How do you feed a dairy cow for maximum production?

Provide a flake of alfalfa/grass hay for the first five days after calving. Early lactation diet should contain plenty of good quality digestible fiber (31 to 35 percent neutral detergent fiber). Maintain fiber mat with consistent feed intake and avoid empty bunks. Provide free choice buffer, and monitor buffer intake.

How much should a dairy cow eat per day?

A dairy cow will eat 1.5 to 2% of body weight daily as forage (hay equivalent). Fifteen to 20 lbs. of hay or equivalent from other forages will keep a cow's rumen functioning normally. Feed some grain -- up to 1.5% of body weight) during the last 7 to 10 days of the dry period – to lead cows into production.

How do you increase milk production in dairy cows?

What is the best food for dairy cows?

Dairy cattle should consume enough forage material – pasture grasses, fodder, and silage – to meet their daily caloric requirements. This can be achieved through grazing, using feeding equipment, or a combination of both. Common wet and dry forage materials include corn, barley, hay, alfalfa, and pasture grasses.

Is Pollard good for dairy cows?

Wheat pollard is used as a raw material in the production of animal feeds. Bakex Millers produces top quality wheat pollard that has numerous nutritional benefits to your livestock making it a very valuable feed component. It is high in dietary fibres and is a good source of protein, calcium, phosphorus and lysine.

Tips for maximum milk production in dairy farming

How do you make cows concentrate feed?

A medium protein grain mixture is most suitable when milk is fed freely. A grain mixture of oats - 35 percent, linseed cake - 5 percent, bran - 30 percent, barley - 10 percent, groundnut cake - 20 percent may be fed to the calves. Another good mixture consists of ground maize - 2 parts, wheat bran - 2parts.

How do you feed cows cheaply?

Baled stalks make good combo feed.

Limit-feeding it is often a low-cost option. “Distillers' fed with a low quality forage like corn stalks is so cost effective because distillers' is often a low-cost source of both energy and protein,” says Drewnoski.

How much grain does a cow eat per day?

Cows will voluntarily consume about 2 percent of their body weight or 24 pounds per day. The 24 pounds is based on 100 percent dry matter.

What is the best grain to feed a steer?

Corn, oats, and barley are the primary grains fed to cattle. Oats, which has a lower energy value due to its high fiber content, is considered the "safest" grain in regards to potential digestive disturbances.

How many times should a cow be fed?

Rumen functions

When animals are fed 5-6 times per day, there will be a stable pH in the rumen at levels ranging from about 5.5 to 5.8, but when they are fed only 1-2 times per day, the pH will vary from about 5.1 to 7.1 within the same day.

How much grass does a dairy cow eat per day?

Cows typically eat 22 to 28 lb of forage dry matter per day. At 25 lbs of dry matter, this would be the equivalent of 28.4 lbs of hay at 88% DM; 50 lbs. of alfalfa silage at 50% DM; or 167 lbs of fresh pasture at 15% dry matter.

What is the best fodder for cows?

Jowar and maize are the best crops suitable for ensiling. All non-leguminous fodder crops except turnip and rape. Hybrid Napier, Sudan grass, Berseem, Oats cow pia, millets are also suitable crops. They have to be wilted for 3-4 to increase dry matter to around 35% before ensiling.

Is rice bran good for dairy cows?

Rice bran oil is one source of oil that can be used as a supplement for dairy cattle diets. It contains 25% saturated fatty acids and 75% unsaturated fatty acids, especially consists of high level of 38.4% oleic and 34.4% linoleic acids (Orthoefer, 2001).

Is maize germ good for dairy cows?

Maize germ from dry milling ethanol production was found to be a suitable alternative source of fat for energy in lactating dairy cows.

Is rice bran good for cattle?

Rice bran is nutritious and supplies protein, energy and minerals (Table 1). Both full-fat rice bran (commonly referred to as 12-12-12 for 12 percent protein, fat and fiber) and defatted rice bran are sold for cattle feed.

How many bales of hay does a cow need a day?

A 1200-pound cow, ready for processing, will require 36 pounds of forage per day based on the formula used here. Thirty-six pounds of hay is close to one small square bale of hay per day, taking into consideration some waste.

How much silage does a cow need per day?

Cattle will commonly consume corn silage at a rate of 5 to 7 pounds per 100 pounds of body weight. A 500-pound feeder calf may consume 25 to 35 pounds of corn silage as-fed daily.

How much dry matter does a dairy cow need?

Useful rules of thumb

An efficient milking cow needs a daily dry matter intake equivalent to at least 3% of its body weight. Example: a 600 kg cow needs 600 kg × 3% = 18 kg DM/day. Higher producing cows will eat more than 4% of their body weight as dry matter.

Do cows need grain everyday?

The grain finished cattle need to be checked regularly and fed daily. They live in the pasture their entire lives and also receive natural grain during the last 6 months of their life.

Will cows stop eating when they are full?

Can cows over eat – yes. Will they over eat forage such as hay – depends. I assume that when you say over-eat, you mean they eat more than they need to meet their nutrient needs.

Can cows survive on grass alone?

Many people still think that dairy cows consume grass and grass alone. They have that idyllic image of black and white cows out in a green pasture next to a red barn. While some cows can sustain many of their needs on grass alone, they are usually the non-lactating cows (i.e., cows that aren't producing milk).

How long should you feed out a steer for slaughter?

The amount of time on feed can vary from 60-150 days. For a backyard steer, 90 days on grain should be sufficient. The grain component will help him gain faster and change the flavor of the beef to more closely match what is purchased in the grocery store.

Can cows properly digest grass and grain at the same time?

Remarkably, cattle are able to switch between the grass-digesting microbes and the grain-digesting microbes in their stomachs. But while either set of microbes can dominate the digestive process, they cannot both thrive simultaneously. Grass and grain cannot both be properly digested at the same time.