Stocker operators and backgrounders have enough challenges to deal with in today’s industry. Potential sickness, grass shortages, environmental hardships and market fluctuations—to name a few. You shouldn’t have to worry about grass tetany during spring turnout, too.
Grass tetany, also known as grass staggers or hypomagnesemia, is a metabolic disorder in cattle caused by low levels of magnesium (Mg) in the blood. This condition typically occurs during periods of rapid forage growth, especially in early spring when lush, cool-season grasses like ryegrass, wheat and fescue dominate pastures. These forages often have high potassium and nitrogen levels, which can interfere with magnesium absorption in the animal’s rumen.
Cattle Nutrition Experts
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Prevention is the Best Strategy
Prevention is the most effective strategy against grass tetany. You can prevent grass tetany in stocker cattle during spring turnout with the best nutritional and management practices.
According to Chris Cassady, Ph.D., Beef Cattle Technical Sales Director for BioZyme, stockers have a few options to prevent grass tetany in cattle.
“Feed additional hay to increase the dry matter (DM) during the high-risk periods to ensure adequate intake,” he suggests.
Added dry matter combined with AO-Biotics® Amaferm®, found in Gain Smart mineral, impacts the absorption of magnesium and other nutrients. Amaferm is a research-proven prebiotic that enhances digestibility and also increases absorption. That absorption factor helps cattle better absorb all the nutrients in the added hay you feed, especially if they eat the mineral correctly.
“Lush forages are low in DM, so Amaferm needs to extract everything it can from the low DM content to help generate more energy. Then, it can use the soluble protein in lush grass more effectively to produce more microbial protein,” Cassady said.
In addition to feeding additional hay, provide free-choice mineral supplements containing magnesium oxide. Pasture and land management are also critical aspects of preventing grass tetany in cattle. Avoid over-fertilizing pastures with potassium or nitrogen, as these reduce magnesium availability. If space allows, rotate cattle to less lush pastures during the highest-risk season. Another way to prevent both grass tetany in cattle and bloat is to turn them out when full. This prevents them from eating the lush grass too fast.
Observe cattle for early symptoms of grass tetany, especially during spring grazing. Conduct periodic forage testing to monitor magnesium levels in pastures.
Gain Smart Can Help!
Gain Smart is a line of vitamin and mineral supplements for stocker cattle that promotes healthy, economical pounds. Gain Smart offers 4 different free-choice vitamin and mineral supplement formulas to fit any feeding scenario.
The 4 Gain Smart formulas for stocker cattle include:
- Gain Smart Stocker, maximizes efficient gain in cattle.
- Gain Smart Stocker Wheat, maximizes efficient gain while grazing wheat or small grain pasture.
- Gain Smart Stocker HEAT®, optimizes efficient gain when temperatures are above 70 degrees Fahrenheit using HEAT technology, a combination of essential oils and garlic, that supports animals when heat and insects are a challenge.
- Gain Smart Stocker Balancer RU1600, maximizes efficient gain and balances high-grain diets when mixing TMR rations. Includes rumensin for improved feed efficiency.
Cassady said that the 2% magnesium in the Gain Smart formulas should be adequate to bring up the magnesium levels for growing stocker calves.
“A growing calf only needs about 0.10% magnesium in the diet. If an 800-pound steer consumes Gain Smart they’ll add .02 to .05% magnesium to their total diet DM. While it’s not what a 10% mag would do, it definitely helps and still is palatable,” he said.
All formulas offer the following key benefits:
- Powered AO-Biotics Amaferm, a prebiotic research-proven to enhance digestibility.
- Include organic copper, iodine, and zinc for maximum bioavailability and hoof health.
- Provide nutritional support for a healthy immune system.
According to Cassady, with proper management and care, you can prevent grass tetany.
“Most producers think of tetany as a magnesium deficiency because feed companies use magnesium to prevent the occurrence, but it is excessive intake of potassium. Potassium and magnesium compete for the same absorption pathway,” Cassady said.
Increase your Calf Weight Gain, Prevent Grass Tetany in Cattle
Have we convinced you that Gain Smart powered by Amaferm is the best choice for spring stocker grazing? We hope so! Now that you know about Gain Smart, you can get your calves gaining today.
Gain Smart is available at one of our local BioZyme Dealers. Locate the dealer nearest you.
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