How to calculate the amount of feed for an animal in feed units

How to feed cows based on the purpose of keeping the herd

Nutrition for dairy cattle consists of succulent feed to support lactation. For meat breeds, it is necessary to select the optimal form of diet, feeding scheme with the obligatory addition of concentrates containing large quantities of proteins and energy for gaining muscle mass.

Diet of dairy cows

To increase milk yield, dairy breeds need plenty of vegetables and fresh grass. Water helps to enhance lactation, the portion of which should be at least 40 liters.

The daily diet consists of:

• fodder beet – 5 kg;
• carrots – 7 kg;
• melons – 8 kg;
• greens – 30 kg;
• hay – 1 kg.

The diet must be prepared taking into account the fact that for each liter of milk obtained, the animal must be given at least 350 grams of feed. Such standards are designed for individuals with a body weight of about 500 kg and a milk yield of approximately 30 liters.

Diet of meat breeds

Meat breed animals can be fed using several technologies. The basis of the diet:

• complete feed;
• summer grazing;
• stall maintenance.

When compiling a diet based on mixed feed, you need to follow the information on the packaging regarding daily norms for individuals of different ages.

Fattening cows require grazing in the summer, which should last at least 13 hours a day. During this time, the animal should consume as much food as it needs. The level of daily weight gain is 1-2 kg. It is necessary to provide livestock with clean water at the rate of 30 liters per day. In addition, cows need mineral supplements of 12-15 grams:

• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• salt.

When kept in stalls, the diet of animals should include:

• green mass – 60%;
• concentrates – 40%.

Diet of meat and dairy breeds

The diet of meat and dairy animals should contain root vegetables, silage, succulent feed to support lactation, as well as additives that help increase muscle mass, including proteins. Proteins are needed both to increase milk yield and to increase muscle mass.

What to feed milking animals

Initially, it should be noted that due to improper nutrition, the functioning of the immune system in cows deteriorates, which is fraught with health problems: acidosis, ketosis, atony, tympany, diseases of the genital organs, diseases of the hooves, etc. That is, whether the livestock will be healthy depends on the diet .

The nutrition of dairy cows has some differences from the nutrition of pregnant cows. The main goal of a proper diet is to maximize the productivity and health of the individual.

The bulk of the diet of dairy cows consists of dry matter. This helps reduce stomach acidity, increase salivation and increase milk production. Often, feeding dry matter to a cow should be done just before giving compound feed. But, according to some experts, it is better to do this in reverse order.

Factors influencing the diet of milking cows:

• body weight - the frequency of feeding for thin individuals increases, and the portion should be larger;
• age group - the portion for young animals should be increased by 10%, since a growing body needs a larger volume of mineral and nutritional elements;
• maintenance - in case of unsatisfactory conditions for keeping livestock, the amount of feed should be increased;
• time of year - in the autumn-winter period, animals need an increased amount of food, since energy is spent in greater quantities.

Tricalcium phosphate for cattle: instructions for use

Tricalcium phosphate is a valuable mineral supplement to the daily diet of animals. You can buy it at veterinary pharmacies. The drug comes with detailed instructions for use. If you systematically do not comply with the dosage or accidentally exceed the maximum permissible dose, instead of benefit, you can only cause harm to the animal.

Tricalcium phosphate should be used as follows:

• This supplement should be given in the spring, when the risk of vitamin deficiency is greatest.
• Giving the supplement once will do nothing. It is necessary to give tricalcium phosphate in a course lasting 1.5-2 months.
• One head needs 80-100 g of the substance per day.
• The powder dissolves in water and is given to animals in liquid form.

Experts claim that this complex mineral supplement activates reproductive instincts, stimulates lactation in dairy cows, reduces the incidence of viral and bacterial infections, and reduces the likelihood of giving birth to calves with congenital malformations incompatible with life. Also, regular inclusion of this substance in the diet helps improve metabolism, has a positive effect on digestion, and helps young animals grow quickly and gain body weight.

Tricalcium phosphate

For dairy cows, tricalcium phosphate is more important than for beef cows, since during intensive lactation a large amount of calcium is washed out of the animal's body.

Diet of a calving cow

After the birth of the baby, the new mother must be fed exclusively with hay and given enough water to drink. On the second day, in addition to the drink, the diet must be replenished with bran, cake or oatmeal in a volume of 1 kg. You can start feeding a calving cow with wet food only after three days, and the animal can be switched to a full diet from the 10th day.

For example, if immediately after calving a cow produces 10 liters of milk per day, in such a situation the portion size is calculated as if receiving 15 kg of product. Thanks to the excess amount of nutrients, it is possible to increase the level of daily milk yield after a few days. When the next level for increasing milk production is reached, you need to add another portion of food. In a similar way, you should feed the calving cow until productivity increases to the usual levels, for example, 30 liters per day. After achieving the desired result, the cow needs to be switched to the amount of food that is familiar to her. However, you should not do this instantly, as this may lead to poor performance.

Feeding at different periods

The diet of animals in natural conditions largely depends on the time of year and weather. At the same time, evolutionarily animals have adapted to make maximum use of available resources. Thus, the period of feeding, and therefore active lactation, coincides with the warm season, when food is available in sufficient quantities. And the end of the dairy period occurs in autumn - a time of active fattening in conditions of deteriorating food supply.

Seasonal features

In industrial livestock farming, the diet of animals is much less dependent on natural or seasonal changes. The main thing for the farmer is to obtain maximum profit, and with sharp fluctuations in the composition and nutritional value of the feed, it is impossible to achieve sustainable productivity.

Based on this factor, the feeding ration of cows in winter does not differ from summer in large modern farms. This is a balanced diet using silage or haylage, hay (in the summer it can be switched to green fodder), concentrates and fertilizing. Changes to the diet are made only taking into account the physiological characteristics (pregnancy, milking, breeding), productivity and age of the animal.

On farms with traditional cultivation technology and in small household plots, the use of diverse diets in winter and summer is rational. This reduces feed and maintenance costs (pasture-based grazing requires less work from staff). But even here it is necessary to avoid sharp fluctuations - in transition periods (early spring and autumn) it is necessary to gradually increase the supply of feed characteristic of the next stage.

The main source of energy and nutrients in the summer is the grass of natural or artificial meadows. But you cannot feed a cow with pasture alone - grass contains a large amount of fiber and water and has a relatively low nutritional value. Therefore, fertilizing with concentrates must be organized at the sites; an excellent option is feed with the following composition:

• crushed wheat grain – 28%;
• rolled barley – 14%;
• rolled oats – 8%;
• wheat bran – 18%;
• herbal flour – 3%;
• rapeseed meal – 14%;
• sunflower cake – 7%;
• sodium chloride – 1%;
• molasses – 5%;
• calcium phosphate mixture – 1%;
• microelement premix – 1%.

Table of standard consumption indicators depending on the time of year

To correctly determine the volume, the diet must be constantly analyzed. The daily consumption of species may vary, but with a mandatory increase or decrease in other feeds.

Milk production and lactation

After calving, the diet of cattle changes dramatically. To produce more milk, a cow must be fed easily digestible foods rich in protein, carbohydrates, vitamins and microelements, and fats. But the main difference between nutrition during this period is that food should contain more moisture. Therefore, during the period of active lactation, the feed ratio shifts towards juicy ones - silage, root crops, green mass.

The use of dairy succulent feed increases the productivity of cattle.

After childbirth, advance feeding occurs - introducing foods with a supply of energy and nutrition into the diet. This is necessary for the speedy recovery of the cow and prepare her for intensive lactation. Milk secretion puts significant pressure on the cow's needs, with each liter produced increasing the need for:

• protein per 100-120 g;
• calcium by 6-9 g;
• phosphorus by 4-6 g.

The lack of these substances in the postpartum period not only prevents the restoration and acceleration of productivity, but also causes the development of complications in reproductive function - endometritis, infertility, paresis. Feeding at higher rates continues for 2-3 months until the end of the increase in daily milk yield. After this, standard rations for feeding dairy cows are used.

Start-up and dead wood

A major change in cow feeding occurs two months before giving birth. The increasing needs of the fetus either stop lactation on their own or force farmers to launch it to maintain the reproduction of the herd.

Preparation for launch begins with reducing the content of succulent feed - silage is replaced with hay or haylage, and the production of roots and tubers is reduced. If lactation has not stopped within a week, then concentrates should be reduced, and if milk yield is high, concentrates should be completely eliminated. At the same time, the number of milkings is reduced.

During the dry period, the yield of potatoes should be reduced. Starch is easily digested by the cow and leads to the deposition of subcutaneous fat. Obesity of a heifer before calving often leads to complicated childbirth, delayed uterine involution, and postpartum complications.

Diet of pregnant cows

Feeding a pregnant cow plays a key role in the birth of a healthy calf. From the very beginning of pregnancy, the diet is developed so that the animal receives a sufficient amount of nutrients to support its own body and the development of the fetus.

What should it be like?

The basis of a pregnant cow's diet should be foods that are highly nutritious, but at the same time easily digestible. It includes bean hay, succulent feed (silage, root crops, grass) and a small amount of concentrates (Figure 1).

Note: Pregnant females especially benefit from sugar beet feeding in moderation, as it prevents udder disease after calving.

Figure 1. Diet of pregnant animals
It is also necessary to give the animal minerals (bone meal, chalk, limestone and table salt). In winter, the menu must be enriched with food additives and vitamins. For these purposes, fish oil, feed yeast and special vitamins are used. A necessary element is bran and cake, which balance the main components of nutrients and protein.

How much food should I feed?

Calculation of the daily amount of food for pregnant animals is calculated based on the body weight of the animal. On average, the daily intake of coarse products is 2-2.5 kg and 4-5 kg ​​of juicy products.

Other food supplements and mineral supplements are given depending on the general health of the animal and the season. In winter, due to the short duration of daylight hours and the lack of natural pasture greenery, the number of additional elements of the diet needs to be increased.

What is included in the diet?

If at the beginning of pregnancy the diet of a pregnant female is quite varied, since it includes almost all types of food, then during the start the diet changes significantly.

The proportion of succulent feed is gradually reduced, while giving the animal more roughage and wet mash. However, it is important to take into account that for normal calving she must be healthy, so during the dry period you need to carefully monitor so that the animal does not begin to lose weight.

After calving, the cow is gradually transferred to a normal diet. In some cases, advanced feeding is used, in which more food is given to intensify the process of milk formation.

How often and for how many years can adult cows be fed mixed feed?

Before introducing mixed feed into the diet, each farmer needs to determine how much of such a mixture should be given to one individual daily

This volume is calculated individually, taking into account some features; initially you should pay attention to the animal’s performance. For one liter of milk received, if the cow has no health problems, there are 2 kg of combined feed per day.

This amount should be divided into 2-3 doses and given to the cow after she has eaten other foods.

Young animals should begin to be accustomed to such food when they reach 10 days of age. Complementary feeding involves the use of a combination feed of the “Start” type. You should give the calf a maximum of 1 tbsp. l. mixture, diluting it with milk.

In the future, the norm should be gradually increased so that by 4 months of age it reaches 1 kg. When the calf reaches 6 months of age, it should be switched to formula feed.

The use of feed in livestock farming helps to improve production characteristics and improve the health of livestock. Before introducing such products into the diet of cows, you need to familiarize yourself with the available varieties of mixtures, their composition and the rules for their use. Excessive content of useful elements in combined feeds, when ingested by the body, can negatively affect the condition of the animal as a whole.

Menu of dairy cattle according to the time of year

It should be noted that the main product in the diet of cows of any age category (except for newborn babies) is hay and green feed. All other products are just complementary foods.

Nutrition in the winter months

The basis of the winter menu for dairy cows is hay and straw. Silage, combined feed and root crops are used as feeding. Experts advise harvesting dry grass in large quantities starting in the summer, since the average individual should receive approximately 16 kg of this product daily. If it is not possible to prepare dry herbal products yourself, which is why you have to buy them, you need to carefully consider them. The hay should be dry, aromatic, and free of any unnecessary impurities.

Let's consider what the daily food intake for a dairy cow is in kilograms and how many feed units it makes up. One individual should receive in winter:

• 680 grams of salt (does not contain KE);
• 13 kg of dried bean shoots – 2.8 kg of KE;
• 105 grams of bone meal – 105 grams of KE;
• 18 kg of dry grass – 2.4 kg of KE;
• 470 grams of meat flour – 370 grams of KE;
• 2 kg of crushed oats – 2 kg of KE;
• 450 grams of sunflower cake – 550 grams of KE;
• 520 grams of bran – 420 grams of KE;
• 1 kg of crushed barley – 1 kg of KE.

Meals in the summer months

The menu of dairy cattle in the summer months differs significantly from the diet in winter. The basis of summer feed is green vegetation, containing all the necessary useful elements that help increase milk yield. But in any case, even highly productive individuals should be supplemented with concentrated feed in a volume of approximately 280 grams every day.

In addition, the summer diet may differ, due to the type of livestock kept:

• When kept in stalls, cows are not allowed to walk; they consume all feed directly in the barn, which requires a daily supply of freshly cut grass.
• When kept on pasture, the cattle consume the main food on the pasture, so the heifers do not have to be fed grass in the stall.
• With stall-pasture housing, it is in the barn that the cow should receive more than 60% of the diet, and the remaining 40% must be obtained during walking.
• With pasture-stall housing, the individual consumes approximately 65% ​​of the feed during grazing, and in the barn the cow needs to be supplemented.

It is appropriate to keep cows, from which a significant amount of dairy products can be obtained, by grazing if there is sufficient grass available. Otherwise, you will still have to resort to the help of compound feed and silage feed.

In the hot months, the daily portion of Burenka consists of the following products:

• 680 grams of table salt – no feed units;
• 270 grams of blood meal - 170 grams of KE;
• 2200 grams of alfalfa (dried) – 100 grams of KE;
• 550 grams of sunflower meal – 650 grams of KE;
• 4500 grams of silage – 800 grams of KE;
• 510 grams of corn flour - 800 grams of KE;
• 3800 grams of carrots – 480 grams of KE;
• 1200 grams of bran – 810 grams of KE;
• 1800 grams of crushed grain – 1800 grams of KE.

Tips and tricks from experienced livestock breeders and veterinarians

So that a novice farmer can easily organize feeding of his livestock, it is recommended to follow the recommendations of experienced livestock breeders and practicing veterinarians. Here's what they advise:

• When making hay yourself, you need to make sure that no poisonous plants get into it. Also, you should not graze your herd in areas where these crops grow.
• If animals eat a lot of pelleted food, they may be constantly thirsty, so make sure they have enough fluids.
• Dairy cows need to be watered more actively than beef cows, as they spend more fluid.
• In addition to meat and bone meal, powdered eggshells can be added to animal food as a valuable source of calcium.
• If the cattle are not gaining weight well, you should not immediately increase the single portion of feed. First you need to consult a specialist. If the cows are sick, increasing the usual portion will only do harm. First you need to find out the reason for poor weight gain and only then take action.

Important! When animals are given pieces of lick salt, they must be large enough so that the cow cannot choke or accidentally swallow a piece.

It should be borne in mind that in the summer, when most of the diet consists of fresh, succulent food (grass, vegetables, root vegetables), fermentation processes in the stomach may become more active in animals. In this case, the proportion of dry feed should be increased. Food supplements containing digestive enzymes, which make food easier to digest, will also help solve the problem.

If you properly organize the nutrition of animals, the livestock will grow and develop safely. Feed intended for livestock must be of the required quantity and quality. The individual needs of different categories of animals should also be taken into account. And then the farmer’s milk yield will increase or after slaughter there will be a large yield of meat.

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How to water a newborn calf

Proper dairy farming should not allow calves to drink under the uterus. A good dairy cow produces much more milk than a calf needs. The calf may either drink more than it can digest, which will cause diarrhea, or the calf will not suck the cow clean, causing her to soon begin to reduce her milk yield. If the calf is not allowed to suck out all the milk, but is supplemented with milk by hand, then it can easily happen that after the calf the cow begins to retain milk. If you first milk and then let the calf suckle, then, firstly, it is difficult to guess how much can be milked so that the calf has enough remaining milk, and, secondly, with this method, the thinnest milk will go to the owner, and the fattest , the last thing, the calf, which is unprofitable. Therefore, you need to stick to watering calves from a bucket or bucket. In the first days, the calves have to be somewhat accustomed to drinking milk, and not sucking a finger sticking out of the milk and offered by the mistress. This training can be achieved without difficulty. Then it is necessary to ensure that the calf receives milk either fresh, or warmed to the temperature of fresh milk, i.e. about 30 Reaumur. The calf does not drink cold milk well, but it is not good for him, and sometimes even harmful. This milk cools the insides and can cause digestive upset. Next, you need to take care of the cleanliness of the dishes into which the milk is poured. If the dishes are dirty and contain sour remnants of previously supplied milk, then the new milk also spoils, and the calf drinks with it dirt and bacteria nesting in the milk and other microorganisms that can cause intestinal disease. If a cow suffers from tuberculosis, the milk of such a cow, as it contains pathogenic bacteria, is certainly harmful. But it is not difficult to get rid of these bacteria. To do this, just boil the milk or, even better, heat it to just 56° Réaumur for 10 minutes. At this temperature, tuberculosis bacteria die, and such heated milk becomes completely harmless. Before giving it to the calf, it must be cooled to the temperature of fresh milk. It is better not to boil milk, i.e. do not bring the Réaumur to 80°, but only heat it to 56°. This is because when boiling, the digestibility of individual components decreases somewhat, but when heated to 66°, there is no decrease in digestibility.

Everything that has just been said is especially important for the owner to know when he feeds his calf not with whole milk, but with the reverse milk, especially if the return is received from a dairy, where a lot of foreign milk is delivered. There is no way to be sure that the skim milk does not contain tuberculosis bacteria or other harmful microorganisms.

Therefore, before soldering the calf, it is better to heat the milk as above and pasteurize it.

3-4 days after calving, the cow begins to produce not colostrum, but ordinary sweet milk. At this time, the calf can be given milk not from its mother, but from another cow or from a common tub - this will not make much difference, as long as the milk is healthy and warm. B. The first week you should feed the calf 5 times a day, in the second week 4 times, and from the third week you can switch to triple feeding, coinciding with milking of the cows.

Daily diet in winter

It is necessary to gradually transfer livestock from a summer diet to a winter diet. A sharp reduction in the proportion of green pasture forages can cause digestive disorders or inflammatory diseases.

Figure 7. Winter ration for livestock

The main difference between the winter diet and the summer diet is that the proportions of succulent, roughage and concentrated feed are approximately the same (Figure 7). The majority is high-quality legume or meadow hay, which is supplemented with succulent feed (silage or root crops), as well as concentrated feed (for example, wet mash with bran or sprouted grain).

Features of feeding highly productive cows

It is necessary to select feed for dairy cattle especially carefully during lactation. The highest milk yield is obtained in the first hundred days after the calves are born. The diet of dairy cows during this critical period should take into account weight, age, daily milk yield, fat content of the product and the degree of fat accumulation of the animal.

For a cow with an average milk yield and weighing half a ton, approximately fifteen kilograms of dry matter are needed every day. With high productivity, a cow needs about eighteen kilograms, and with record milk yields - more than twenty-one.

You can give as an example specific numbers and indicators of feeding dairy animals:

1. with a milk yield of thirteen kilograms, you need within twelve feed units, less than five kilograms of hay, six haylage, eighteen silage, seven root crops, about three concentrates and seventy-five table salt;
2. with a milk yield of fifteen kilograms per day, you need about thirteen feed units, five kilograms of hay, six haylage, ten silage, about twelve root crops, at least five concentrates and ninety salt;
3. with a milk yield of twenty kilograms or more, cows need fourteen and a half feed units, four kilograms of hay, six and a half haylage, ten silage, eighteen root vegetables, five and a half concentrates and one hundred and five salts.

Compound feeds are important in the nutrition of milking cows, especially first-calf heifers. They should combine cereal grains, cake, bran, premixes and vitamin supplements.

Their need is especially acute in winter, when a feeding scheme for dry cows is being organized. When consuming concentrates, the volume of milk per day is also taken into account:

Experts do not advise overusing combined feeds. They contain a lot of starch, which disrupts the digestive system.

Starch ferments in the rumen and forms lactic acid from it. It creates an overly acidic environment and has a detrimental effect on microflora. The situation will become more complicated if the animal is actively fed with sour silage.

Violations in the balance of acidity and such miscalculations in nutrition lead to acidosis. The cow's saliva constantly hangs down, the chewing gum gets lost, and the fiber is actually not digested.

Separately, it is worth mentioning the features of feeding highly productive cows.

In order not to miss out on profits, farmers prepare rations for each such cow. Usually the norms simply take into account the average milk yield.

The exclusivity lies in the fact that the dry matter must contain a lot of feed exchangeable energy and feed units

Experts also pay attention to the presence of trace elements and amino acids.

If cows begin to produce more than thirty-five kilograms per day, then the indicators increase by one and a half times. In this case, the emphasis should be on roots and concentrates as productivity increases. Their number of food units approaches thirty.

It is worth noting that when feeding dairy cows, it is necessary to remember about water. The higher the productivity numbers and the fat content in the milk, the more the female needs to be fed. For every three liters of product, a liter of water is required.

During lactation in summer, cows are given up to sixty liters of warm water. And in dead wood they get within forty liters. The liquid is not given at the same time, but three times a day.

Table

In order for the cow to receive the maximum amount of nutrients and produce a lot of milk, feed must be distributed correctly throughout the day. Food products are provided three times a day. The table below shows an example of a diet with the amount of feed required (Figure 8):

• In the morning and at noon they provide grain and succulent feed;
• Roughage should be included in every meal;
• It is necessary to adhere to a clear scheme for dispensing feed for better consumption: first concentrates, then juicy and finally coarse;
• After each feeding, animals need to be given a drink.

Feed must be prepared before distribution. The grain is crushed or ground into flour, and their concentrates are prepared into a thick mash or given out dry. To improve the palatability of concentrated feed, a little table salt is added to it.

Figure 8. Table of approximate rations for cattle

All root vegetables, including potatoes, must be thoroughly cleared of soil and washed before feeding, after which they can be fed raw. Mineral supplements and table salt are given in the form of licks, but if they are unavailable, you can simply add them to concentrated feed. From the video you will learn how to properly prepare feed for feeding.

Feeding diet for dairy cattle

Contrary to popular belief, the diet of livestock does not consist only of succulent grass. Creating a balanced “diet” for animals is not easy. Different categories of animals have different nutritional needs, so feeding bulls differs significantly from feeding heifers. Both the age and health of the animal matter.

Cattle

However, there are some general rules, for example:

• Food should be in a form convenient for consumption.
• Vitamins, minerals and other valuable substances contained in food should be easily digestible. Sometimes, to increase digestibility, special food additives are added, which are a combination of various enzymes.
• Proteins, vitamins and minerals must be in the right proportion.
• Overfeeding of animals, that is, excess nutrition, leads to disruptions in the reproductive system of cattle.

More recently, most farms considered hay to be the main food for cows. However, due to the development of the domestic feed production industry, it is gradually fading into the background. It is being replaced by balanced types of combined nutrition. Compound feed is convenient because, unlike hay, you do not need to prepare it yourself. They are also additionally enriched with vitamin supplements.

Hay for cows

When keeping dairy cattle, the farmer’s main task is to increase milk yield so that it does not become an unbearable burden for the animals. If we take as a basis such an indicator as the average daily weight gain of cattle, its rate will be different for beef and dairy cows. Dairy cows are not required to gain weight as quickly as breeds bred for meat. Therefore, the first place should not be gaining body weight, but increasing the amount of milk.

When preparing a diet for dairy cattle, you need to keep the following in mind:

• Different breeds of dairy cattle will have different menus.
• Vegetables, root vegetables and fresh grass should occupy an important place in the diet. These products help increase milk yield.
• Every day a dairy cow should consume up to 40 liters of fluid.
• Nutrition for dairy cattle involves feeding three times a day with a clearly fixed time for each meal.
• In summer, the share of grass in the diet increases, the share of vegetables and root vegetables decreases.
• In winter, the amount of combined feed increases.

Correct diet

To create a complete diet for a dairy cow, one should take into account not only feeding standards, but also the feed available in the household farm and their nutritional level. A corresponding example is shown in Figure 6.

When composing your diet, you must consider the following:

• During the stall period, they are fed mainly with roughage, which provides the animal with all the necessary nutrients with a small amount of milk yield.
• At a higher level of milk yield, roughage is supplemented with juicy and concentrated feed.
• Cows with a milk yield of more than 10 kg of milk per day must be given succulent feed and root vegetables (especially potatoes).
• The diet of highly productive individuals should consist of all types of feed, as well as mineral supplements and vitamins.
• In summer, the animal receives the bulk of its food on pastures, eating green grass. When the flowering period of plants stops, the animal receives less nutrients from pasture grass, so cows need to be additionally fed green mown grass and given green fertilizer at night.

Figure 6. An example of formulating a diet for cattle.
With high milk yields, even in summer, additional concentrates are given (in the same quantities as in winter).

What does compound feed for cattle consist of?

When choosing feed for cows, you should consider some points:

• breed;
• age;
• biological condition;
• purpose of content;
• performance.

Each individual type of feed contains components that are selected in accordance with the needs of livestock at a certain moment.

The main part of any mixture is allocated to grain crops: wheat, oats, barley, corn, etc. The grain included in the feed helps to increase weight and supplies the animal with energy. This causes the cow's components to gain weight. Grain is the carbohydrate component of feed. In addition, it is rich in vitamins, micro- and macroelements, which must be taken into account when calculating the proportion of grain in a particular feed.

The protein component of the mixture is represented by peas, forage legumes and sweet lupine

These products contain crude protein, which is especially important for dairy animals.

A more capacious source of proteins is meal. When producing compound feed, soybean, rapeseed or flaxseed are used.

Soybean meal is the fibrous part of soybeans obtained by extraction and contains approximately 5% fat. In addition to its main functions - supplying animal protein to the body - this product is rich in vitamins and minerals:

• copper;
• calcium;
• phosphorus;
• gray;
• magnesium;
• potassium;
• manganese;
• zinc;
• cobalt;
• iodine;
• vitamins A, D, E, group B.

Soybean meal is often used in the production of compound feed, which is explained by its easy digestibility, energy intensity, and high nutritional value. In addition, feed with this component promotes rapid weight gain in livestock and strengthens the immune system. In addition, many cows are happy to eat feed containing soybean meal, since it has a pleasant aroma for them.

Although such products have some disadvantages, since soybean meal is a by-product obtained during oil extraction production, and during extraction a substance dangerous to the body is used - hexane, the prolonged use of which can cause intoxication of the animal.

In addition, poisoning is possible when low-quality raw materials are used in the production process of feed or technology is violated. To avoid such problems, experts do not recommend introducing soybean meal into feeds too often, and sometimes replacing it with legumes.

Rapeseed meal is also rich in protein, vitamins and minerals. The protein included in its composition is close in quantity to soybean meal. Thanks to this product included in the mixed feed, milk productivity increases and the characteristics of milk improve. Rapeseed meal is characterized by a relatively high fat content, due to which this additive is considered universal. Most often, feed containing such a component does not contain vegetable oils at all or contains only a small amount.

Flaxseed meal is also characterized by the presence of certain features. In addition to the traditional qualities of this component, it also has a dietary effect. During the process of swelling in water, mucus is released from the flaxseed meal, which helps coat the walls of the intestines and protect it from irritation. Although this product also has disadvantages - too much flaxseed meal in the feed can lead to intoxication of livestock with dangerous elements.

Thanks to the sugar contained in the feed, animals eat such food with pleasure, and dairy products from dairy cows acquire more pleasant taste. But sugar in the diet of cattle should be present in limited quantities. So the best option is to introduce this substance into the diet as part of mixed feed, since this product contains sugar in the correct dosage.

The salt content in the feed helps maintain normal metabolic processes in the body of cattle, has an antibacterial effect, and also improves immunity

This is especially important during the cold season.

To achieve maximum results, the main components can be supplemented with premixes. A premix is ​​an artificial additive, the composition of which is developed taking into account the needs of cows, and in a certain dosage, which is an advantage of this product in comparison with natural additives.

To saturate the cattle's body with calcium, chalk is added to the feed. This substance helps in the formation of bone structure, improves the functions of the immune and nervous systems. In addition, if there is a lack of calcium, there is a risk of reproductive dysfunction in animals of both sexes.

Milk cow diet

The diet of a dairy cow must be designed in such a way as to preserve the productivity of the animal as much as possible.

What should it be like?

When developing a diet for dairy cows, it is necessary to take into account not only the weight of the animal, but also other factors. For example, there is 1 feed unit per 100 kg of weight.

Factors affecting product volume also include:

• Age: young animals are given food 10% more than normal, since the growing body needs more nutrients;
• The weight of the animal also plays an important role. If the female is too thin, she needs to be fed more intensively, at the rate of 0.5 feed unit for every kilogram of desired weight gain;
• Weather conditions and maintenance: in winter and when kept in unsatisfactory conditions, the volume of products is increased by 10 percent.

Figure 2. Example of a diet for a dairy cow
The amount of feed is also increased during the milking period in order to increase the milk production of the animal and prolong lactation. However, you should not overfeed livestock, as constant overload of the stomach and intestines can cause illness.

How much food should I feed?

When calculating the amount of feed, the so-called feed unit is used, which corresponds to a weight of 80-120 grams. It must contain all the necessary substances: fiber, fats, proteins, sugar, calcium and phosphorus. An example of a diet for dairy cows is shown in Figure 2.

Products are calculated based on dry matter consumption. On average, their number should be 2-3 kg for every 100 kg of individual weight. Juicy ones are given from 8 to 10 kg for every 100 kg of weight. The amount of roughage is no more than 2 kg for every 100 kilograms of animal weight.

What is included in the diet?

The diet of a dairy cow includes all the feed that these animals eat. Below is a description of each type of food product for cattle, and Figure 3 shows the nutritional standards for cattle.

Green plants, silage, hay, concentrates and root crops are used for feeding. Below is nutritional information for each type of food.

• Green plants

This type includes all grasses from pastures and meadows, as well as crops specially grown for feeding livestock (Figure 4). Green plants are easy to digest and have high dietary properties.

Greens are rich in protein, vitamins, minerals and amino acids. The most beneficial substances are found in young grass, since as plants grow, not only their taste, but also their nutritional qualities (in particular, the content of protein and vitamins) deteriorate.

Figure 3. Cattle feeding standards

A mixture of green plants intended for cattle must necessarily include legumes (clover, beans, alfalfa, peas), since they contain the most calcium, phosphorus and vitamins.

An adult consumes up to 70 kg of green feed per day. Therefore, in the summer it is important to take animals out to pasture, which has a beneficial effect not only on the general health of the animals, but also on the level of milk yield.

• Hay

On homestead farms, hay is the basis of cow nutrition in winter. Hay contains fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals necessary to ensure high productivity of livestock.

Note: The nutritional value of hay depends on many factors: the plants that make up it, the time of haymaking, the conditions for drying the grass and further storage. The best hay is obtained from grasses mown in meadows, flooded areas and mountain slopes.

The normal moisture level in properly dried hay should not exceed 17 percent. Under such conditions, the hay retains a pleasant color and aroma for a long time, and leaves remain on the plants. Properly harvested hay can be stored for a long time in a barn or under a shed. If the hay is green, it means it contains a lot of amino acids.

The highest percentage of nutrients is contained in hay harvested at the beginning of flowering. The process of drying the grass also plays an important role:

• It is better to mow the grass in sunny weather so that the hay can dry out slightly during haymaking;
• Next, the grass must be collected into windrows and dried a little more, turning over periodically;
• You can also hang the hay on hangers;
• Drying time on hangers or in windrows is no more than two days in sunny weather;
• After this, the hay is collected into piles for 2-3 days.

Figure 4. Types of feed for livestock: 1 - green, 2 - hay, 3 - fodder beet, 4 - grain concentrates.
In the future, the hay is stored in stacks or barns, carefully covering the top with film and combing the sides so that moisture from the dry grass does not retain precipitation. When fed, hay does not require preparation, and when fed with high-quality hay, even in winter, you can get up to 10 kg of milk per day.

• Tubers, root vegetables, melons

Products of this group have high dietary and milk-producing properties. For feeding cows, fodder and sugar beets, turnips, carrots, potatoes, pumpkins, zucchini and watermelons are often used.

They also eat root vegetables and melons very well. This type of product stimulates appetite and improves the palatability and digestion of other foods. Tubers and root vegetables are often used to supplement the diet of dairy breeds, as they increase milk productivity (especially during the milking period after calving).

Before feeding, roots and tubers are cleared of soil, washed and cut into large pieces, although they can also be given in their whole form.

When preparing this type of feed, it is necessary to take into account that at high temperatures they quickly rot, and at low sub-zero temperatures they freeze. Therefore, for storage it is necessary to equip a special dry shed, and only dry, clean and undamaged crops should be sent for storage.

The shed for storing root crops should be well ventilated, and a stable, low temperature should be maintained. When storing melons, they should be laid in layers, each sprinkled with chopped straw. The top and sides of root crops and melons are covered with straw and sprinkled with a layer of earth.

Note: If some of the feed is frozen, the tubers must be thawed in cold water before feeding.

In addition, this type of feed is suitable for silage in whole and chopped form. To do this, each layer of feed must be covered with chopped grass, and the leaves of this crop can be harvested with straw or chaff.

• Concentrates

This group includes grain crops, bread crumbs, cake, meal, flour dust and bran. Any grain products must be included in the diet of dairy cows, as they are highly nutritious and can balance nutrition.

Concentrates from legumes contain a lot of protein, so it is advisable to use them if the diet lacks this particular element. A moderate percentage of protein is contained in cereal feeds (oats and wheat bran). In addition, they have dietary properties and are often combined with soy and beans, which contain a lot of protein.

When feeding concentrates, it is important to adhere to the correct dosage, since exceeding the norm will lead to poor eating of other feeds. For feeding, concentrates can be mixed with water or given dry.

• Tree branches and gum feed

Humane feed includes straw (from oats, barley or millet) and chaff. They do not have very high nutritional value (equivalent to low quality hay), but good straw can be included in the menu of individuals with average milk production.

Cereal chaff contains less fiber than straw, but much more protein. Before distribution, food from this group must be moistened, steamed or mixed with succulent food.

Tree branches have the same nutritional properties as spring straw, but they contain more protein. You can also give coniferous branches (fir, spruce or pine) or prepare pine flour from them.

• Silage

Ensiling green crops allows you to preserve their nutritional properties for a long time, so this method of preparing feed is considered one of the best for homestead farms. Despite the fact that silage is inexpensive, its nutritional value is equal to that of green meadow grasses (Figure 5).

Figure 5. Additional food products for dairy cows: 1 - straw, 2 - grass silage, 3 - corn silage, 4 - haylage

To prepare silage, you need to dig a hole or trench and cover its bottom and walls with film. Ensilage can be used to harvest green grass (previously wilted), as well as potatoes, corn, cabbage, beets and their tops. The mass must be compacted well in the hole, and if a large amount of water is released, add chaff or dry chopped straw. The mass should lie in the hole for about three days, after which it is covered with film and sprinkled with earth. High-quality silage is green and smells like soaked apples.

• Haylage

This type of feed storage is similar to silage. The only difference is that well-dried green grass is placed in the hole for one day. The author of the video will tell you the importance of high-quality protein feed for the growth, development and productivity of a cow.

Feed classification

All food is divided into several types, depending on their origin. They are:

• vegetable;
• synthesized;
• feed;
• vitamins;
• mineral.

Each of these varieties saturates the animal’s body with a certain amount of energy. To avoid confusion regarding nutritional value, 1 kg of medium-quality oats is taken as the main feed unit (FU). Taking into account these standards, feed comes in bulk, containing 0.6 kg of KE, which can be processed in the cow’s body. Concentrates have a higher KE.

Cows eat mainly plant foods, which are:

• juicy;
• rude;
• concentrated.

Fortified supplements, synthesized using special technologies, help replenish the missing beneficial elements in the body of cows. In addition, they are used when it is necessary to preserve livestock in certain situations. It is useful to give such supplements to animals during pregnancy, during exhaustion, as well as to young animals. Compound feeds are produced from plant components.

When compiling a diet for cows, you need to consider some points:

• level of fat content of dairy products;
• volume of actual and desired milk production (measured in kg/day);
• it is necessary to take into account the lactation period;
• The portion is calculated as follows: 1 KE per 100 kg of individual body weight.

What is taken as the basis of an oat feed unit?

The nutritional value of 1 kg of medium dry oats is taken as one unit.

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What is included in the diet

The correct diet should be divided by origin, it can be:

• vegetable;
• animals;
• chemical;
• vitamin;
• feed mixture.

The species are not equivalent in energy nutrition. Experts evaluate them by feed units, which are taken to be 1 kg of oats. Therefore, the principle of feed is divided into bulky - up to 0.6 k.u. and concentrated (the last three) - after 0.6 k.u.

Diet composition for dairy breeds - grass feed

They are divided into:

1. Juicy:

• green grass;
• silage;
• root tubers.

2. Rough:

• hay;
• straw;

3. Concentrated:

• food production waste;
• corn.

The second most important type of food is animal food. The group includes processed waste from meat processing plants. Cattle diets are not often supplemented with such products. Due to the peculiarities of the esophagus of ruminants, they are used when the plant component is missing.

The feeding diet for dairy cattle may contain animal components as additional components in winter.

Combined feeds are mixed and distributed according to group characteristics. They are considered separately for calves, milking heifers, and fattening bulls.

Diet for meat breeds and young animals

More often, animal feed is needed for young cattle or meat animals.

The daily menu of fattening cattle under the age of 6 months is not divided by gender. Young individuals are less picky about food, so they can be content with hay, straw and gain weight. Calves are recommended to limit their intake of fresh grass and root vegetables.

For better growth in the drink, you need to steam bran and concentrated additives, for example, biovit. The so-called flour mash is useful for gaining weight. It is prepared from a liter of water and six tablespoons of flour: the solution is brought to a boil and jelly is obtained. It is recommended to add a liter per head to a bucket of drink.

Combined diet for all types of cattle

• Complete feeds that include high-quality nutrition;
• concentrated options that complement the lack of certain components;
• balancing supplements that optimize the composition of the diet.

All types are produced in accordance with GOST requirements and the following indicators:

• feed units;
• energy value;
• proteins;
• cellulose;
• calcium and phosphorus;
• salt.

The quality of plant preparations is checked by smell and appearance. For example, the appearance of rot in hay is excluded.

When feeding concentrated formulas, it is worth remembering that overdoing it leads to complications with the cow’s digestion. An excess of carbohydrates, for which this type of diet is famous, becomes detrimental to the beneficial bacteria that live in the stomach of cattle. Thanks to flora, digestion improves. If the animal has eaten too much, medications will be needed to help the animal avoid illness.

What can be given to cattle: proportions and recommendations

Pelleted food for rabbits

Modern veterinarians give the following recommendations regarding different types of nutrition:

• Beer grains as feed for cattle. It contains yeast, an important source of vitamin D. Beer grains for cattle can be given to animals of any age and any breed. The maximum share in the diet is 18% of the total feed.
• Compound feed for cattle. Adult cattle can be given coarsely ground feed, while young animals can be given crushed feed. The main thing is that the food is prepared in accordance with GOST. When purchasing feed for cattle, the composition is important, but manufacturing technology is no less important. The maximum share of the total nutrition is 50%.
• Meat and bone meal for cattle. Bone meal is a valuable mineral supplement. It should be given to prevent calcium deficiency. For adult cattle, the maximum share in the diet is 1.5%, for young cattle - up to 3%, since flour has a beneficial effect on bone formation.
• Pea straw for cattle contains a large amount of coarse fiber and improves intestinal function. The maximum share in the diet is no more than 15%. However, you should not give pea straw to sick and weakened animals, since this type of food is often affected by fungi and can also cause stomach upset due to the high concentration of plant protein. Also, such straw is quite difficult to digest.

  
  Pea straw

• Feed salt. Providing salt is required. Feed salt for livestock farming is perceived by livestock as a delicacy. This substance contains a large amount of sodium, which has a beneficial effect on metabolism and stimulates the intensive growth of young animals. The maximum share in the diet is 0.5%.
• Phacelia as a feed crop for livestock is of great value due to its content of essential amino acids and antioxidants. However, cows are reluctant to eat this grass, so it is recommended to mix it with other feeds to drown out the specific taste. The permissible share in the diet is no more than 10%.
• Beet pulp contains glucose and other sugars that provide energy. But an excess of beet pulp in the diet can cause diarrhea, so the share of beet pulp should be no more than 7% of the total diet. It should only be given to absolutely healthy animals.
• Granulated feed for livestock. It is definitely not worth feeding animals only this kind of food. And there is no need to ignore this type of nutrition either, because such food contains all the necessary nutrients in well-balanced proportions. For young animals you should purchase food with small granules, for adult animals - with large ones. The recommended proportion in the diet is 25%.

  
  Pelleted feed

These recommendations should be followed by those who want to raise healthy livestock. When purchasing combined feeds, you should give preference to products from domestic manufacturers.