There are several feeding factors that affect a cow’s intake and digestibility. It’s important that you know them. Should you make the wrong moves, there could be various complications, including a serious impact on health and wellbeing. Even worse, these are issues you can avoid as well. Read on to learn more, then speak to us if you need animal feed or other products.
Feeding levels
Firstly, there’s the level of feeding. This is vital to maintaining consistent and good intakes. However, you can easily have issues with over and underfeeding.
If you overfeed, there could be a danger of stale feed contaminating the following mix. Or, you could waste too much feed. As for underfeeding, you cannot maximise intakes this way, since feed won’t be ad lib.
Overfeeding is 13-15% residual feed in trough before the next feed-out. Underfeeding is 3-5% residual feed, which is effectively empty. The ideal amount is 5-10% residual feed in trough before the next feed out. There’s a minimum of 70cm trough space/cow too.
Feed processing
Effective animal feed processing is necessary to ensure the stability and physicality of the mix at your feed fence. Should a robotic mix be over processed, it’s able to break down the structure too much. It’ll impact the physical nature and effective fibre. In turn, this places pressure on rumen health.
If under processed, the mix will be too open. During this state, the cows can sort and the result is inconsistent digestibility of your mix. At worst, acidosis can occur. This is because they often pick the concentrates out first and leave the lower nutrient fibre to last.
With the feed processing of the mix, the aim is to go for a uniform particle length. Then, you must consider the addition of water if your ration exceeds 42% dry matter. Both enhance digestibility.
Feeding frequency
How frequently you feed can influence rumen acidity. By feeding 4, 5, or 6 times a day, you can improve rumen pH. You can increase or stabilise digestion, especially the digestibility of the fibre and 30% of the mix dry matter. Animal feed needs to be available at 11pm so the animals can eat it throughout the night.
As for feeding once or twice a day, rumen pH fluctuations of between 5.1 and 7.0 can happen. This lowers the digestibility of your mix. So, it is wise to increase the feed frequency.
Environmental factors
These include noise, rain, cow flow, airflow, humidity, and heat. Any combination of factors can result in a stress response. Furthermore, they can demotivate cows to eat. They can even lower feed passage rates and delay entry into small intestines.
Humidity and heat stress will lower appetite and affect animal feed intake. Temperatures over 21ºC can act as a trigger for cows to suffer it. So, if it is hot, ensure there is sufficient shade and water to keep animals cool. Make sure any housing has good ventilation to maintain stable temperatures.
Stress can also stop cows from lying down as much as they need to. Cows that lie down ruminate more efficiently and have 30% more blood flow through their udders. For each extra hour over 9 hours, there can be an increase of 1 litre of milk.
Animal factors
You must consider the level of exercise, stage of pregnancy, and age of your cows. For instance, the rumen capacity of an expecting cow might be 15-20% lower. Her liquid intake capacity can also go down by 10-12%.
Additionally, the cow’s age will influence her dry matter intake. People understand the concept of first lactation heifers having an intake of about 85% that of older animals. Although, we also need to consider second calvers differently to third lactation cows and over.
We have the animal feed you need
At JS Hubbuck Ltd, we have plenty of feed options available. They come with some reasonable prices as well. In short, we’re the best people to buy them from. So, if we can do anything for you, please get in touch.