Here is our guide to good feeding and the benefits it can bring to your herd and your bottom line.
High quality forage will have a great impact on the performance of your dairy herd, from its intake potential through production to profitability. The aim would be for a stable silage presented correctly and consistently and of the highest attractiveness to the cows.
Home grown forage provides a solid foundation on which compound and supplements can be added. Forage that is palatable will not make a cow eat more but an unpalatable one will make her eat significantly less.
Forage should be:
We should continuously, consider our cows needs and the signals she gives us to improve and maximise good feeding. Our checklist below is based on the ideal of the cow eating 10 to 14 identical meals per day of 1.5 to 2.0kg DM each lasting about half an hour and it highlights some key areas and why.
Cows must have unrestricted access to good clean water:
Saliva is also an important consideration in the cornerstones of good feeding, as it is the ideal natural buffer for the rumen.
Cows will produce 200 to 250 litres of saliva per day on a correctly balanced ration which contains sufficient fibre. This saliva will moisten the feed and add to the rumen fluid. It will prevent the rumen pH from dropping too low through the production of 125 meq/litre of bicarbonate per day as well as support the circulation of nitrogen for protein production, along with the circulation of phosphorus and sodium. About half of the saliva production occurs whilst the cow is lying down chewing her cud, which is why a comfy bed is so important.
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