Feeding cows: diet and norms

2024 Author: Howard Calhoun | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 10:16

Experienced farmers know that when feeding cows, there are simply no trifles. It is extremely important to properly compose a diet - it should be as balanced as possible, contain the right amount of trace elements and various substances. Therefore, this should be told in more detail.

The importance of proper nutrition

If you decide to start breeding dairy cows, then you should approach the preparation of the diet especially responsibly. After all, a cow will give up to 20 liters of milk daily. And this valuable product contains a large number of trace elements: calcium, magnesium, phosphorus and others. And here there can be two options. Either they will be fully compensated by a well-balanced diet, or every month the cow will look worse, milk production will decrease.

Of course, any farmer would prefer the first option. But for this you will have to sweat seriously. First you need to understand the different types of food in order to be able to combine them correctly to get the desired result.

Green food

The best food isfresh grass - summer feeding of cows is best provided with it. Moreover, ideally, the animal should roam the field itself, collecting those plants that they consider necessary. That is free grazing. This allows the farmer to spend a minimum of time and effort on care.

At the same time, the grass contains a large amount of vitamins, as well as all the necessary trace elements, nutrients. The high moisture content of the feed gives it milk-producing properties. It is no coincidence that it is in summer, when cows feed mainly on fresh grass, that milk yields are maximum. An additional plus is the low cost of such feed. Indeed, on good soil with regular rainfall, the grass sprouts itself - it is enough to drive cows from one place to another.

The only drawback is the possibility of poisoning. You should find out in advance which poisonous plants are found in a particular area, choose areas where they do not grow. And just in case, have the appropriate drugs to quickly solve the problem of poisoning.

Hay

Of course, hay is inferior to grass in all respects. However, in the winter season, it is invariably included in the diet of dairy cows. With timely harvesting, proper drying and storage, it retains all the vitamins and minerals contained in fresh grass. In many ways, its usefulness depends on which plants were mowed down when creating winter supplies.

Since the feed is completely dry, it is necessary to provide the cows with a sufficient amount of drink - we will talk about this a little later. The best hayright is the meadow - a large selection of herbs provides the most balanced diet.

Vegetables

Modern norms for feeding cows provide for the introduction of various vegetables into the diet, especially in winter. They are much more nutritious than grass or hay, contain even more vitamins and useful microelements. By adding enough vegetables to your diet in winter, you can make up for the relatively low calorie content of hay. Even if you give only a few kilograms a day, the cow's appetite will improve significantly, and milk production will increase significantly. The only drawback is the relatively high cost of such food.

You can give vegetables in almost unlimited quantities - up to 30 kilograms per day. Mostly these are zucchini, turnips, potatoes, pumpkin, beets and carrots. Vegetables should be washed off the ground, cut into small pieces, convenient for eating.

Concentrates

Should be introduced into the diet of dairy cows and a variety of concentrates. First of all, these are bran, meal and cake. This is a really high-quality food - nutritious, tasty in its own way. Therefore, a balanced diet must necessarily include them. When working with high-yielding cows, it is advisable to use not cereal grains, but legumes - they contain more protein.

With pleasure, cows eat wheat, barley and oats. They can be safely given to cows of both medium and high milk yields. However, everywhere you need to know a certain limit. For example, when milking 10-15 liters of milk per day, you need to give about 150 gramsgrains. If the cow brings 20 liters, the portion can be increased to 250 grams. However, if you give an animal 400 grams of cereals or more, this can cause metabolic disorders.

Grain is better to give not dry, but prepared. To do this, the selected portion is poured with warm water and left for two to three days. Sprouted grains contain more nutrients, are easily digestible, and are also easier to digest.

Silos

Also, when feeding highly productive cows in the cold season, silage should be used. Despite the low cost, this is a really high-quality feed - easily digestible, very nutritious, he althy and, from a cow's point of view, very tasty. Therefore, it will be very useful to use it in winter, in conditions of vitamin deficiencies and wet food.

It is prepared in a timely manner, in the warm season. Selected feeds (vegetable tops, cabbage, sunflower, corn, vegetables, wild herbs) are carefully crushed and then placed in special pits. In recent years, special sleeves for ensiling have been actively used. For several months, the mass releases juice, due to which natural fermentation occurs. Thanks to this, in winter it is possible to provide the cow with high-quality, tasty feed.

Additional feeding

When caring for high-yielding, pregnant or young animals, the norms for feeding cows need to be reviewed. First of all, it is necessary to add additional mineral and vitamin supplements. A good choice might bebone meal and s alt. They will also be useful for ordinary cows, but at the moment when the animal's body is under the greatest load, it is especially important to provide them with the necessary trace elements.

Thanks to this, milk yields increase, young cows grow much faster, and calves are born he althier, while “wearing out” the mother’s body less.

The better to drink

Speaking about the rations for feeding dairy cows, it is definitely worth mentioning watering. And here, perhaps, nothing better than ordinary water can be invented. The main thing is that it should be really clean. That is, you should not collect water from reservoirs located near factories, plants and highways - they can be poisoned by heavy metal emissions. Also, water from a small stagnant pool would not be the best choice - there is a high probability of infection with parasites.

According to experts, to obtain one liter of milk, a cow must consume about three liters of water. Therefore, it is not surprising that in the summer, when consuming fresh green fodder, a cow drinks much more - about 60 liters. In winter, consumption is reduced - an average of 40 liters. Don't worry if a dry cow (the period between when she stops producing milk and a new pregnancy) consumes significantly less water - this is quite normal.

You need to water the animals three times a day. There is no need to limit them in water - they will not drink more than necessary.

Standard diet

For those centuries and millennia, onduring which cows live side by side with humans, farmers were able to develop the most balanced diet that allows animals to get enough calories, vitamins, and trace elements. Of course, individual characteristics should also be taken into account - for example, feeding a pregnant cow is different from feeding a dry one. But we will talk about this a little later.

Scientists have found that a cow should receive approximately 80 different nutrients - fiber, proteins, fats, minerals, vitamins, sugar, amino acids and many others.

When drawing up the optimal diet, experts recommend giving 1 feed unit per 100 kilograms of weight plus 70 grams of easily digestible protein. However, this is an average. More detailed information can be obtained only with data on the purpose of the animal - the nutrition of dairy and meat breeds is seriously different. Also, when drawing up a diet for feeding cows, periods must be taken into account - normal and dry. Let's talk about all this in more detail, so that even a novice farmer does not have problems when feeding animals.

Best diet for dairy cows

First, let's talk about feeding dairy cows. Their diet should be as balanced as possible. Depending on milk yield per day, animals should receive from 130 to 200 MJ of energy to restore energy and obtain all the necessary nutrients. In feed units, this is from 11 to 15. This variation is not accidental - the more milk a cow gives, the more feed she should receive. Moreover, its ratio can also change.

For example, they should receive about 10 kilograms per day of hay and haylage. The optimal amount of silage is from 10 to 18 kilograms. Moreover, cows with relatively small milk yields - 12-15 liters per day should receive more. The situation is quite different with vegetables and root crops. The daily diet should include approximately 6-18 kilograms. High-yielding cows spend more micronutrients, which means they should receive more to compensate for the costs. The same should be done with concentrates: the optimal portion is from 2.5 to 5.5 kilograms. Finally, regular table s alt is an extremely important addition to a cow's diet. For animals that bring 10-15 liters a day, 70-90 grams of the supplement is enough. With an increase in milk yield to 15-20 liters, about 90-100 grams of s alt should be given. And the most milking cows, bringing more than 20 liters of milk per day, should receive about 105-110 grams.

Diet for beef cows

When you know enough about the diet of dairy cows, it will be useful to learn about the rules for feeding animals intended for slaughter. Unlike dairy breeds, they should receive less straw, but more silage - this significantly speeds up weight gain, which is extremely important for the farmer.

It all depends primarily on the age and weight of the animals. To begin with, let's talk about young animals weighing less than 350 kilograms, that is, one and a half to two year old cows and bulls.

At this age, they should receive about 3-4 kilograms of straw and hay. But you can’t save on siloyou need - the optimal amount ranges from 20 to 30 kilograms. Wheat bran allows you to speed up the process of gaining fat mass, making the meat more tender, juicy. About 300 grams can be given per day. Concentrated feed is a reliable way to provide animals with all the microelements that a growing organism lacks. Let's go from 1 to 1.5 kilograms a day. Finally, table s alt is enough 30-35 grams per day.

Adult cows and bulls over 350 kilograms consume more feed. They can no longer be given hay, but they need straw - about 2-4 kilograms per day. Silage will need a lot - from 30 to 40 kilograms. Moreover, more should be given to young, 2-3-year-old animals, which still continue to gain weight. The optimal amount of bran is from 300 to 500 grams. Compound feed is enough for 1.5 kilograms. S alt supplement - 50 grams.

Yes, to provide cows with such a diet, you have to spend a lot of money. But as a result, young animals quickly gain maximum weight and can be slaughtered for meat, which is precisely the goal of the beef cow farmer.

Dry Cow Diet

Experienced farmers know that feeding dry cows is different from feeding normal cows. Not only the he alth of the future calf, but also the volume of milk production that will begin after its birth depends on the correct composition of the diet.

The amount of silage in the diet is decreasing, but still it remains the main source of nutrients. Feed dry cows like heifersneed three times a day. Drink only warm water - not lower than +10 degrees Celsius. In summer, the diet must necessarily contain a large amount of grass.

The diet also depends on the breed, or rather, on what milk yield you expect after the birth of a calf. More cows should get more feed units.

So, silage should be given about 12 kilograms per day. The share of hay falls 4 kilograms, and haylage - from 6 to 8. Root crops are very important - a cow should eat about 4 kilograms of pumpkin, carrots, zucchini, cabbage, potatoes per day. The amount of concentrates is from 1.5 to 2.5 kilograms. S alt is enough from 50 to 70 grams.

One week before the due date, you should stop giving silage and haylage. And for three days - exclude concentrates from the diet. In the last weeks, it is especially important to give the cow only the highest quality feed. Otherwise, premature birth can be provoked, which may well end in tragedy or at least cause a lot of problems for the owners and torment for the animal.

Summer Diet

Another important point to focus on is changing your diet according to the seasons. For example, the summer diet of cows is very different from the winter one.

This is especially noticeable in small farms, when it is more important for the owner not to get a profit as soon as possible, but to reduce costs as much as possible. In this case, it would be a completely rational decision to drive the cows out to pasture in the warm season. With a herd of several dozen heads, it is quite possible to do this. As a result, milk yields increase due toquality green fodder. But at the same time, the farmer practically stops spending money on buying silage, hay, and vegetables. When feeding cows in the summer, all this can be abandoned - the only exceptions are feed additives, concentrates and s alt.

In huge factories, cows eat the same food all year round. On the one hand, it is very problematic to drive a herd of many thousands to the field. On the other hand, it is important for industrialists to make a profit as soon as possible, and the opportunity to save money fades into the background.

The main thing to remember is that the transition should be gradual. To do this, it is desirable to start grazing immediately after the appearance of greenery in the meadows. That is, the cow receives the main diet in the barn - she got used to it over the winter. But during the day there is an opportunity to walk in the meadow, stretch, pluck rare grass. Gradually, as the grass on the pasture increases, the standard diet decreases - it is replaced by fresh grass. This continues until the cow can not be saturated with green fodder - by this time you can stop giving silage, haylage, hay and vegetables. The reverse situation is observed in autumn. Cows are put out to pasture for shorter and shorter periods of time, while at the same time increasing the proportion of artificial feeding.

It's worth doing so that the cow's stomach gets used to the new feed gradually. If you feed them vegetables, silage and straw, and the next day you drive the hungry out into the field, where she eats grass, this can cause serious stomach problems, up to intestinal volvulus. Of course, no farmer would want such an unpleasant fate for his wards.

In the barn, animals should receive: wheat, oats, barley, bran, cake, meal, grass meal, s alt, a mixture of calcium and phosphates, as well as a microelement premix. This is necessary due to the fact that the grass, despite the large amount of vitamins and trace elements, remains a fairly low-calorie feed. In order for the cow to receive not only useful substances, but also a sufficient number of calories, it is impossible to stop additional feeding in any case.