Night
Feeding Could Be Beneficial in Cold Climates
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by Nancy Carver Singleton
Feeding cattle at night during the winter has the potential to boost
daily rate of gain substantially, according to a Canadian study. The
study involved 500 crossbred cattle at three locations during two
winters.
While Canadian researchers expected the effects of night feeding to
be more obvious in cold weather, this was not always true. “In
fact some literature shows there can be a response to night feeding
in summer, which means temperature may not be a factor at all,”
said Alma Kennedy, a University of Manitoba animal scientist who directed
the study.
Some groups of feeder cattle fed after 8 p.m. had increased rate of
gain from nine to 28 percent. They saw an increase up to six percent
in improved feed efficiency compared to cattle fed during the day.
Other lots, however, showed no increase.The next step is to determine
the exact factors that improved performance, said Kennedy
“I think the main thing we found by doing research at three
locations is that your feed management is really important when you
are trying to get a benefit from night feeding. It seems that when
animals are limit fed, the effect is most pronounced,” Kennedy
said.
Kennedy said that night feeding would likely be beneficial for U.S.
cattle fed in the colder, northern states.
The study was designed around the knowledge that feeding causes the
digestive tract to produce heat by working harder to accommodate the
new feed coming in. When animals are fed in the daytime, this extra
heat is available at a time of day when temperatures are not so cold.
Canadian researchers shifted feeding time to begin after 8 p.m. to
cause digestive heat to peak about midnight, when air temperatures
are usually the coldest.
South Dakota State University research, however, found no comparable
advantage to feeding after dark. “We’re pretty confident
with afternoon feedings, but we don’t go after dark,”
said Robbi Pritchard, SDSU professor of animal science.
But by feeding several hours before sundown, they saw an increase
in gain and improved feed conversion. The university now uses afternoon
feeding routinely in its lots that are fed just once a day. Pritchard
noted that a number of commercial feedlots in the Great Plains have
30 percent of their feed delivered in the morning and 70 percent in
the afternoon on a year-round basis. ©
