What is compensatory gain in cattle?

The compensatory gain in cattle can provide good results on the property. Some care ensures good productivity and fattening. But what will this type of management be and how to implement it in cattle? That's what we're going to find out in this tip.

defines compensatory gain in cattle as the increase in the rate of weight gain when they return to being well fed, after having gone through a period of food restriction. This occurs, from the growth that happens to the end of the restriction, when the animal re-establishes the favorable conditions for resuming weight gain. It can be implemented in the pasture or confinement system.

Basically, in periods of drought, when there is a shortage of pasture, the animal has limited growth. However, in recovery, during the rainy season, it receives a diet with food and nutrition ad libitum and of good quality, it can respond with a higher growth rate and feed efficiency. This results in faster fattening by those who have had more frequent feeding in the dry season.

During compensatory gain, the bovine organism acts as follows:

Biologically, it is considered when hypertrophy (when the animal's muscles suffer minor injuries that results in an increase in muscle mass), the bones also grow and there is a retention of liquid (water), minerals and protein.

Supplementation

Authors explain that the use of supplementation during the restriction must be followed. The objective is to reach the demand that the period demands, keeping the animals to the consumption of mineral salts and vitamins. And yet, ensure that physiological functions are not affected.

Among the options are mineral salt, protein salt and virginiamycin. Each of these supplements have different purposes that help the bovine in nutrition. Because handling is easy and does not demand more work, just place it in the trough available to the animals.

Factors that influence the result

.breed;
.age;
.food restriction severity index;
.the quality and quantity of food that is offered after the restriction.

Be careful when adopting compensatory gain in cattle…

Some producers, in the dry season, wait for the animal to lose weight in order to recover the compensatory gain in cattle during the rainy season. Some specialists consider the method risky, as the drought can be more severe than expected and drastically impact the animals' organism, or even, the rainy season is not so satisfactory as to recover the weight loss in the drought.

Do not apply the restriction to animals younger than three months of age, due to the risk of causing rickets and irreversible damage to health.

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