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ANIMALS/
DIERE
General management guidelines for cattle
Guidelines for licks
An example of a basic lick programme for the central Free State and North West Province.
(the eastern Highveld can start a month earlier.)
Month
Type of lick
Cows/bulls
Replacement heifers
(8 to 12 months)
Steers
(8 to 12 months)
January
Summer lick
February
Summer lick
March
Summer lick
April
Transition lick
May
Transition lick
June
Winter lick Production lick Production lick
July
Winter lick Production lick Production lick
August
Winter lick Production lick Production lick
September
Winter lick Production lick Production lick
October
Winter lick Production lick Production lick
November
Summer lick
Production lick Production lick
December
Summer lick
Production lick Production lick
Typical lick intakes
Summer salt-phosphate lick
100 g - 240 g/animal/day
Transition lick
10% - 20% RP
200 g - 800 g/animal/day
Winter lick
40% - 50% RP
400 g - 600 g/animal/day
Production lick
25% - 30% RP
1 000 g - 1 500 g/animal/day
These remain guidelines. Talk to your livestock scientist to compile the right lick programme for
your area.
Carrying capacity and dry material intake
LSU for cattle with different frame sizes (Meissner et al., 1983).
Class
Small frame
Medium frame
Large frame
Weight
LSU Weight
LSU Weight
LSU
Bull
600
1,36
600
1,38
650
1,63
Cow, dry (3 years)
400
1,01
450
1,13
500
1,27
Cow, dry (mature)
500
1,10
525
1,21
550
1,32
Cow, pregnant (3 years)
400
1,01
450
1,13
500
1,27
Cow, pregnant (mature)
500
1,10
525
1,21
550
1,32
Cow, with calf (3 years)
400
1,22
450
1,40
500
1,66
Cow, with calf (mature)
500
1,42
525
1,55
575
1,82
Weaner
180
0,44
200
0,53
225
0,64
Ox (18 months)
300
0,75
350
0,90
400
1,09
Ox (mature)
490
1,10
550
1,22
585
1,33
Basic norms for the number of cows that a farm with a carrying capacity of 100 LSU
can carry with different production systems:
Weaner system:
1 medium-frame cow = 1,7 LSU = 58 cows for the farm
Steer system (18 months):
1 medium-frame cow = 2,2 LSU = 45 cows for the farm
Ox system (30 months):
1 medium-frame cow = 3,1 LSU = 32 cows for the farm