DAIRY FEEDING

MANAGEMENT
Prof. Dr. Muhammad Abdullah
Dean, Faculty of Animal Production and
Technology, University of Veterinary and Animal
Sciences, Lahore.
Ph. # 042-9211398 Mob. 0300-6648200
drmabdullah@hotmail.com
 Goals of a Successful
Feeding
 Feed costs represent the largest
input cost (60-70%)
 Optimize milk yield

 Feeding high producing cows

–– a continues to challenge
 Nutrient Requirements
 Maintenance/Health

 Growth

 MilkProduction
 Reproduction

– Vary with the stage of lactation

and gestation
 Feeding Phases

 Five distinct feeding phases

 Early lactation—0 to 70 days
– peak milk production) after calving
(postpartum).
– Peak DM intake—70 to 140 days
(declining milk production)
postpartum.
Phase 1 Early Lactation—0 to 70
Days Postpartum
 Feed top quality forage.
 Make sure the diet contains adequate
amounts of CP, DIP and UIP.
 Increase grain intake at a constant
rate after calving.
 Consider adding fat (1 to 1.5
lb/cow/day) to diets.
 Allow constant access to feed.
 Minimize stress conditions.
 Feeding Phases
 Mid- and late lactation—140 to
305 days (declining milk
production)
 Dry period—60 to 14 days before
the next lactation.
 Transition or close-up period—14
days before to parturition.
 Phase 2 Peak DM intake
(Second 10 Weeks Postpartum)

 Feed forages and grain several times

a day.
 Feed the highest quality feeds
available.
 Limit urea to .2 pound per cow per
day.
 Continue to minimize stress
conditions.
 Phase 3 Mid- to late lactation
(140 to 305 days postpartum)
 Easiest to manage
 Milk production is declining

 The cow is pregnant, and nutrient intake

will easily meet or exceed requirements
 Grain feeding should be at a level to
meet milk production requirements
 Lactating cows require less feed to
replace a pound of body tissue than dry
cows.
Phase 4. Dry period
(60 to 14 days before parturition)
 Observe body condition of dry cows and
adjust energy feeding as necessary.
 Meet nutrient requirements and avoid
excessive feeding.
 Change to a transition ration starting 2
weeks before calving.
 Avoid excess calcium and phosphorus
intakes.
 Limit salt to 1 ounce and limit other
sodium-based minerals in the dry cow
ration to reduce udder edema problems.
 Phase 5. Transition period
(14 days before to parturition)
 Provide 3 to 5 kg of grain
 Increase protein in the ration to between
14 and 15 percent of the ration DM
 Limit fat in the ration to .25 pounds.
High fat feeding will depress DM intake
 Maintain 3 to 5 kg hay in the ration to
stimulate rumination
 Remove salt from the ration if edema is
a problem
Feeding Management

Start from Pregnancy

to
End of Lactation Period
(Peak, mid, late lactation)
 Feeding in Pregnancy
(Last 2 months)
1. Rapid growing foetus
2. Develop body reserves for use
in subsequent lactation
How;
 Give rest if in milk (forced
drying)
 Feed concentrate 2 kg/day +
good quality fodder, restrict
straw
Early lactation (First 60 days)
 Most critical period
 Period of peak milk yield

 Higher the peak yield more

will be the milk yield
throughout lactation until
drying off.
 Feeding Total Mixed Ration
 Each bite is nutritionally balance.
 The roughage-to-concentrate can be
varied to regulate nutrient intake.
 TMR regulates rumen pH and enhance
microbial protein synthesis.
 Minimize feed selection.

 Increase feed intake.

 Less labor and feeding operations are

readily mechanized.
Selection of Concentrate Feeds
 Nutrientcomposition (Protein,
energy, minerals)
 Protein

 Contents (Quantity)

 Digestibility

 Amino acids profile

 Matching with the forages fed

 Cost
Price per Kg
 Price per Kg protein
contents
 Feed Specifications
 Dry matter, % 87~90
 Crude protein, % 17~18
 TDN, % 65~75
 ME (M.cal/kg) 2.5~2.6
Ration Preparation
Feeding System
Feeding System
CALF FEEDING RATION
 Calf Nutrition
 Colostrum should be fed to calves as
soon after birth as possible
 (ideally within 30 minutes and
certainly within 4 hours)
 Early feeding of colostrum at 4 to 5
percent of birth weight is necessary
because:
 Newborn calves have no antibodies
until they receive Colostrum (Bohli)
 Calves' ability to absorb
immunoglobulin is substantially
reduced after 24­36 hours.
 Calves may become infected with
highly pathogenic (disease-causing)
bacteria immediately after birth.
 Colostrum is a concentrated source
of ready available nutrients.
 CALF STARTER RATION
Sr. No. Feed Ingredients %
1 Soybean meal * 30.0
2 Maize grains (ground) 45.0
3 Wheat bran 8.6
4 Rice polish 5.0
5 Molasses 10.0
6 Mineral mixture 1.0
7 Vitamins 0.1
8 Calcium carbonate 0.3
Total 100

Protein = 18.51 TDN = 75.00

* Soy Protein Concentrate/Isolates
 Rearing the calf from 12 weeks
to 1 year
 During this period of the herd
replacement's life, free-choice forage and
limited grain can be fed
 Trace mineralized salt and a calcium-
phosphorus supplement can be offered
free-choice
 All calves must have access to clean, fresh
water.
 Avoid overfeeding grain and allowing
calves to become fat
 Over-conditioned heifers produce
less milk in later life
 If protein content of forage is good,
little protein supplement will be
required in the grain mix
Feeding program for heifers 1 to
2 years of age
 If good quality forage is available, this may
be the only feed required for heifers over 1
year of age
 Trace mineral salt and a calcium-
phosphorus supplement are recommended
on a free-choice basis
 Heifers should gain 1.7 to 2.0 pounds per
day
 If growth is not satisfactory, some grain
should be supplied;
 Heifers deficient in energy, phosphorus,
or vitamin A will not exhibit estrus
 Heifers fed high planes of nutrition will
show estrus at an earlier age than
heifers grown at recommended rates,
but underfeeding of heifers will delay
estrus
 Over-conditioned or fat heifers require
more services per conception than
heifers of normal size and weight
 Two months before calving to
calving
 Feeding during this period can affect
milk production during first lactation
 Good quality forage should be feed
along with grains as a source of
energy
 A thumb rule would be to feed grain
at 1 percent of body weight starting
about 6 weeks before calving
 The objective in formulating rations
is to provide animals with a
consumable quantity of feed stuffs
that will supply all required nutrients
 Thumb Rules For Lactating
Cows
 Dry matter intake
 Forage DM minimum is 40 percent
of the total DM intake or
approximately 1.5 percent of body
weight
 Maximum grain DM is 60 percent of
total DM intake, or not more than 2
percent of body weight.
 Thumb Rules For Lactating
Cows
 Protein needs to meet requirements
(17 to 19% in early lactation rations)
 Maximum total fat in rations is 7
percent of the DM
 Salt should be included in the grain
mix at 1 percent
 Thumb Rules For Lactating
Cows
 A calcium-phosphorus mineral
source should be included in the
grain mix at 1 to 2 percent
 Supplement vitamins (A, D, and E)
and trace minerals in the ration to
meet requirements.
 Quality of Feed
 There are several feed manufacturing/
processes that help minimize the risk
of introducing disease by feedstuffs.
Even feeds that have been properly
processed can be recontaminated at a
later time.
Feed Handling, Equipment and
Storage
 Ask your supplier about testing procedure
for mycotoxins
 Practices such as pelleting, steam flaking
and roasting can reduce bacterial numbers
 Ensure all storage areas (silos, bins) are
cleaned out between batches of feed
 Ensure all feed delivery equipment is cleaned
out between deliveries and farms.
 Do not use manure-handling equipment to
handle feed
 High pressure washers with or without steam
should be used on feed bunks, storage
areas, silos, mixing and delivery equipment
and feeding areas along with proper
disinfectants.
 Examine all feedstuffs closely for manure,
mold, foreign materials and uniformity.
 When feeding from silos and commodity
storage facilities inspect for mold and
other spoiled material. Do not feed this
material.
 When mold growth and spoilage are a
problem, reevaluate design and feedout
procedures.
 Rotate inventory to minimize pathogens in
stored feeds.
 Feed bunks should be cleaned out daily.
Feed refusals should not be stored more
than 24 hours to prevent spoilage. If feed
refusals are fed, they should be fed to the
oldest heifers, to minimize disease
transmission.
 Feeding Plans, Records and
Labeling
 Have a feed plan for each production class
(calves, heifers and milk cows), establish
goals for performance and disease control.
 Record feed intake as a tool to help
monitor animal health and feed quality.
 Routinely test all feeds and record
analyses
 Grain, Proteins, Forage and
Moisture
 An often-overlooked source of bacterial
and fungal (mold and yeast) disease is
silage and hay. Proper growth, harvest and
feedout can reduce the risk of disease.
 Protect feeds and feeding areas including
baling and ensiling of feed or storing feed
from exposure to animal carcasses and
manure
 Prevent access to feeds and feed bunks by
dogs, cats, wild life, birds, rodents and
other animals.
 Toxin Production In Feed
 Mycotoxins are toxic substances
produced by fungi (molds) growing
on crops in the field or in storage.
Only a few mold species produce
mycotoxins out of the thousands of
molds that grow on stored grains and
forages
 The growth parameters of molds vary in that
some proliferate while the crop is growing in
the field while others propagate during
storage.
 high humidity (>70%) and temperatures that
fluctuate between hot days and cool nights
contribute to fungal growth.
 Field molds usually do not grow in stored
ensilage because the low pH and oxygen silage
environment is not conducive to their survival.
 Aflatoxin
 Aflatoxin is a potent liver toxin and
known to cause cancer in animals
 Mature corn that remains in the field
or corn that is stored without proper
drying can be subject to Aspergillus
growth and aflatoxin production.
 Fungus growth is very low below 55
degrees F but, if the grain is moist
enough, toxins can still be produced
 Simply reducing the moisture
content to 12 to 13 percent will stop
fungus growth; however, this will not
kill the fungus and does not influence
the levels of toxins that may have
already been produced
 If moisture levels rise again above
13 percent anytime during storage
and temperatures are high enough,
then mold growth and toxin
production will resume.
 Ranking of Meals According to
Merits
1. Soybean meal
2. Canola meal
3. Guar meal
4. Sunflower meal
5. Rape seed meal
6. Cotton seed meal
7. Linseed meal
8. Safflower meal
9. Groundnut meal
10. Poppy seed meal
11. Corn gluten
Comparison of meals
Energy Comparison
 Ingredient Comparison
Cotton Seed Soybean Meal
Meal
Protein, % 41.20 46.45
ME, Kcal/kg 2570 3320
TDN, % 68 78
Lysine, % 1.60 3.09
Lysine digest., 59 85
%
Methonine, % 0.57 0.66
Mycotoxin ++++ -
Pesticide ++++ -
Residue
Gossypol +++ -
 CORN GLUTEN MEAL
 Very high in protein 60%
 Very deficient in lysine - use
synthetic lysine
 Very high in xanthophyll - up to
300 mg/kg, used to pigment
poultry products.
 High in Mycotoxins
Feeding fat

To increase energy density

Improve body condition score
Improve milk fat test
Beneficial during hot weather
Fat sources
Oil seeds Soybeans
Cottonseeds

Soy oil
Vegetable oils Canola oil
Maize oil

Animal fats Tallow

Lard
 Daily allowance
 Fodder @ 10% of body weight ~ 40-
60 kg
 Ration ~ Half of milk production

 More ration during summer season

 Water should be available all the

time
 Mineral mixture @ 2% in the ration
Composition of Ration
Ingredients Percent
Soybean meal 10
Rape seed meal 15
Wheat bran 25
Corn 25
Rice bran 10
Molasses 12
Mineral Mixture 1.5
Salt 1.5
Crude Protein, % 18.0
TDN, % 72
Urea molasses block
 FEED SUPPLEMENTS Blocks

Sr. No. Feed Ingredients Percentag

e
1 Maize gluten 30% 22.0
2 Urea 2.0
3 Rice polishing/wheat bran 20.0
4 Canola/Cotton 10.0
seed/Soybean Meal
5 Bentonite 6.0
6 Calcium carbonate 2.0
7 Molasses 36.0
8 Mineral mixture 2.0
Total 100
MINERAL MIXTURE ?
 MINERAL MIXTURE
Sr. No. Feed Ingredients Percentage
1 Di-calcium phosphate (DCP) 70.81 kg
2 Common salt 18.91 kg
3 Magnesium sulfate 8.64 kg
4 Ferrous sulfate 0.89 kg
5 Manganese sulfate 0.49 kg
6 Zinc sulfate 0.22 kg
7 Copper sulfate 0.03 kg
8 Potassium iodide 8.77 gm
9 Cobalt chloride 0.89 gm
10 Sodium selenate 1.50 gm
Total 100.0 kg
Feeding Management
 Events During Different Phases of Lactation

 Nutrients demand
for peak milk yield
is high
 Can not eat to full
capacity during
early phase
 Uses body reserves
as energy source
 Rapidly looses
body weight
Increasing Peak Milk Yield Improve Lactation Performance

16
14
Milk Yield (lit/day)

12
10
8
6
4
0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 36 40 44
Weeks of Lactation
 Flat Rate Concentrate Feeding

“Do not starve profit

out of a good cow”
“Do not feed profit to
a poor cow”
HEALTH IS WEALTH !