Why background?

High calf prices certainly can shift the economics in favor of adding pounds, especially when producers are able to keep feed costs competitive.

Improving the nutritional status of feeder calves prior to sale and shipping can improve the calves’ ability to handle stress associated with shipping, commingling and disease exposure. Additionally, having calves trained to eat from a bunk and introduced to concentrates, byproduct feeds and fermented feeds is all advantageous for transitioning to the feedlot.

If you have never backgrounded your calves before, this may be a good time to consider it. When calf prices are high and feed prices are more moderate, there is a greater opportunity for adding value. I would also argue that most calves have a greater opportunity for compensatory gain today than they did 20 years ago.

As the Angus breed continues to improve genetics for growth, the likelihood of calves not having adequate nutrition prior to weaning increases. Mature beef cows reach peak lactation around 60-80 days of lactation. As cow milk production decreases throughout lactation, calf requirements also continue to increase.

Angus growth genetics continue to have an upward trend line (see “Sorting Gate”). However, actual on-farm weaning weights have not followed the same trajectory. This is most easily explained by inadequate nutrition (forage availability/milk production) to support the genetic potential for growth.

Prepping at home

For operations that have adequate facilities, often the best strategy is to wean and feed calves for a 30- to 45-day preconditioning program. A variety of approaches and feeding strategies for preconditioning have been evaluated.

Calves can be placed back on pasture and supplemented or fed free-choice hay or a total mixed ration (TMR) in a drylot. If the calves have not had access to creep feed prior to weaning, it is important to start them on a high-roughage receiving diet and transition them gradually to grain or coproducts.

Grain coproducts such as distillers’ grains, corn gluten feed and soybean hulls make excellent feedstuffs during the backgrounding phase. When utilizing corn coproducts, a high-calcium coproduct balancer should be used to ensure an appropriate calcium:phosporus ratio.

Although the primary focus of preconditioning programs is preparing calves for the next phase and mitigating stress and health risks, early calf nutrition can have lasting effects, as well. Plane of nutrition and energy source can both affect finishing phase performance and carcass traits.

Historically, cattle feeders focused on nutrition during the feedlot phase as a means to maximize growth and marbling. However, it is now known that intramuscular fat cells (marbling) can increase in number up to around 250 days of age. Nutrition during this “marbling window” largely determines the marbling potential of the calves later in the feedlot phase.

Calves fed high-starch concentrate feeds during this time period have improved marbling and quality grades at slaughter. Calves weaned at 200 days of age or older have limited opportunity during this window. Although early weaning is typically implemented to provide nutritional reprieve to the cow and improve pasture carrying capacity, it can also benefit the calf. When calves are weaned at 150 days of age or younger, there is a larger window of opportunity to affect the marbling potential of the calves.

Protein importance

Protein requirements of young calves are related to energy intake and targeted average daily gain (ADG). As energy intake increases, crude protein requirements also increase to meet targeted gains. Typically, crude protein requirements will range from 12% to 14%.

Several experiments have been conducted to determine the effects of increasing crude protein up to 20% or even greater. The majority of these experiments have reported that ADG increases linearly with increased crude protein. Additionally, rumen undegradable protein (RUP) and metabolizable protein intake should also be considered.

Distillers’ grains are a good source of RUP, another reason to consider them as an ingredient in the preconditioning program.

Does it pay?

The most common question regarding all of these strategies to improve nutritional status is “does it pay?” The most common answer is usually “it depends.” From a management standpoint, this is not a very helpful answer. However, cow-calf producers can evaluate several factors to help determine which side of the fence they are on regarding “it depends.”

The key questions I began with are: identifying target market, assessing current nutritional status of calves, evaluating available feedstuffs and prices, and considering current feeder-cattle prices.

With moderate feed prices, strong calf prices, and likely calves that are primed for compensatory gain, there appears to be strong potential for adding value through a preconditioning or backgrounding program.

When you plan to retain ownership, you don’t have to convince anyone but yourself the value of what you have done. You will have the data to inform future decisions. When you are selling your feeder calves, it is a different story. One of the keys in getting a return on your investment is documenting and communicating what your nutritional management has been.

Editor’s note: “The Digestive Tract” is a regular column focused on nutrition for the beef cattle life cycle. Dan Shike is an associate professor in animal sciences at the University of Illinois.