Feeding of Dairy Animals
A normal adult animal should be fed 6 Kg dry and 15-20 Kg green fodder per day. Legume and non-legume green fodder should be fed in 1:3
proportion.
Green fodder should be harvested at 50% flowering stage. Surplus green fodder should be conserved in the form of 'hay' or ‘silage’. Conserved fodder becomes useful during summers or when green fodder is scarce.
GENERAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Chaffing fodder before feeding increases digestibility
- To optimize milk production and to meet the nutrient requirement of animals, balanced feeding using user-friendly software developed by NDDB may be adopted.
- Animals fed only on dry fodder may be provided Urea Molasses Mineral Block as a supplement to the diet, depending upon its availability.
- For body maintenance and higher efficiency of milk production, ‘compound cattle feed' / ‘bypass protein feed' should also be given.
- Minerals are essential for all metabolic functions of the body - animals’ ration should be supplemented with area specific mineral mixture.
- Changing from one feed to another should not be sudden but in a gradual manner.
- Fodder should be chaffed before feeding, to avoid wastage and increase digestibility.
- Various feed ingredients including the additives, should be mixed to make Sani or Total Mixed Ration (TMR). It would be more appropriate to feed this ration in 3-4 equally divided parts in a day. This would reduce spoilage and increases the digestibility.