There is no absolutely correct diet for cows, as various factors are taken into account when formulating a diet. Feeding dry cows according to all the rules ensures the health and productivity of the cattle. A balanced diet includes haylage from cereal grasses, hay, concentrated feed, and a vitamin and mineral complex.
The importance of having the right diet
Poor nutrition of pregnant cows affects not only their health.Omissions in the diet provoke metabolic disorders in calves, weaken the immune system, increasing susceptibility to diseases. Inadequate feeding has a negative effect on the udder (the development of glandular tissue slows down). This point must be taken into account when preparing the diet for first-calf heifers, since the diet determines subsequent milk production.
A decrease in milk production is also a natural result of poor-quality feeding. A poor diet can lead to disruption of the reproductive cycle, which entails a reduction in the fertility of cows.
How to feed dry cows?
It is important to build on a balanced rate of feeding concentrates. If there is an excess of concentrated feed, the fetus will develop quickly, which can cause difficult births. Lack of feed increases the risk of having weak calves. During the growth period, such newborns will find it difficult to resist infections and gastrointestinal diseases. When preparing a diet, several feed parameters are taken into account:
- amount of dry matter - a source of energy (norm 2.2-2.5 kg of substance per 100 kg of cow weight);
- protein nutrition;
- sugar and starch;
- mineral elements and vitamins.
The diet must include hay, silage, haylage - high-quality grass feed that covers the cow's need for carotene. Well-dried hay satisfies the cow's body's need for vitamin D.
Daily diet
When drawing up a feeding regimen, several factors are taken into account: availability of feed on the farm, type of diet, seasonality.
In winter
In the cold season, the basis of the diet is root crops, haylage, silage, and hay. A cow is fed 6-10 kg of hay per day.When using silage or haylage, they are guided by indicators per 100 kg of live weight: silage 2-3 kg, haylage - 2-4 kg. The weight of concentrates in the diet ranges from one to three kilograms. The feed rate is divided into 2-3 doses.
During the stall period
Particular attention should be paid to compiling a cow’s diet during this period, since a decrease in productivity and the likelihood of contracting infections can provoke even minor disturbances in the feeding regime. Recommended daily ration: silage or straw – 10 kg, hay – 2 kg, mixed feed – 2-3 kg, salt – 100 g.
The vitamin and mineral composition should not be underestimated, since vitamin deficiency causes cows to have problems with their kidneys, liver, and productivity. The best option is to add premixes to the feed - a product containing vitamins and minerals in a balanced set (requires phosphorus 50 g, calcium 90 g, zinc, copper, iodine, vitamins A, E, D).
During the grazing period
Fresh green mass is the basis of the summer diet. Animals graze on pastures for days. The daily norm of green feed is 18-20 kg. The source of energy and mineral elements will be concentrated dry food (norm 2-3 kg). You can add hay - 2-3 kg, silage or haylage - 12-15 kg. It is not recommended to get carried away with silage, since low-quality mixtures are characterized by a high content of organic acids that negatively affect metabolism and fetal health.
Feed characteristics
Both perennial and annual plants are suitable for making hay. Cultivated pastures are sown with alfalfa, legume-cereal grass, timothy grass, and awnless brome.
Cereals and legumes are suitable for preparing haylage (dried grass with a moisture content of 50-55%).
Well-leafed, highly nutritious plants deserve preference: alfalfa, clover, peas, vetch, green mass of oats. Peas, corn, sorghum, and vetch (with barley or oats) are used as succulent silage feed. Concentrated feed is prepared from corn, peas, wheat, barley, oats, soybeans, and lentils. Additives from cake and meal (soybean, rapeseed, rapeseed) are allowed.
To organize proper feeding, dry cows are divided into two groups. Animals during the first 40-45 days of dry wood should eat mainly bulky feed. In cows of the second group (2-3 weeks before calving), the rate of concentrated feed is gradually increased (up to 4 kg per day).
What not to give to dry cows
The diet during the cow's dry period is calculated based on increasing the supply of nutrients in the animal's body. However, you need to monitor the weight of the cattle. Because both exhaustion and overeating are harmful to health.
It is necessary to carefully control the quality of feed. A product with mold or mildew can cause significant harm to both the cow and the fetus and create problems during calving. Feeding rotted hay or haylage to animals is not allowed. Also, frozen food is not included in the diet.
It is advisable to refrain from feeding dry cows pulp, stillage, cake, and brewer's grains. Because these foods can cause abortion and premature birth. The condition of the cow at the time of calving and the viability of the calf are determined by proper nutrition during the dry period.Productivity and disease resistance depend on the saturation of feed with vitamins and microelements. Lack of nutrition can “activate” latent or chronic diseases.
