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Winter feeding of birds is one of the most widespread forms of human influence on animals in the world. Urban areas, however, contain many other food sources apart from the contents of feeders, including contaminated food and seeds of invasive plants. This research aimed to investigate whether birds exploring urban food select it, giving up potentially toxic or unknown seeds, or whether they use every available food. In the winter of the year 2022, an experiment was carried out with 18 feeders in two city parks in Kraków, Poland, which was based on feeding birds using sunflower seeds with various admixtures of the invasive Caucasian hogweeds Heracleum sp. seeds. Despite the detection of pecking marks on the hogweed seeds, only a small part of them disappeared from the feeders compared to the intensive feeding of birds on sunflower seeds. This result shows that not every new food source in the city can be used by birds. Urban explorers remain selective when choosing food, which keeps their behaviour close to non-urban populations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To enhance the performance of honey bee colonies and to improve the physiological characteristics of honey bee workers in late winter and early spring (dearth period) in Assiut region, Upper Egypt—three pollen substitutes rich in protein and available in the local market were used and compared with bee bread as a control. The pollen substitutes were administrated at 7-day intervals for 15 wk, from December 2018 to March 2019. The rate of food consumption, sealed brood areas, bee population size, and characteristics of hemolymph of honey bee individuals were measured. Stored bee bread was the best protein source for developing honey bee colonies, continued with date syrup, recording the highest sealed brood areas compared with the rest of the diets. All hemolymph parameters under substitute feeding conditions were less than those determined under control conditions (bee bread), and the numbers of spring bees were more than those of winter bees. Total soluble solids (TSS), total hemolymph count (THC), differential hemolymph count (DHC), and hemolymph protein concentration (HPC) differed significantly among the experimental treatments with a significant superiority of date syrup (diet 3) over the others. It can be concluded that the date syrup was more suitable for honey bee colonies which was more favorable than traditional pollen substitute and improved physiological status of honey bee individuals during pollen scarcity periods. So under Upper Egypt conditions, pollen substitute feeding especially date syrup during the winter-early spring period under pollen scarcity helped honey bee colonies to be developed in the early spring seasons. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Winter feeding of birds is one of the most widespread forms of human influence on animals in the world. Urban areas, however, contain many other food sources apart from the contents of feeders, including contaminated food and seeds of invasive plants. This research aimed to investigate whether birds exploring urban food select it, giving up potentially toxic or unknown seeds, or whether they use every available food. In the winter of the year 2022, an experiment was carried out with 18 feeders in two city parks in Kraków, Poland, which was based on feeding birds using sunflower seeds with various admixtures of the invasive Caucasian hogweeds Heracleum sp. seeds. Despite the detection of pecking marks on the hogweed seeds, only a small part of them disappeared from the feeders compared to the intensive feeding of birds on sunflower seeds. This result shows that not every new food source in the city can be used by birds. Urban explorers remain selective when choosing food, which keeps their behaviour close to non-urban populations.

Supplemental feeding of cervids during winter is a widespread management practice, but feeding may increase the risk of disease transmission. Therefore, legal regulations to limit supplemental feeding are often implemented when dealing with severe infectious diseases, such as chronic wasting disease (CWD) in cervids. However, it is currently unclear whether these regulations result in decreased spatial clustering and aggregation as intended. Supplemental feeding is expected to restrict the movement of cervids. Therefore, a ban on feeding may also result in wider space use and a risk of geographic spread of disease. The space use of 63 GPS-marked red deer (Cervus elaphus) was investigated before (n = 34) and after (n = 29) the implementation of a legal regulation aimed at limiting the supplemental feeding of cervids during winter in a CWD-affected region of Nordfjella, Norway. Snow depth was the main determinant of the space use for red deer. A moderate reduction in the number of GPS positions in spatial clusters was evident during periods of deep snow once the ban was in place. Sizes of core areas (Kernel 50%), home ranges (Kernel 95%), and dispersion (MCP 100%, number of 1 km2 pixels visited per deer) declined from January to March and with increasing snow depth. Dispersion (number of 1 km2 pixels visited per deer) did not depend on snow depth after the ban, and red deer used larger areas when snow depth was high after the ban compared to before. The ban on supplementary feeding had no effect on size of core areas or home ranges. Several potential factors can explain the overall weak effect of the ban on space use, including the use of agricultural fields by red deer, other anthropogenic feeding, and landscape topography. This study highlights that snow depth is the main factor determining space use during winter, and it remains to be determined whether the moderate reduction in spatial clustering during deep snow after the ban was sufficient to lower the risk of disease transmission. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird winter‐feeding has become a popular backyard activity around the world, particularly in northern regions of Europe and America with cold winters. However, the short‐ and long‐term ecological consequences of such artificial feeding remain inconclusive. In seasonal environments, timing of breeding is a crucial aspect that can strongly influence reproductive output and ultimately fitness. Individual condition at the start of the breeding season is especially important in determining breeding success, by influencing the onset of and investment in breeding. However, empirical evidence on the effects of winter feeding on avian breeding performance remain equivocal. We studied onset of reproduction (laying date) and breeding investment (clutch size) over seven consecutive seasons in a population of wild great tits Parus major in southern Sweden. During the first three years of study, no experimental manipulation was undertaken, while over the last four years the study area was exposed to either supplemented or unmanipulated winter feeding conditions. Breeding was positively affected by supplementary feeding during winter, as birds breeding in the supplemented area increased their clutch size compared to birds from the control area, although laying date remained unaffected by winter feeding. Since differences in clutch size were absent during the three years prior to the experimental manipulation, the results suggest that winter supplementary feeding, and not inherent differences between the two areas, was the reason for the observed effect. Both breeding parameters varied over the years of study, although the effects of the experimental manipulation on clutch size remained consistent, which suggests a carry‐over effect of winter feeding on subsequent breeding performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Bird winter‐feeding has become a popular backyard activity around the world, particularly in northern regions of Europe and America with cold winters. However, the short‐ and long‐term ecological consequences of such artificial feeding remain inconclusive. In seasonal environments, timing of breeding is a crucial aspect that can strongly influence reproductive output and ultimately fitness. Individual condition at the start of the breeding season is especially important in determining breeding success, by influencing the onset of and investment in breeding. However, empirical evidence on the effects of winter feeding on avian breeding performance remain equivocal. We studied onset of reproduction (laying date) and breeding investment (clutch size) over seven consecutive seasons in a population of wild great tits Parus major in southern Sweden. During the first three years of study, no experimental manipulation was undertaken, while over the last four years the study area was exposed to either supplemented or unmanipulated winter feeding conditions. Breeding was positively affected by supplementary feeding during winter, as birds breeding in the supplemented area increased their clutch size compared to birds from the control area, although laying date remained unaffected by winter feeding. Since differences in clutch size were absent during the three years prior to the experimental manipulation, the results suggest that winter supplementary feeding, and not inherent differences between the two areas, was the reason for the observed effect. Both breeding parameters varied over the years of study, although the effects of the experimental manipulation on clutch size remained consistent, which suggests a carry‐over effect of winter feeding on subsequent breeding performance.

The effects of supplementary feeding (artificial diet cake + sucrose syrup supplemented with vitamin C) for different periods (feeding for 12, 15 and 18 weeks) on colony development, protein content and antioxidant system in newly emerged workers were investigated from October to March for two consecutive beekeeping seasons. Sugar syrup was used as the control. The results revealed that there was a marked increase in colony growth parameters (sealed brood areas and adult bee population sizes) in colonies provided with supplemental diet for different periods compared to control colonies. Moreover, colonies fed longest (feeding for 18 weeks) recorded significantly higher sealed brood areas and adult bee population sizes in comparison to other treatment groups. Also, activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and catalase (CAT) enzymes together with levels of glutathione (GSH) and lipid peroxidation (LPO) were measured in newly emerged honey bee workers sampled from colonies fed supplemental diet for different periods and control group. There was a clear improvement in the antioxidant system in bee colonies that were provided with supplemental diet for 18 weeks compared to other treatments and control ones. This suggests that honey bee workers supplemented with artificial feeding during the winter season possess mechanisms that reduce their oxidative stress. Together, our results suggest that supplemental winter feeding for 18 weeks (from 1 November to 11 March) has the potential to improve colony development and health during overwintering, a period of elevated colony losses. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The natural world is now receiving more and more food of anthropogenic origin, which is widely used by a large number of animal species. Among intentional supplementary feeding, one of the most common activities is the winter feeding of game animals, affecting the size, structure and behaviour of their populations. There is a lack of information, however, on long-term trends in supplementary feeding and changes in the type of feeders and feed provided, which can be crucial to understanding game animal dynamics. Our study is based on data collected in the years 1970-2015 in experimental hunting grounds in western Poland. Wildlife feed was provided in traditional feeders and along the ground (ground strips), the latter designed primarily to protect crops from damage by game animals. The first type of feeding activity decreased significantly, while the second increased significantly during the study period. The most frequent types of feed provided were root crops, cereals, hay and silage. Feed amounts between years had a strong auto-regressive temporal character, with a significant lag effect up to ten years. The total dry mass provided for game animals was also characterized by a significant lag effect, although it was weaker in comparison to individual feed types. The auto-correlation is probably a consequence of the availability and ability to store various types of feed over subsequent winters. We believe that the results presented here are the first to describe the problem of feeding animals over decadal timescales and indicate the modifications to feeding that have taken place, influenced by the animals, crop prices and social factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Because the amount of urban areas has increased, it is important to investigate the abundance of wildlife species in relation to urban environments. Analyzing the impact of urbanization on the presence of forest-dwelling mammals is of interest due to the possible effects of urbanization on human-wildlife relationships and urban biodiversity. The Eurasian red squirrel ( Sciurus vulgaris ) is a declining forest species, and its occurrence in urban environments has been inadequately studied. The loss and fragmentation of forests due to urbanization may be detrimental for squirrels, whereas the abundant and predictable food resources and the low number of natural predators in urban areas may encourage squirrels to invade towns. We used large-scale data collected by volunteer bird watchers along a 950 km south-north gradient to study whether the winter abundance of squirrels in Finland is dependent on urbanization, while controlling for effects of habitat type, food abundance (spruce cone crop; number of winter feeding sites), predator abundance (northern goshawk, Accipiter gentilis ; feral cat Felis catus ), season and latitude. We found that squirrel abundance increased with human population density, number of feeding sites and spruce cone crop and decreased with latitude and season. Feral cats showed weak negative connection with squirrel numbers, but there were no effect of goshawks. Relative squirrel abundance was approximately twice as high in urban habitats than in forests. Artificial feeding rather than a low number of predators may attract squirrels in urban environments. Planting spruce trees in urban environments will also benefit squirrels. Our results indicate that urban areas are an important habitat for the red squirrel even along the northern edge of their distribution range, where natural forest areas are still widespread. We conclude also that a citizen science −based bird survey protocol associated with mammal surveys seems to be a good large-scale monitoring method to study the urbanization of squirrels. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim Climate change is a major threat to biodiversity and a major factor underlying observed shifts in species distribution, abundance and phenology. Research effort on climate change impacts on species has often been based on single-species studies focused on a single season, typically the breeding season, of species life cycles. We test how well winter and breeding bird communities are able to track climate change. Location Finland. Methods We use a dataset consisting of bird counts from the winter and the breeding period spanning over four decades and a 1000 km latitudinal gradient across Finland, Northern Europe. We use the bird count data in combination with a species-specific average temperature index to derive a functional index, the Community Temperature Index ( CTI), which provides a measure of the relative temperature average of a community. Results We show that the CTI of the winter bird community ( CTIw) in Finland has increased significantly over the past four decades, but not as fast as the average winter temperature. Across Finland, CTIw decreased towards the north and the east of the country and increased with increasing temperature. Further, we show that change in CTI through time (from 1970s-1980s to 2000-2014) was similar between the winter and the breeding communities. Main conclusions Overall, our results suggest that while the winter and breeding bird communities are, to a certain level, tracking increasing temperatures, the magnitude of temperature change is multiple times greater than the magnitude of community shifts. This is particularly true for the winter birds that are facing the most rapid temperature shifts. Our findings shed light on the importance of assessing and eventually addressing the effects of rapid climate warming beyond the breeding season of species life cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Se estudiaron los hábitos alimentarios del calamar rojo Dosidicus gigas (D'Orbigny, 1835) frente a la costa de Chile centro-sur, durante el invierno del año 2005. Se examinaron un total de 52 estómagos, en todos los cuales había contenido alimentario. Los ejemplares provenían de pescas efectuadas por la flota arrastrera industrial que opera entre 36°39' S y 38°55'S sobre la merluza común Merluccius gayi (Guichenot 1848) y a una profundidad media de 290 m sobre la plataforma continental. Para la descripción del espectro trófico, alimento principal y el establecimiento de las eventuales diferencias sexuales u ontogenéticas en la frecuencia de aparición de los ítemes presa, se utilizaron los métodos numérico, gravimétrico, de frecuencia de ocurrencia, índice de importancia relativa (IIR) e índice de similitud porcentual (ISP). No se observaron diferencias sexuales ni ontogenéticas en la frecuencia de aparición de los ítemes presa. Los resultados muestran que D. gigas es un depredador oportunista, principalmente ictiófago, y secundariamente malacófago (incluye el canibalismo) y carcinófago. Se discuten los eventuales motivos e implicancias de tal conductaA study on the feeding habits of the jumbo squid Dosidicus gigas (D'Orbigny, 1835) was carried out during the winter season 2005, in waters of the Chilean central and southern Pacific. A total of 52 jumbo squid stomachs from the fishing of the continental slope were collected and examined, in the Eighth and Ninth regions, between 36°40' S and 38°55'S, at an average depth of 290 m. To determine the trophic spectrum, the feeding preferences and the importance of the sex and ontogenetic condition in the diet, the numeric, gravimetric, frequency of occurrence methods, and the index of relative importance and dietary similarity were utilized. The frequency of the prey did not vary with relation to the sex and ontogenetic conditions, and was besides a hight trophic similarity in such analysis. The results showed that the diet of D. gigas consist predominatly of fishes and secondly of Mollusca (to include the cannibalism) and crustacean; suggesting that D. gigas is an oportunistic predator of third trophic level. We discuss the reasons and implications of such behavior

Overwintering beef cows is a major cost in Canadian cow-calf production systems and swath grazing is a potential alternative to reduce winter feeding cost relative to the traditional drylot feeding systems. The objective was to estimate and compare greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from winter feeding systems: i) swath grazing on triticale, ii) swath grazing on corn, and iii) conventional drylot feeding systems (control). Data were obtained from a study conducted over three production cycles (2008/2009, 2009/2010, 2010/2011) at the Lacombe Research Center in western Canada. Greenhouse gas emissions were estimated by calculating methane (CH 4 ), nitrous oxide (N 2 O) and carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions from different sources using Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Tier 2 approach. Methane emissions were estimated from enteric fermentation and manure, N 2 O emissions from fertilization and manure, and CO 2 emissions from energy use for farm activities related to feed production and processing, feed and bedding delivery and manure removal. Total emission expressed per kg of feed produced and fed were significantly ( P < 0.001) lower for both the swath grazing treatments relative to the control treatment. Emissions per cow varied among treatments ( P < 0.001), higher for control (12.3 kg CO 2 e cow-d − 1 ) than corn (9.4 kg CO 2 e cow-d − 1 ), with triticale (11.0 kg CO 2 e cow-d − 1 ) intermediate. In all the treatments, the largest fraction of emissions was enteric CH 4 (69–76%), followed by N 2 O (14–24%). The contribution of energy-derived CO 2 emissions for total GHG emissions was lower in swath grazing treatments (5–7%) compared to a traditional feeding system (11%) due to their minimal energy use. Farm activity related energy use was 9.4, 11.5 and 21.4 MJ cow-d − 1 for triticale, corn and conventional drylot feeding, respectively. This study indicated that swath grazing on triticale or corn can be an effective alternative winter feeding systems to reduce GHG emissions and increase energy use efficiency of Canadian beef cattle industry. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Spotless Starling (Sturnus unicolor) is considered to be a pest in several areas within its geographical range, because it feeds on large amounts of cattle feed in farms, causing important economic losses. In order to better understand the bird's behaviour in relation to this food resource, we studied individuals that exploited cattle feed in a commercial cattle farm over the winter season (December to March). The number of visits by the birds to feeders and the amount of feed consumed gradually increased from December to February. Between February and March, when the starlings prepare for the breeding season and build their nests, both the number of feeder visits and the rate of cattle feed consumption increased. These increases were greatest among female starlings, probably because females must consume more food to meet the energy demands of reproduction. The economic losses caused by the starlings during winter could be reduced by: (i) increasing efforts to restrict access to cattle feed, especially during the pre-reproductive period (February to March) and/or (ii) controlling the starling population, focusing on females, as they cause more damage than males. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Previous work suggested that feeding catfish,Ictalurus punctatus, more frequently over the winter might reduce weight loss. Twelve 0.10-ha ponds were stocked with 987 kg/ha market-sized fish and 2,960 kg/ha sub-marketable fish in November 2008 with treatments of: (1) unfed, (2) fed daily (fed 90 d), and (3) temperature-threshold feeding (fed 62 d). Total gross yield was significantly greater for the temperature-threshold feeding treatment than the unfed control, but survival and mean weight of fish at harvest were not. Net yield was negative for all treatments, due primarily to mortality of market-sized fish. Plasma glucose and insulin-like growth factor-1 did not differ significantly, but plasma osmolality was significantly lower in fasted than in fed fish. Mean feed consumption rates in vats provided evidence to support more frequent feeding over the winter. Overwintering costs were $0.11/kg with temperature-threshold feeding. Research on strategies to reduce winter mortality has potential to reduce overwintering costs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The article discusses the paper "Mitigating Against the Impacts of Human Disturbance on Black Grouse Tetrao Tetrix in Northern England" presented at the Fourth International Black Grouse Conference in Vienna, Austria, in September 2007. This paper investigated the impact of increased human recreational disturbance on black grouse in northern England. It examined the condition of black grouse during the winter at residual patches of heather moorland. It showed the susceptibility of black grouse to increased recreational disturbance at winter feeding areas.

Many hedgerow shrubs have the potential to produce an abundance of berries that provide a vital winter resource for a variety of taxa. This study examines the temporal variation in the availability of berries on three of the most common hedgerow species in the UK, i.e. hawthorn, blackthorn and dog rose. Because of their abundance, convenient size and early ripening, hawthorn berries are preferred when fruit of all three species are available. Berries are utilised from early October until the middle of January, by which time the crop is almost depleted. In the arable landscape of the UK, hedge cutting most frequently occurs between harvest and drilling (July–October). Later timing (and reduced frequency) of hedgerow cutting is therefore recommended to enhance the availability of this important winter resource. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Sheep feeding regimes were studied in years when little roughage was available by comparing two levels of concentrate (high and low) and three types of roughage [silage, hay and ammonia-treated (AT) straw]. The duration of the experiment was two production years (1995 and 1996) and included 121 ewes. The traits recorded were live weight for ewes, ewe performance (number of lambs, birth weight, average daily weight gain) and slaughter data (class, value and weight). After 14 weeks, ewes fed low-concentrate AT straw were 6-12 kg lighter (P < 0.01) than the other ewes, and tended to be undernourished. Lambs from these ewes were up to 1.5 kg lighter at birth (P <0.01) than the other lambs. No difference was found at the end of the experiment. The gross margin in the group fed the high-concentrate AT straw diet was 205 NOK higher (P <0.01) than the group with the lowest gross margin (low-concentrate hay). Wool and wood eating was found in groups fed large amounts of concentrate and silage. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Two trials evaluated winter feeding strategies for small golden shiners, Notemigonus crysoleucas, destined for the crappie, Pomoxis spp. market. Fish were stocked at 615 g/pool (approximately 127 or 158 fish/m2, trials 1 and 2, respectively) in aerated, 5.9-m2 pools for 100 and 104 days, respectively. In the first trial, fish were fed a commercially available 32% crude protein crumbled, extruded pellet once daily at feeding rates of 0% (fertilizer only), 1%, or 2% of body weight/day (bw/d) on days when the afternoon air temperature was =7°C. Unfed fish lost weight, and their condition declined. Fish fed at 1% maintained both weight and condition, while fish fed at 2% gained weight. Fish in the second trial were fed once daily at 1% bw/d on those days when the air temperature was either =7°C or =10°C, with either a commercially available crumbled, extruded pellet or a sinking pellet (compressed). Fish fed crumbles were in significantly better condition at harvest than fish fed a sinking pellet, regardless of trigger feeding temperature, although average weight was not significantly different. Feeding on days with air temperatures =7°C provided 13% more feeding days than a trigger temperature =10°C, and fish grew more over the winter. Two condition indices, relative weight (Wr) and Fulton's condition factor (K), proved useful in evaluating the condition of golden shiners cultured using different feeding strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Two trials evaluated winter feeding strategies for small golden shiners, Notemigonus crysoleucas, destined for the crappie, Pomoxis spp. market. Fish were stocked at 615 g/pool (approximately 127 or 158 fish/m2, trials 1 and 2, respectively) in aerated, 5.9-m2 pools for 100 and 104 days, respectively. In the first trial, fish were fed a commercially available 32% crude protein crumbled, extruded pellet once daily at feeding rates of 0% (fertilizer only), 1%, or 2% of body weight/day (bw/d) on days when the afternoon air temperature was =7°C. Unfed fish lost weight, and their condition declined. Fish fed at 1% maintained both weight and condition, while fish fed at 2% gained weight. Fish in the second trial were fed once daily at 1% bw/d on those days when the air temperature was either =7°C or =10°C, with either a commercially available crumbled, extruded pellet or a sinking pellet (compressed). Fish fed crumbles were in significantly better condition at harvest than fish fed a sinking pellet, regardless of trigger feeding temperature, although average weight was not significantly different. Feeding on days with air temperatures =7°C provided 13% more feeding days than a trigger temperature =10°C, and fish grew more over the winter. Two condition indices, relative weight (Wr) and Fulton's condition factor (K), proved useful in evaluating the condition of golden shiners cultured using different feeding strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

In winter, red deer ( Cervus elaphus hippelaphus) that are not receiving supplementary feeding emphasize and rely on energy-saving strategies. In severe winters with deep snow, they select a home-range habitat-windblown alpine pastures above the timberline-that meets the requirements of this strategy: a much lower sinking depth and good forage availability are due to patchy snow distribution, while the open area provides higher radiation, permits group formation and thus sociobiological wellbeing. The energy costs of thermoregulation are minimized by selecting slopes with south to south-west exposures, seeking thermal shelter from strong winds, while high flight distances and horizontal flight routes reduce the energy costs of fleeing. In years with little winter snowfall non-supplemented red deer prefer the greater security of forested habitats in lower areas and obtain higher food intake from slightly more nutritious meadows in the valley bottom. The food-supplemented herd has much more constant and predictable habitat use, combining an energy-saving strategy-choosing alpine pastures as low-cost winter home range-with high energy income at the feeding station. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Low-input winter feeding programs and early weaning of calves can reduce annual feed costs and maintain cow performance; however, few reports in the literature examine long-term response or the interaction of these management strategies on the cow herd. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of early versus normal weaning (WEAN) in conjunction with two winter feeding strategies (WINTER) on cow BW, body condition score (BCS), reproductive performance, and calf performance. Mixed-age Angus x Simmental cows (n = 239) were used in a 6-yr study conducted at the SDSU Antelope Livestock and Range Research Station. Cows were randomly assigned to one of two weaning treatments (early wean [EW] in August or normal wean [NW] in November). Following normal weaning and through calving, cows were randomly assigned to one of two feeding treatments: wintered on native range with access to a distillers-grains-based supplement (low-input winter feeding [LOW]) or fed mixed alfalfa-grass hay with the option of grazing native range (high-input winter feeding [HIGH]). After initial treatment assignment, cows remained in original treatments throughout the project. Cow BW and BCS were recorded before calving, at initiation of breeding, at early weaning, and at normal weaning. Reproductive response, calf performance, and culling rates were recorded. Cow B W and BCS were greater (P < 0.05) for EW vs. NW cows at normal weaning every year. Cows on the EW treatment lost more B W from calving to breeding compared to the NW treatment (mean loss 28.5 vs. 7.0 ± 3.9 kg; P = 0.0001). There was a WEAN x WINTER interaction (P = 0.05) for pregnancy rate (98% for NW HIGH vs. 94% NW LOW cows, with EW treatment intermediate). Mean calving date was 3 d later (P < 0.05) by cows on EW HIGH than EW LOW or NW HIGH. Calving and weaning rates did not differ (P > 0.70) among WEAN or WINTER treatments. Calf ADG from birth to EW tended (P = 0.06) to be greater for EW vs. NW calves (1.09 vs. 1.06 ± 0.015 kg/d, respectively). Cows on LOW had greater (P < 0.05) cull rates and were on study a shorter amount of time compared to cows on HIGH. Early vs. normal weaning maintained cow BW and BCS at greater levels throughout the study. WEAN and WINTER treatments rarely interacted in their influence on performance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]