Update on dairy animal feeds and nutrition
2008
Robles, A. Y., Philippines Univ. Los Banos, College, Laguna (Philippines). Dairy Training and Research Inst.
Appropriate feeding and management of milking animals has marked influence on the profitability and success of dairy farm business. With good knowledge of feed resource such as roughages and concentrates, the economic viability of dairy farming is more or less assured. Feed cost constitutes the biggest portion in the budget of dairy farming. Growing good quality roughages and utilization of local feed ingredients for concentrate formulation are essential for economical milk production. Satisfying the nutrient requirements for maintenance, growth, reproduction and lactation are essential for top health status and fitness of animals. The practice of dairy animal feeding begins with allowing the animals all the roughages they can consume voluntarily (ad libitum feeding). Concentrate is provided to answer the needs not otherwise supplied by the roughages. Feeding of roughage free choice is followed by restricted roughage feeding when the levels of milk production become higher. This is to provide more room for the concentrate needed by the cow, as roughage alone cannot meet the requirements of nutrients needed at higher levels of milk production. With better understanding of forage quality, especially fiber levels, rumen volume, rate of passage and digestion, combination of roughage and concentrate lead to the adoption of optimum rations (OR) Milk production per cow becomes higher with better dairy merit and improved feeding management system. Then with the advent of super cows, higher levels of nutrients and formulation of total mixed rations (TMR) came into being. Lately, with increasing cost of equipment and fuel, the return to pasture feeding in the overall management for milking cows gained interest. At the present time, either OR or TMR with grazing management is being practiced together as the more practical and environment friendly feeding system for dairy cows.
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