Every farmer strives to obtain high yields of nutritious, tasty milk from cows. Therefore, livestock breeders are always interested in how to increase the fat content of a cow’s milk. Of course, first of all, you need to choose the right breed of cows. As a rule, complex measures (good care, proper diet) are used to increase fat content. It should be taken into account that with an increase in fat content, the volume of milk yield decreases.
Scientific approach
Fat content depends on several factors.The main determining factors can be identified: the age of the cow, breed, seasonality, care and diet. The scientific method of influencing the quality of milk yield is selection.
The milk of cows whose breeds are bred in Russia does not have a high fat content (on average, 4%). Higher rates are demonstrated by cows of European breeds raised in other climatic conditions. Therefore, Russian breeders use bulls of European breeds to breed dairy cows. A promising area of work is crossing red steppe breed and Danish red.
Catering
Selection is a reliable way of breeding cows that produce fatty milk, but it does not work quickly. Therefore, farmers are trying to obtain a higher quality dairy product by preparing an appropriate diet for their pets. What to focus on:
- brewer's yeast with crushed barley, oatmeal;
- Feeding fresh hay can increase the fat percentage. Forbs, clover with alfalfa or timothy are preferred;
- sunflower or flaxseed meal, cakes.
It is advisable to feed dairy cows with feed with mineral supplements (calcium, phosphorus) and table salt.
Conditions of detention and milk fat content
In addition to breeding work and proper diet, an important component of increasing the fat content of dairy products is proper animal care. Good results in terms of product quality appear when using massage before milking.
The health of animals directly affects the quality of milk. Cattle are kept in dry pens that are cleaned regularly.It is important to ensure the premises are ventilated, but avoid drafts. Sawdust and straw are used as bedding. To increase lactation, animals are given regular walking, even in the cold season. Exceptions are ice, strong winds with rain, snowfall and deep snow cover.
Why can the fat content of milk decrease?
Sometimes there are cases when, with careful care and properly selected feed, the fat content decreases and does not increase. A cow may have liquid milk for several reasons:
- sulfur deficiency is observed with a diet containing rotted haylage and a large amount of silage;
- lack of protein provokes slow digestion of fiber (observed when feeding silage in large volumes);
- lack of roughage in the diet;
- summer season;
- a reduced percentage of fiber in the diet (the recommended parameter is not lower than 1.1-1.3% relative to the animal’s weight).
Milking technology plays an important role. The fat content of milk will decrease if there are strong fluctuations in the liquid in the pipeline.
A balanced diet, proper care, adherence to a milking schedule - all these factors increase milk yield and quality of milk. The breed plays a decisive role. Although cows kept in the same herd can produce milk of varying fat content.
