Wikse S E, Herd D B, Field R W, Holland P S, McGrann J M, Thompson J A, White C, Angerstein R
Department of Large Animal Medicine and Surgery, College of Veterinary Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station 77843-4461, USA.
J Am Vet Med Assoc. 1995 Nov 15;207(10):1292-7.
To determine gross income lost that was attributable to thin cows in a beef cattle herd, to estimate the cost of added nutrition necessary to prevent thin cows in the herd, and to determine the financial outcome of the improved nutritional practices.
Prospective, observational study.
Four hundred and twenty-two Santa Gertrudis cows and their calves.
At pregnancy examination in the fall of 1992, cows were assigned a body condition score (BCS), using a scale of 1 (emaciated) to 9 (obese), and the ratio of the productivity of BCS-3 and BCS-4 cow groups (thin cows), compared with the mean productivity of BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows (cows in good condition), was determined. Measures of productivity evaluated included pregnancy rates, weaning weights, and prices per hundredweight of calves. The performance ratios of BCS-3 and BCS-4 cows were multiplied by the mean gross income of BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows to calculate their gross income. This was then subtracted from the mean income of BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows to estimate the amount of lost gross income per thin cow. The cost of a nutritional program that would prevent thin cows in the herd was subtracted from the lost gross income of the thin cows to yield the amount of increased net income that could be generated from a nutritional program that would maintain cows in the herd at a BCS of 5 or 6.
Cows with a BCS of 3 were 0.48 as productive, and cows with a BCS of 4 were 0.74 as productive as the average of the BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows combined. Each BCS-3 cow generated $215.06 less, and each BCS-4 cow generated $107.53 less gross income than the average gross income of BCS-5 and BCS-6 cows. The added cost of nutrition that would have reconditioned BCS-3 and BCS-4 cows to a BCS of 5.5 was $91.48/BCS-3 cow and $43.67/BCS-4 cow. Implementation of the reconditioning nutrition program the previous fall would have resulted in an extra net income of $123.58/BCS-3 cow and $63.86/BCS-4 cow, received over a 2-year period. The 262 thin cows in the herd accounted for a total net income loss of $19,897.
The time of pregnancy examination is a strategic intervention point to estimate the past negative economic impact of thin cows and to implement a plan to prevent these losses in the future. Pregnancy examinations should be performed at least 100 days before the beginning of the calving season, and thin pregnant cows should be sorted into a special group and fed a reconditioning diet that will improve their body condition to an average BCS of 5.5 by the onset of the calving season.
确定肉牛群中瘦母牛导致的总收入损失，估算防止牛群中出现瘦母牛所需额外营养的成本，并确定改善营养措施的财务结果。
前瞻性观察研究。
422头圣格特鲁迪斯母牛及其犊牛。
在1992年秋季进行妊娠检查时，使用1（消瘦）至9（肥胖）的评分标准给母牛评定体况评分（BCS），并确定BCS-3和BCS-4母牛组（瘦母牛）的生产力与BCS-5和BCS-6母牛组（体况良好的母牛）平均生产力的比率。评估的生产力指标包括妊娠率、断奶体重和犊牛每英担的价格。将BCS-3和BCS-4母牛的性能比率乘以BCS-5和BCS-6母牛的平均总收入，以计算它们的总收入。然后从BCS-5和BCS-6母牛的平均收入中减去这一数值，以估算每头瘦母牛的总收入损失量。将防止牛群中出现瘦母牛的营养计划成本从瘦母牛的总收入损失中减去，得出通过将牛群中的母牛维持在BCS为5或6的营养计划可产生的净收入增加量。
BCS为3的母牛生产力是BCS-5和BCS-6母牛组合平均生产力的0.48倍，BCS为4的母牛生产力是其0.74倍。与BCS-5和BCS-6母牛的平均总收入相比，每头BCS-3母牛的总收入少215.06美元，每头BCS-4母牛少107.53美元。将BCS-3和BCS-4母牛恢复到BCS为5.5所需的额外营养成本为每头BCS-3母牛91.48美元，每头BCS-4母牛43.67美元。上一年秋季实施恢复营养计划，在两年期间每头BCS-3母牛可额外获得净收入123.58美元，每头BCS-4母牛可额外获得净收入63.86美元。牛群中的262头瘦母牛总共造成净收入损失19,897美元。
妊娠检查时间是一个战略干预点，可用于估计瘦母牛过去的负面经济影响，并实施一项计划以防止未来出现这些损失。妊娠检查应在产犊季节开始前至少100天进行，瘦的怀孕母牛应被分类到一个特殊群体中，并饲喂恢复性日粮，以便在产犊季节开始时将它们的体况改善到平均BCS为5.5。
