Before he began managing a 14,000-head dairy heifer-growing yard, Erik Mohrlang worked in feeding management at a beef feedlot. As it turns out, many of the skills he learned in his first job have transferred handily to his current assignment.
As general manager of the custom-heifer-rearing division of Feldpausch Holsteins, Fort Morgan, Colo., Mohrlang is charged with raising heifers for 8 customers from 9 dairies based in Illinois, Michigan, New York, and Wisconsin. Most heifers arrive after weaning at approximately 300-400 pounds and are returned to their home dairies as springers.
Mohrlang said the cattle-management fundamentals that have transferred from feedlot work to dairy heifer care include:
- Easy on arrival – When a new load of heifers arrives, they are provided plenty of dry, comfortable resting space and long-stem grass hay. TMR is gradually introduced as a top-dress. “Since we started feeding hay on arrival, we’ve cut about 2 weeks off of the transition to their full ration,” he noted. “After about a week, they’re ready to really take off and start eating.”
- Coccidiosis prevention – Just like when he managed feedlot cattle, Mohrlang doses every animal with a Corid® drench treatment for coccidiosis on arrival. He said it’s an easy and affordable prevention tool that helps keep stressed heifers healthy and gaining. And he prefers the drench to dry coccidiostats because the dose is more accurately and completely delivered at a time when heifers aren’t eating well yet.
- Salt blocks – A practice that Mohrlang called “an old rancher trick,” free-choice iodine salt blocks are available to heifers at all times. He believes the salt availability helps provide immune-system support and keeps one of his biggest disease challenges – pinkeye – at bay.
- Lick tubs – Likewise, all heifers have access to “stress tubs” that contain molasses, vitamins, and minerals. Mohrlang believes the tubs provide worthy nutritional support, alleviate boredom, and keep animals from chewing on fencing and equipment. “I don’t have concrete proof that they work, but they are affordable, and they sure don’t hurt anything.”
- Fly control – Mohrlang also learned in his previous life at the feedlot that a big part of fly control is eliminating vegetative roosting sites where flies can breed. The desert climate of Colorado results in little mud or standing water. So, by keeping weeds and grass mowed, the property stays tidy and fly populations low. “We even took some trees out, which is considered fairly sacrilegious around here, but that also has helped with fly control,” he said.
When asked about the stressors of hauling cattle such long distances, Mohrlang shared a unique anecdote that dictates his heifer-travel strategy. “I heard an animal behavior expert speak one time. She had done a lot of research on cattle that were hauled to and from Hawaii for up to 3 weeks in barge containers,” he recalled.
“Her results showed that the only time those cattle showed significant signs of stress were during loading and unloading,” Mohrlang continued. “So, we manage our transportation with those findings in mind. I would rather haul straight through and get them here sooner, versus stopping and unloading cattle to ‘rest.’ I truly believe they can have more rest and less stress if we get them to their destination faster, with no unloading and re-loading in between.”
