to decrease forage intake by the approximate amount of the supplement (Exp. 2). Generally, providing supplement as infrequently as once per week reduced losses in live body weight and body condition score compared with control and was as effective as once daily supplementation. For the group-fed cows, supplement intake, forage intake, and live body weight change were more variable within groups with once daily feeding than when supplement was fed less frequently. These data indicate that feeding as infrequently as one time per week can be effective nutrition management for adult cows grazing native range.

Animal performance and fleece characteristics of Angora goats maintained on western and southern Texas rangeland.

Two hundred castrated male Angora goats (18 mo of age) were divided equally between rangeland sites in the oak savannah of the Edwards Plateau (EP) and the mixed-brush shrublands of the South Texas Plains (STP) for 5 yr to study influence of environment and age on body weight (BW), mohair production, and mohair fiber characteristics. Goats were grazed on rangeland typical of the respective regions and were given typical management that included shearing in February and July or August of each year. Shorn goats were weighed and individual fleeces were measured for grease weight (GFW), clean yield (CMFP), average fiber diameter (AFD), and proportion of medullated fibers, med (MFP) and kemp (KFP). Rainfall and maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded daily at each site. The AFD (P = .01) and its associated SD (P < .001) and kemp levels (P = .03) were all higher at the STP than at the EP site (39.4 vs 37.9 microns, 10.4 vs 11.1 microns, and .80 vs .68%, respectively). Angora goats at EP weighed less (38.1 vs 41.7 kg, P = .03), and sheared less (1.90 vs 2.22 kg, P = .01), finer (36.4 vs 39.3 microns, P < .001), and less kempy (.52 vs .84%, P < .001) mohair at the February shearing than at the August shearing. No seasonal differences in body weight or in mohair production or quality were apparent at STP. The proportions of total variation in grease mohair production (30.6%), CMFP (22.2%), and AFD (15.7%) due to year effects were two to three times greater at STP than at EP. In contrast, year effects were responsible for only a small proportion (2.2 to 4.6%) of the variation in medullated fibers. The effects of rainfall accumulation within specific 6-mo growing periods were positive for BW, GFW, CFW, AFD, SD of AFD and MFP and negative for CMFP and KFP. Only the rainfall effects on SD of AFD and medullated fibers were significant (P < .05). The effects of age were positive for BW (P < .001), CMFP (P = .046), AFD (P < .001), MFP (P = .014), and KFP (P = .084) and negative for GFW (P = .046) and CFW (P = .107). This study documents influence of environment and age of goats on body weight, mohair production, and fiber characteristics.

Effects of supplemental feeding on intake by kid, yearling, and adult Angora goats on rangeland.

Sixty female Angoras, including 20 each of kids (9 mo), pregnant yearlings (21 mo), and pregnant adults (2.5 to 4 yr), were used to determine the effects of supplemental feed and level of supplemental digestible DM (DDM) on voluntary intake on rangeland. Treatments included negative control (NC: no supplemental feed) and supplements to provide equal CP (3 g/kg of BW.75) and either 4.8, 9.8, or 19.8 g/kg of BW.75 of DDM per day. Forage intake (FI), gastrointestinal tract fill (FILL), mean particulate turnover, mean particulate whole-tract residence time, fecal output, and forage DM digestibility (FDMD) were measured in all goats using a pulse-dose marker technique when the yearling and adult goats were in late pregnancy. Forage intake increased (quadratic regression, P = .01) at the low level of feeding, but both FI and FDMD decreased in a quadratic pattern in the pregnant goats as DDM feeding level increased. Total DDM intake reached a maximum at the medium supplementation level. Stimulative, additive, and substitutive effects on forage intake were observed as feeding level increased. Yearling goats had lower FILL and intake than kids and adults (metabolic BW basis), which may explain problems associated with reproduction in young goats.

Combined effects of stocking rate and supplemental feeding level on adult beef cows grazing native rangeland in Texas.

A grazing study was conducted over 4 yr to determine the effects of stocking rate and supplemental feeding levels on intake, and BW and body condition changes by adult beef cows. Stocking rates were 12.3, 16.5, and 24.7 animal units/(100 ha.yr). Supplemental feed treatments included a negative control (NC) and 300 g/(cow.d) of CP with either 2 (L), 4 (M), or 8 (H) Mcal/(cow.d) of DE from early December to late March. Groups fed supplements (L, M, and H) lost less BW from fall to spring (P < .01) and reciprocally gained less BW from spring to weaning (P < .01) than NC cows. The L cows tended (P = .14) to lose less BW between fall and spring than M and H cows. Treatment effects on condition score were similar to those for BW change. Forage intake, estimated by measurements of fecal output, was greater by supplemented cows (P = .02); L was greater than M and H (P = .004). Increased stocking rate correlated with increased fall-to-spring BW losses (P < .002), spring-to-weaning BW gains (P < .0001), and decreased winter forage intake (P < .005). These data provide quantitative bases for the effects of stocking rate and supplemental feeding on BW and condition dynamics. Low-level feeding of a high-protein supplement can increase intake of dormant range forage, thereby increasing nutrient intake. High-level feeding of low-protein supplements seems to increase nutrient status primarily by providing supplemental nutrients. Increasing stocking rate to the reported extremes decreased forage intake and resulted in unfavorable BW and condition changes.

Effects of supplementation on intake, growth rate, and fleece production by female Angora kid goats grazing rangeland.

Ninety-eight and 88 female Angora kid goats (6 mo of age) were grazed/browsed on Edwards Plateau rangeland in 92- and 88-d trials in 1989 and 1990, respectively. The goats were either not supplemented (negative control, NC) or fed isoenergetic amounts of corn (C), a corn/cottonseed meal/molasses mixture (C/CSM), or a corn/cottonseed meal/fish meal/molasses mixture (C/CSM/FM). The C/CSM and C/CSM/FM supplements provided equal CP but different amounts of ruminally undegraded protein (UDP). The goats were allowed to graze/browse in a common pasture and were separated into treatment groups three times each week for feeding. Intakes of supplement and forage were measured using a dual-marker technique. Forage intake was not increased with supplemental feeding (P = .21), but tended (P = .08) to be greater with high-protein supplements than with C. Total digestible DMI was greater (P < .01) for supplemented goats and was not affected by supplement type. Supplemental feeding increased BW gain (P < .01) and clean fleece weight (CFW; P < .01). High-protein supplements increased BW gain (P < .01), CFW (P = .07), fiber diameter (FD; P < .01), and staple length (P < .01) compared with C. Greater amounts of UDP (C/CSM/FM) did not increase BW gain (P = .99) but tended to increase CFW (P = .12) and FD (P = .15). Supplemental feeding increased total digestible DMI by partial substitution (corn) for forage or addition (high-protein supplements) to forage, and both energy and protein increased BW gain and CFW and influenced mohair traits.

Predictions of the nutrient composition of the diets of supplemented versus unsupplemented grazing beef cows based on near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy of feces.

Near-infrared reflectance spectroscopy of fecal samples from crossbred beef cows grazing native range forage was performed to determine whether supplemental feeding would alter the prediction of forage quality. In one trial, 2.27 kg.cow-1 x d-1 of supplemental feed with 20% CP and 3.3 Mcal of DE/kg had a detectable, but unimportant, effect on the predicted forage digestibility of OM, whereas the predicted forage content of CP was increased from 5.6 to 6.4% (P < .01). In a second trial at another location, supplemental feeding of isonitrogenous (700 g.cow-1 x feeding-1) feeds that provided low, medium, or high levels of DE three times weekly caused detectable, but unimportant, changes in the predicted digestibility of forage OM, whereas important changes were noted in the predicted CP content of grazed forages. Although forage quality could not be evaluated from spectra developed with unsupplemented cows, a change in the plane of nutrition was detectable. In the first trial, apparent effects of supplemental feeding on predicted diet quality were not detected if fecal sampling occurred 36 or 56 h after the supplemental feeding ceased for CP and OM digestibility, respectively. Whether supplemental feeding altered the grazing behavior of cows and quality of forage grazed, or merely altered composition of fecal samples, was not determined.

Effects of skirting on yield, fineness, and value of wool from fine-wool range ewes.

Eighty-one mixed-age (2 to 8 yr old) Rambouillet ewes (58.5 kg, SD 5.9 kg) were randomly assigned to three treatment groups that contained similar numbers to study the effects of wool skirting on clean yield, fiber diameter, and prices received for fine wool. The sheep were managed as a single flock on an experimental ranch close to Barnhart, TX during the 4-yr study. Two fleece-skirting techniques (SK1 and SK2) were compared with a control procedure in which fleeces were not skirted before packaging (original bag, OB method). Skirted wools were higher yielding (P < .05) and contained less vegetable matter (P < .05) than skirts. However, clean yield and vegetable matter content of skirted and OB wools were not different (P > .05). Weight-averaged prices received for grease wool from the SK1, SK2, and OB treatments over the 4-yr period were 4.49, 4.36, and 3.83 $/kg, respectively. Prices received for both types of skirted wool plus skirts were higher (P < .05) than prices received for OB wool.

Effects of supplemental feed with or without ionophores on lambs and Angora kid goats on rangeland.

Effects of supplemental feed and of ionophore concentration in supplemental feed on gastrointestinal rate parameters, forage intake and weight gain were measured in individually supplemented grazing lambs and Angora kid goats. The 12 dietary treatments included negative control (NC; grazed forage only), positive control (PC; grazing plus 13.6 g supplement DM/kg.75), and PC plus monensin or lasalocid, each at 33, 66, 99, 132 or 165 mg/kg in the supplement. Gastrointestinal fill, retention time, turnover rate and fecal output were estimated by applying a single-compartment model to the fecal excretion of a single dose of ytterbium. Forage digestibility was estimated from forage and fecal concentrations of indigestible fiber. Supplemental feed increased digestibility of forage and total intake in sheep but had no effect on forage intake. In goats, supplemental feed did not increase digestibility of forage but decreased forage intake. Supplemental feed increased weight gain in both species. Increasing the monensin concentration in supplemental feed reduced supplement intake greatly in sheep and slightly in goats. Lasalocid did not affect intake of supplement by either sheep or goats. Overall, ionophores had minimal effects on the response criteria. Because feed intake and digestibility were not affected, any increase in gain or efficiency in lambs or kid goats on rangeland from consumption of ionophores must be a result of their therapeutic value or of improved physiological efficiency.

Effects of sequential infestations of Dermacentor albipictus and Amblyomma americanum (Acari: Ixodidae) on overwintering beef cows in west-central Texas.

Infestations of winter ticks, Dermacentor albipictus (Packard), observed on mature black Angus cows, reached peak levels in January and diminished through March. Infestations of adult lone star ticks, Amblyomma americanum (L.), began in mid-January and increased through May. Cows receiving Ectrin, Taktic, or Deltox treatments on 13 December and 21 February experienced significantly less weight loss and entered the subsequent breeding season with higher average body weight than untreated cows. In a separate study, lactating Brangus and Brangus-cross cows, equally infested by natural populations of these ticks, were provided five supplement treatment regimens, fed individually with quantities adjusted for body weight and condition score. Groups receiving supplementation highest in crude protein and digestible energy lost significantly less weight and experienced the least amount of deterioration in body condition. Performance among these groups was influenced by the amount of digestible energy and the period in which increased levels of digestible energy were fed. Cows receiving the supplement highest in protein coupled with an increase in digestible energy from 10 to 60 Mcal/kg W0.75 on 16 January experienced the smallest average change in condition score and weight parameters.

Influence of mineral supplementation on bovine serum, liver and endometrium at day 1 and day 12 of the estrous cycle.

The effects of diet on mineral concentrations in serum, liver and endometrium were determined at points in the reproductive cycle in heifers. Dietary treatments extended 134 d and included feeding a basal hay (negative control), basal hay with concentrate (feed control), feed control with phosphorus and feed control with both phosphorus and trace minerals. Samples of serum and liver were taken at the beginning and end of the trial. Within an estrous cycle during the trial (endometrial biopsy) the cows were sampled either at Day 1 or Day 12 for determining progesterone levels and mineral elements in the blood, liver and endometrial tissue. Trace element concentrations in serum and liver did not differ among collection periods pretrial, endometrial biopsy and post breeding nor among treatment groups. However, endometrial tissue concentrations of copper, manganese and zinc were higher at Day 1 than at Day 12 (P < 0.05) in reverse of serum progesterone, which was higher at Day 12 (P < 0.05). Supplemental trace minerals appeared to increase concentrations of copper (P < 0.20), manganese (P < 0.10) and zinc (P < 0.20) at Day 1 but decrease concentrations of these same elements at Day 12 (P < 0.05, P < 0.10 and P < 0.05, respectively). The large differences in trace element concentrations observed in endometrial tissue at the estral phases and under different diets suggest the possible importance of trace elements and trace element nutrition in fertilization and (or) embryo survival.

Strategic planning helpful to executives assessing career changes.

Healthcare executives should use strategic planning skills in assessing their careers. When deciding whether to seek a new position, executives must carefully analyze the organization where they are currently employed and assess their skills and potential for professional growth. Once a decision to seek a new position has been made, the appropriate background materials should be assembled to enable a quick response to opportunities.

Dynamics of digestion in cattle, sheep, goats and deer.

Four experiments were conducted to study factors affecting digestibility of forages in cattle, sheep, goats and white-tailed deer. In a series of digestion trials (Exp. 1), the dry matter digestibility of a moderately high fiber diet was greater in cattle than in deer. Digestibilities of the diet in sheep and goats were intermediate and not different from either extreme. In a second series of trials (Exp. 2), relative organic matter digestibilities were for goats more than sheep more than deer. However, in Exp. 2, intake in goats was very low and digestibility appeared to be positively related to retention time and inversely related to turnover rate. Results of three trials (Exp. 3) suggested that rate of digestion was related more to diet than to the animal species consuming the diet. In grazing animals (Exp. 4), goats digested a smaller percentage of consumed material than either cows or sheep during three of four seasons even though diets were of similar in vitro digestibility. This difference was related to a faster turnover and shorter retention time in goats. These data support the concept that there are species differences in gastrointestinal dynamics which may be which may be important determinants of adaptability to grazing conditions.

Production of fine-wool ewes on yearlong rangeland in West Texas. I. Effects of season, stage of production and supplemental feed on intake.

Effects of season, reproductive stage and supplemental feed on fecal output, forage intake and digestible organic matter intake (DOMI) were determined in fine-wool ewes on rangeland. Fecal output was highest during winter and was not affected by supplemental feed level. Forage intake was similar across seasons, but DOMI was higher during spring because of the higher digestible organic matter (DOM) concentration in the diet. Lactating ewes consumed 35 to 40% more forage and DOM compared with nonlactating ewes. Nonlactating nonpregnant and pregnant ewes had similar intakes. Forage intake and DOMI during summer were intermediate to those observed during winter and spring. Supplemental feed tended to decrease forage intake and slightly increase DOMI, suggesting a substitution effect. It is suggested that intake was limited during winter by maximum passage of undigested residues. Other mechanisms are proposed for limiting intake during spring and summer. Comparison of intake data with National Research Council standards indicates that energy intake was low during most of the year under the conditions of this study.

Production of fine-wool ewes on yearlong rangeland in West Texas. II. Effects of supplemental feed and breeding frequency on reproductive rate.

Reproductive rate was compared in once-a-year and accelerated lambing ewes given various winter supplemented feed treatments during a 4-yr study. The study involved 165 commercial Rambouillet ewes. The accelerated lambing ewes had a lower attrition rate (P = .20) and final weight (P less than .05) and produced more lambs (P less than .01), lighter weight lambs at birth (P less than .05) and weaning (P less than .01), a lower frequency of twins (P less than .05) and an equal total weight of weaned lamb (P greater than .25) compared with once-a-year lambing ewes. Significant effects of feeding were detected only in a higher attrition rate in fed vs control ewes (P less than .02) and in a higher twinning frequency in fed vs control ewes (P less than .05). It is suggested that attrition rate is positively associated with twinning frequency. Accelerated lambing failed to substantially increase total lamb production, primarily because fall-lambing ewes failed to rebreed for summer lambs in spite of supplemental feed and as a result, continued in a fall lambing pattern.

Serious pelvic infections associated with intrauterine contraceptive device.

PIP: A study undertaken to discover whether the incidence and types of intrauterine bacterial growth in IUD users differed from those in nonusers is described. The study 1)compared the early development of infection in IUD users and nonusers, and 2) looked for a correlation between known serious pelvic infection and IUD use. Of 235 patients seen for gynecologic examination (131 IUD users and 104 nonusers), 21 users for 6 months or more and 1 user for less than 4 months had foul-smelling leukorrhea, irregular bleeding, or both. Endometrial cultures were positive in 67% of users, and in 62% of the nonusers. 11 long-term IUD users more than 6 months and 1 nonuser had anaerobic organisms (p less than .01). Of 31 patients admitted for tubo-ovarian or pelvic abcesses, 17 were IUD users, of whom 9 required hysterectomy. Earlier recognition of foul-smelling mucoid discharge on the IUD tail, or abnormal bleeding, or both, as a sign of early pelvic infection, followed by removal of the IUD and institution of appropriate antibiotic therapy, might prevent the more serious sequelae of pelvic inflammation.^ieng

Therapeutic abortion without inpatient hospitalization. An early experience with 325 cases.

Analysis of 325 first trimester abortions performed on women who spent an average of less than six hours on the hospital premises, indicates that management without inpatient hospitalization is acceptable as an interim measure pending the development of alternative methods of dealing with the anticipated large number of therapeutic abortions.