COBALT DEXTRO-LAC®  IMPROVES CATTLE HEAT TOLERANCE IN FEEDLOT

During periods of intense heat it is critically important to have the bacterial activity of the cattle’s rumen functioning at peak performance.  Cobalt Dextro-Lac (CDL®), a specialized trace mineral feed supplement has been used effectively to assist cattle in digesting roughage more efficiently.

Veterinarian scientist, Dr Harry Rajamannan, developer of CDL®, says, “High temperatures and high humidity become an economic problem in feedlots when bacterial activity in the rumen drops due to the heat stress.  In the USA, beef and dairy producers generally increase grain and/or fat in the ration because these components are not fermented in the rumen like fibre and thus less internal heat is produced by the animal.  Unfortunately, this is exactly the wrong approach to take because cattle are designed to digest fibre via fermentation and increasing grain increases the risk of acidosis, ketosis and other health problems.  The last thing you want to do when the potential for heat stress exists is to put additional stress on the rumen by feeding a ration that will drop the rumen pH.  The right approach is to gradually increase fibre (especially long stem fibre that promotes cud chewing) so the rumen has less stress, better balance and more natural buffering.”

Adding more roughage to the ration makes it even more important that rumen bacterial activity is at its optimum. The result of reduced bacterial activity and impaired digestion is “stuck” fermentation. This phenomenon occurs when weakened fermentation slows or stops the creation of newly vacated rumen space causing cattle to back-off feed.  In extreme situations cattle stop eating.  Feeding Cobalt Dextro-Lac seeks to address this problem by energizing the rumen bacteria so that they are more heat-tolerant and better able to digest the fibre more efficiently.

CDL® has been proven to speed up rumen fermentation of fibrous feeding materials, thereby improving the appetite of cattle and minimising reductions in feed intake during periods of heat stress.   CDL® works by making more cobalt bio-available to rumen bacteria for the purpose of increasing vitamin B12 in the rumen fluid. Cobalt Dextro-Lac is a unique organic complex that renders cobalt completely soluble and non-toxic.  Cobalt Dextro-Lac can be safely fed at higher dosages than conventional cobalt, thus promoting a significant increase in vitamin B12.

Braddon Modra of Rumenwork P/L in Australia says vitamin B12 is an important ingredient to maintaining the reproductive efficiency and activity rate of cellulose digesters which breakdown roughage into energy.  Cellulose digesting bacteria that break down forage components into energy are heavy consumers of vitamin B12 and this is where CDL® really benefits.  CDL® optimises the symbiotic relationship that exists between vitamin B12 synthesizing bacteria and cellulose digesting bacteria. This has important economic implications for the feedlot. Keeping animals on feed through optimum rumen function will minimize potential slow downs in daily gain rates, maximize overall animal health and minimize heat stress and heat related deaths.

“Cobalt Dextro-Lac will perform well in rations #1, 2 & 3 and even in most ration #4 as long as there is a minimum of 20% roughage or fibre”, says Dr Rajamannan.  Because CDL® works on improving the digestion of fibre resulting in more feed intake, cattle on CDL® may need more feed to satisfy the increased appetite and in heat stress situations this is exactly what you want – to keep the cattle eating!  Dr Rajamannan advises that any increased feed intake be satisfied with roughage, even poorer quality roughage, while maintaining the concentrate portion as normal.

Typical CDL® heat stress programs involve having an adequate supply of CDL® on hand in anticipation of hot days.  Liquid or powder CDL® can be mixed with the ration at 14 g per head per day from the onset of rising temperatures and fed every day until temperatures fall back to tolerable levels.  On medium to high roughage rations, CDL® can continue to be fed economically at the standard rate of 7 g per animal per day for increased rate of gain, increased feed efficiency and increased resistance to stress.