Dairy Cattle Feeding Guides - Chapter 9 FEEDING FOR MILK PRODUCTION Feeding more than any other single practice determines the productivity of the diary cow. Forage Consumption:
Concentrates for Dairy Cattle
Feeding Guidelines Nutrient requirements vary with phase of lactation (see Figure 9-1, p. 400)
-- milk production peaks 6-8 wks postpartum -- increase grain 1-2 lb daily -- avoid overfeeding grain (more than 65% of total dry matter) -- maintain fiber levels at 17 to 19% ADF -- extra dietary protein. ..bypass protein -- 1 - 1.5 lbs of added fat daily
--max. DM intake reached 12 - 14 wks. --grain intake may reach 2.5% of body wt., maintain forage level between 1 to 1.25% body wt. -- high producers (>70 lbs; 4% FCM) should be fed all natural protein (i.e. no urea)
--milk production declining and the cows is pregnant (you hope anyway) --match grain intake with milk production; avoid wasteful grain feeding to low producers --time to put wt. back on cows --avoid over conditioning
--forage quality is not as critical --DMI is approx. 2% of body wt. --excess feeding of corn grain or corn silage can cause fatty livers (fat cow syndrome) --feed low Ca and salt levels 2 weeks before calving --cows need to be in "good" condition when calving Things to Remember in Feeding for Milk Production
-- energy feed(s) -- protein feeds (s) -- .5 to 1% trace mineralized salt -- no more than 6% molasses -- no more than 1% urea -- up to 8% added fat (ruminal unprotected plus protected sources) -finally ground pelleted forage or grains should not be fed alone to lactating cows - best to feed some hay with silage -have good quality water available at all times -give due consideration to the relationship of feeds to milk flavor -added fat -- high producing cow during the 1st 12 to 16 wks of lactation will benefit most from added fat --cow under heat stress may also benefit form added fat --supplemental fat can blended with concentrate mixture --too much added fat can cause reduced fiber digestion, reduce feed intake, and digestive upsets (especially unsaturated fatty acids)--whole or processed oilseeds (unsaturated, but slowly digested) -- feed 5 to 7 lb oilseeds per head per day -- may be fed whole or rolled -- heat treated soybeans have a greater protein bypass properties than unheated soybeans -- when feeding added fat, increase dietary Ca to .9%+, the Mg to .3%, the ADF fiber to 20%, and increase protein content by 1 to 2%.-protein -- undegraded and degraded protein -- normally total protein contains 60% degradable and 40% undegradable -- balancing a diet based on undegraded and degraded protein may allow the producer to lower total protein level which would provide an economic benefit -- high producer, those produce more than 5% of the body wt of milk have shown to benefit form diets formulated to contain greater than normal proportions of bypass protein |
Email me :dkennedy@creek.astate.edu |