Problems to be Noted in Dairy Feeding Silage

After 45 days of fermentation, silage that has entered the pit has become a soft, savory, nutritious, high quality silage. When officially feeding cows with silage, attention should be paid to the following issues in order to give full play to the role of silage, ensure the physiological health of dairy cows, and improve the production performance of dairy cows.

First assess the quality of silage

The color and quality of silage are blue-green or yellow-green. If the color of the silage is found to be black or brown, the silage has become deteriorating and mildewy, and the degraded silage has to be taken out completely before being fed to the cows. Odor, high-quality silage smells sweet and sour, with a strong scent or pear flavor. If the smell is sour, it means that mildew has occurred in the silage, the cause must be identified, and appropriate remedial measures must be taken to feed the cow. Feel and high-quality silage are soft and moist in the hands. If they are sticky or dry and hard in the hands, it indicates that the silage has become mildewed and must be treated before feeding the cows.

Feeding quantity

The amount of silage administered should be determined based on the weight of the adult cow and the amount of milk produced. Cows with a body weight of 500 kg and a daily milk production of 25 kg or more can feed 25 kg of silage and 5 kg of hay each day. Dairy cows with a milk yield of more than 30 kg per day can feed 30 kg of silage and 8 kg of hay. Cows with a body weight of 350-400 kg and a daily milk yield of 20 kg can feed 20 kg of silage and 5-8 kg of hay. Dairy cows with a body weight of 350 kg and a daily milk yield of 15-20 kg can feed 15-20 kg of silage and 8-10 kg of hay. Dairy cows with a daily milk output of 15 kg or less can feed 15 kg of silage and 10-12 kg of hay. Cows should stop feeding silage 15 days before and 15 days after delivery. Dry-milk cows are fed 10 to 15 kilograms of silage each day, and other supplies of hay are adequate. The amount of silage fed to the breeding cattle should be less, preferably within 5 to 10 kg. For young animals, they should be fed little or no.

Feeding method

When feeding, in the early stage, feed less, and then gradually increase to enough, so that the cow has a process of adaptation, must not be fed in a single amount, resulting in excessive silage in the rumen of dairy cows, acidity is too large, but affect the cow Normal feeding and milk production performance. Baking soda should be added to the cows in time. When the silage is fed, the pH in the rumen of the cows is reduced and acidosis can easily occur. 13% Baking soda can be added to the concentrate to promote gastric peristalsis, neutralize acidic substances in the rumen, increase pH, increase feed intake, increase digestibility, and increase milk production. Each time the silage fed is mixed with the hay, the cows should be fed again to avoid picking the food. Conditional dairy cows, it is best to fully stir the concentrate, silage, and hay to produce a "full-mix diet" to feed the cows. The effect will be better. Silage or other roughage feeds are best fed 3 or 4 times a day to increase the number of “chews” the cow. The saliva produced and swallowed by the cow when it is "chewed" helps to buffer stomach acid, promote nitrogen recycling, and promote the digestion and utilization of feed by microorganisms. There are many dairy cows in the countryside and the feeding method twice a day is extremely unscientific. One is to increase the burden on the rumen of dairy cows and affect the number and time of normal “chewing” of dairy cows. The conversion rate of feed is reduced, and in the long run, it is easy to cause disease in the cow's stomach. The second is affecting the digestive rate of dairy cows, resulting in decreased milk production and fat percentage. Frozen silage cannot be fed to dairy cows. It must be thawed before feeding, otherwise it is easy to cause bovine abortion.

Access method

It is advisable to take one time each time in the morning and in the afternoon. The thickness of each time taken should be no less than 10 cm to guarantee the fresh quality of the silage, good palatability, and minimize the nutrient loss, so as to feed the silage. best effect.

Remove the silage can not be exposed to sunlight, do not bulk heap, scattered, it is best to use bags, placed in the cow house in the shade. After taking the silage each time, it is re-stepped again and covered with plastic cloth.

Precautions

During the feeding process, if dairy cows are found to have diarrhea, they should immediately reduce or stop feeding. Check whether the silage is mixed with moldy silage or other disease causes dairy cows to diarrhea, and continue feeding after returning to normal.

Every day, clear the feeding trough, especially at the corners, clean up the deteriorating silage and feed fresh silage. After silage is fed, the amount of concentrate feed should be reduced as appropriate, depending on the amount of milk produced by the dairy cow and the degree of lyophilization. However, it is not appropriate to reduce the amount of concentrate and rush. Silage pits and silages should be strictly protected against rodents and avoid transmitting diseases to cows.