To date, you can meet quite a lot of people who are engaged in cattle breeding. The most important thing is to provide animals with all the conditions for a comfortable stay. Experienced farmers who have been earning cattle for many years know that proper feeding is the key to high productivity. This applies not only to the use of high-quality feed, but also compliance with certain rules, as well as seasonal factors. Let's find out how to feed a cow so that there is more milk.
General feed information
Most newcomers who plan to get a cow believe that the hay supply will be enough to get large and stable milk yields, since animals get the bulk of the food in the pasture in the summer, and the straw is already harvested for the winter. However, this is far from the case, as livestock need a nutritious diet rich in vitamins, minerals and other nutrients. What is the cow fed to maximize productivity? It is very difficult to unequivocally answer this question, since a lot of nuances should be taken into account when planning a diet. Professionals argue that a universal solution does not exist, and you need to use different types of feed.
Depending on the origin, they are divided into the following:
- animals;
- vegetable;
- combined feed;
- mineral and vitamin supplements.
The main component of the diet are herbal products.
They are of three types:
- Juicy feed. They contain a large amount of fiber and protein. These include grass, vegetables and melons, silage and fruits. Many novice farmers are interested in whether it is possible to feed a cow with apples. The answer to this question will be given below.
- Concentrated feed. This group is represented by various crops, bran, oilcake, etc. They are the best source of carbohydrates.
- Roughage. These include hay and straw. They are rich in vitamins and minerals, so they are the basis of the daily menu of animals in the winter, when there is no possibility of free grazing due to snow.
Waste remaining after the production of meat and fish products act as animal feed. The most common among them is bone meal, which is added to food in order to replenish the body's calcium supply. It should be noted that with combined feeds and vitamin supplements should be very careful. The thing is that cows have a very weak stomach and intestines, so overeating can cause indigestion, which, in turn, will lead to death.
Now for the question of whether it is possible to feed a cow with apples. As mentioned earlier, succulent feed is the basis of the diet for cattle. It contains all the necessary vitamins and minerals, carbohydrates and fiber. At the same time, animal food is needed not only for good health. With its help, you can significantly increase milk yield. Fruits are preliminarily cleared of dirt and crushed. Apples should only be used as complementary foods, as an alternative to silage.
Is it possible to feed a cow with potatoes? The answer is yes - especially in winter. This is a very valuable and nutrient-rich product with which you can significantly save on silage. At the same time, it is well absorbed, so you can give it in large quantities. But with regard to potato tops, it is banned, because it contains solanine, which acts as a strong poison, which can lead to cattle death.
What factors determines the diet?
So what do you need to know about this? The issues of feeding dairy and meat breeds of cows depend on its physiological factors.
When choosing feeds and calculating their required amount, the following should be considered:
- live weight of the animal;
- the amount of milk given per day;
- cow age;
- conditions of detention;
- dough;
- required daily weight gain.
For best results, the menu should be varied. At the same time, the specific goal of each farmer and the season play an important role. Only taking into account all these factors, you can choose the most suitable diet.
Animal nutrition in summer
So, you already know that you can feed a cow with apples. This fruit is grown everywhere throughout the country, so in the warm season it is abundant. However, in large quantities it is dangerous, so you must be very careful. In general, in the summer there are no special problems with what to give the animals, since they get most of the food on pastures.
Green grass is rich in protein, so it is quite enough to maintain stable and plentiful milk yield. But here it is very important to correctly transfer cows to a new diet after winter. At first, they begin with a grazing duration of two hours, and then gradually increase the daylight hours until it reaches 10 hours. At the same time, the amount of concentrated and silage is gradually reduced.
To increase milk yield in the summer, you need to feed the cows with grain. The daily rate is calculated based on how much milk each individual gives. In addition, the daily menu must include fresh fruits, vegetables and root vegetables. It is also important to ensure that livestock have a fresh drink.
Animal nutrition in winter
In the cold months, when there is no opportunity to release livestock on pastures, great attention should be paid to the feeding system. Its basis is hay or straw, harvested in the summer, but it is impossible to provide high-quality cattle nutrition only with these feeds. To maintain high productivity, you can feed the cow potatoes, beets and silage. Also a mandatory component is concentrates. Every day, one animal requires at least ten kilograms of it. However, they are poorly absorbed, so the portion size is reduced, and the number of meals, on the contrary, is increased.
Experts in the field of animal breeding recommend giving silage not in its pure form, but adding to the straw. So the food will be more nutritious and will not lead to disruption of the gastrointestinal tract. But this type of food needs to be combined with other types of food additives so that it does not cause digestive upset.
General tips and tricks
Many beginners are interested in the question: "What is the feeding of cows on the farm?" And this is not surprising, because industrial land regularly shows high productivity. It all depends on what goals you pursue - getting milk or meat. Depending on the destination, an optimal feeding system is selected. In each case, the diet is different. This will be described in more detail below.
Fattening to increase milk yield
Let's dwell on this in more detail. How to feed a cow so that there is more milk? This is perhaps one of the most common issues related to livestock, since most people breed cattle specifically for the purpose of obtaining nutrient fluids. It is important not only to choose the right products, but also to calculate the optimal serving size, which depends on the weight of the animal.
A lot of energy is spent on the formation of milk in the cow's body, so they need a lot of protein and carbohydrates. Therefore, the minimum serving size for one meal should contain 0.3 feed units per liter of product.
The best option will be feeding according to the following scheme:
- hay - at least 2 kg for every 100 kg of body weight;
- root crops - 2 kg per 1 liter of milk given;
- concentrates - 150 grams per liter;
- salt - 7 grams per centner of live weight.
In summer, there are no special problems with what to feed the cows, since they get most of the food during grazing. If the season turned out to be arid and the grass is scarce, then in this case various plant-based top dressings and concentrates are added to the food. It is important to take into account the fact that breeds with high productivity require more meals so that the process of milk formation is maintained at a high level.
Fattening for slaughter
What is the best way to feed a cow so that it gains muscle mass? In this case, the diet is different from that described above. Fattening begins when the bull is still at calf age.
It is carried out in three stages:
- Preparatory. Young growth requires a large amount of nutrients for normal growth and development. To provide them with them, cattle are given hay or straw, silage, as well as succulent feed. Starting from six months old, boiled potatoes are introduced into the diet.
- Main. It is almost completely similar to the preparatory one, so you do not need to enter any adjustments into the everyday menu.
- Final. The final phase, in which the portion size gradually decreases. The main food is succulent feed and concentrates, providing a good increase in body weight.
Is it possible to feed a cow with fruits and root crops during this period? It is possible, but in small quantities. It is best to give silage and concentrates in such an amount that the amount of nutrients will be several times higher than the daily norm. So you can accelerate the process of muscle formation and growth.
Dry Feeding
This aspect should be given special attention. Cows that have never given birth, as well as individuals carrying a calf, need a special diet, because they need a large amount of energy, vitamins and minerals. It is important that animals gain at least one kilogram of weight per day. However, according to experts, it is very difficult to achieve such an indicator and maintain it, since the gastronomic preferences and needs of cattle during pregnancy are constantly changing. If you do not know how to properly feed a cow, then the system below will help you with this. Two periods are conventionally distinguished, for each of which a specific menu is selected.
During the first six weeks, feeding recommendations are as follows:
- the basis of the diet is hay and straw harvested from quality grass;
- vitamin and mineral complexes are added to food;
- concentrated feeds are completely eliminated.
About a month before the proposed calving, the feeding plan is as follows:
- the basis of food is hay and high-quality silo;
- to them are added concentrates in the amount of three kilograms per day;
- mineral supplements containing calcium and phosphorus are added to food.
Some farmers with advanced experience in caring for pregnant cows practice advance feeding, aimed at reducing the load of internal organs, which are working intensively. Thanks to him, it is possible to facilitate the course of pregnancy and subsequent birth of the animal.
Feeding calving cows
How to choose the right nutrition for such individuals and what is its feature? After childbirth, the animal body is greatly weakened, so they need a full and balanced diet. At the same time, products must be fresh and of high quality so that they are well absorbed and do not create a high load on the digestive system. As a basis, take straw, as well as oat and wheat talkers. To prepare them, you need to take bran of these crops, which are filled with warm water. Concentrates are also given, but their daily rate is reduced to 1.5 kilograms. A similar diet is followed during the first two days after calving.
On the fourth day, combined feeds are introduced into the menu. Start with 2.5 kg, and then increase the serving size by 250 g daily until then, until productivity stops growing. Vegetable and gourds, which are rich in vitamins and minerals, are also gradually introduced into the food. They begin to give silage after the cow adapts to the normal feeding system, from which she was weaned during pregnancy.
To obtain large yields, it is important to provide the cattle with an abundant amount of fresh water and salt, since these elements strongly affect the water balance and the process of milk formation. If calving was in the summer, then just a few days after it, cows can be fed with fresh grass and young shoots.
Highly productive breeds
The question of how to feed cows to obtain the maximum possible volume of production is very relevant. Highly productive breeds differ from ordinary breeds in that their bodies metabolize much faster.
In order to provide livestock with the required amount of nutrients, the diet of animals should consist of:
- fats and carbohydrates - 50%;
- proteins - 25%;
- vitamins and minerals - 25%.
If these recommendations are not followed, the productivity of cattle is greatly reduced, since they lack nutrients for normal life. Feeding is divided into 4 meals. The basis of the diet is straw, silage, root crops, concentrates and fresh, succulent feed.
Conclusion
So, in this article we examined in detail what feed cows to achieve maximum productivity, taking into account all the attendant nuances. Adhering to the above scheme, you can regularly receive a large amount of milk regardless of the season of the year, as well as feed the bull as efficiently as possible in order to obtain meat. Responsibly plan your cattle's diet, and the latter will bring you a steady profit.