13/12/2016
Dr. Colleen Lewis / December 13, 2016
As I sit here waiting for my 14-year-old son to emerge from a tonsillectomy surgery, I received a message from a close friend, “Hope the surgery goes well for all of you. I bet he has a big growth spurt after this.” Growth spurt? I started to relate the idea of child growth to a cattle feeding strategy called compensatory gain. The premise behind this idea is if you limit feed a calf, once you feed it properly, it will compensate by gaining the weight back with extra. A classic example occurs in underfed calves that lose body fat over the winter months; putting these thinner calves on ample, quality pasture in the spring will generally result in above average weight gains. Their gains can be so good, that the calves can catch up to and even surpass the body weight of their peers that were not limited.
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Two broad scenarios will result in a limit-fed calf. The first is feeding poor quality hay. There may appear to be ample feed out in front of the calves, but in terms of nutrient contents the feed can be alarmingly poor quality and not be meeting nutritional needs. Often poor quality hay is fed accidently, without knowledge of deficiencies. This can be avoided by testing hay using Relative Feed Value (RFV) as an indicator of quality.
Another scenario is simply not putting enough feed out in front of the calves. No matter how good the quality is, underfeeding by volume will also lead to lack of gain, or even weight loss. Producers can cautiously use the practice of limit feeding to reduce production costs by feeding less of the expensive feedstuffs over the winter and taking advantage of the lush green pastures in the spring.
So, in the end, do I think that compensatory gain is possible for my son? Considering chronic tonsillitis could certainly have been the cause of reduced grocery intake, I think compensatory gain is very possible. I will keep my fingers crossed that he will grow to his desired (but unlikely) basketball height. However, in the case of cattle feeding, we can also inadvertently cause stunted growth by either withholding calories or nutrition. As a cattle producer, I do not want to see underfed cattle, and will strive to keep the nutrients and the volume in front of my growing calves. Do not be in a hurry and run out to purchase mismanaged or limit-fed cattle and expect a big payday, as you may just get stunted.
About the Author
Dr. Colleen Lewis is a 1996 graduate of Kansas State University, College of Veterinary Medicine. Her career has taken her to many places as a practice owner, consultant, embryologist, and mentor. She enjoys mixed animal practice, teaching, traveling, farming and high school sports with her husband, Andrew and their three boys.
