The best way to ensure increased milk production is to see that your cows are fed well. Let me tell you not all types of feed will suit your cattle. There are lots of factors that must be considered to give your herd the right type of feed. The season is important. Like in the spring, pasture cattle will need a high magnesium mineral supplement in order to prevent grass tetany or a magnesium deficiency. For the other seasons, your cattle will require a regular pasture mineral.
Well, the best way to figure out the feed type is to ask a few questions to yourself. For instance, what kind of cattle do you have? How old are they? What are their overall feeding programs? Are they on pastures or dry lots? Cattle feeding aren’t easy. Let’s have a look at these tips;
1. Forage
Most feed consumed by the cows should be forage. Make sure you have sufficient availability of forage as cattle can be maintained only on forage with supplemental sources like salt and minerals. But then, forage quality varies greatly based on the environmental changes. As soon as the forage’s quality drops, enough supplemental feed needs to be provided in order to maintain the nutrition level. Additionally, you can consider feeding range blocks as they contain both trace minerals and salt.
2. Cattle Supplements
Feeding roughage only is not adequate for maintaining a proper body condition, especially during breeding and peak production time. Typically, 60-90 days before and after calving is the most critical time and it is then when an additional requirement of feed is there. Apart from cows, bulls should also be provided with supplements.
3. Minerals for Cattle
A complete mineral supplement having salt, phosphorus, trace minerals and calcium should be provided. Due care should be given when following the label instructions for the rate of consumption of all the minerals. Elements like forage quality, production level and body condition of the cattle affect the mineral requirements. For instance, a cow will need mineral with much higher levels of magnesium.
4. Add Protein, Fat, and Fiber as Much as Possible
The different feed contains a different quantity of protein, fat and fiber and this difference in percentage is not accidental. Each feed is designed to have a proper amount of fat, fiber, and protein for a particular animal. Being a cattle owner, you must know what should be more valuable to your animals.
Aside, make sure you keep your animals hydrated always. Water requirement of the cattle is much influenced by their age, diet, and level of production. See that they intake sufficient water.
