5. Water is vital to the
animal’s:
•Health;
•Growth, and
•Milk production.
6. In the body of an animal,
it is essential for transporting
oxygen and nutrients
throughout the body.
Since about 85% of milk
is water, the same is
especially
important for lactating cows.
7. Water is also necessary as
it enables a cow to digest
dry feed. If a dairy cow fails
to get sufficient water,
it will eat considerably
less feed.
8. The above would lead to
decreased nutrients intake
with the end result being
reduced milk, meat,
growth rate, and
poor overall body
conditions
of the animal.
9. Feed palatability and appetite
are of essential to dairy cow
because they enhance
feed intake thus
guaranteeing
supply of the required
nutrients to the animal.
10. A milking cow drinks about 5 liters
of water for every liter of milk it
produces. A cow producing 10 liters
of milk a day must drink about 50
liters of water.
11. One producing 30 liters of
milk
should drink about 150
liters
of water in 24 hours.
12. Animals require more water
during the hot dry season
than they do during the
cool,
wet season.
The water should be:
13. •Available to the cow
all the times,
•Within 15 meters
from the feeding trough,
and
14. •Placed where it can
be warmed by the sun
as animals cannot
take enough water
when it is very cold.
15. All nutrients such as energy,
protein, fiber, minerals
and vitamins are contained
in the dry part of the forage.
They are what remain
in the forage after all water
is removed.
16. Water is the largest
component in all living
tissues. Growing plants
have about 70-80% water.
These implies that, though
essential, water in lush
forage actually limits dry
matter intake
17. The same leads to insufficient
nutrients intake by
dairy animals. For a succulent
or wet feed will offer a small
amount of dry matter.
To maximize dry matter
intake, wilt forage
with very high water
content in the sun before feeding.
18. Yeast, one of the
micro organisms that
should be
supplemented in feed of
dairy animal enhances
dry matter intake and
overall
animal performance.
19. Ruminant obtain
most of their energy
from roughage
which ferments in
the rumen. They
require energy for:
Energy
20. · Body maintenance
· Growth
· Weight gain
· Reproduction, and
· Mild production.
21. The amount of energy
needed for body
maintenance depend on
the weight of the animal.
22. The amount of
energy
needed for milk
production depends
on the amount of
milk produced, and
butter-fat content of
the milk.
23. Most of the milk is
produced during the first 3
to 4 months of the
lactation period and
therefore the cow needs
more energy in the
beginning of lactation.
During the early stage of
lactation,
24. the nutrients
requirements of an
animal are higher.
Therefore for more
milk, more
supplements should
be given at this
stage.
25. Young animals that are still
growing when they start
lactating (first calves) need
extra energy for body
maintenance, growth, and
milk production. A mature
lactating cow may not need
it for growth.
26. It has further
advantages: a mature animal
will naturally eat more and can
therefore access enough energy.
It is important
to supplement the energy
requirements of a first calfer.
27. A cow requires more
energy when it is
pregnant for health
development of the
unborn calf, and
general
reproduction
performance.
28. Since a good dairy cow
would calve every 12 to
15 months, to keep its
milk
production at the
highest levels possible,
29. a farmer should make
deliberately efforts to
supply feed supplements
with high energy
contents.
30. Molasses, oats and
cereal by-products
such as maize germ,
wheat bran, cotton
seed cake, and
sunflower cake
are usually handy.
31. Protein
The available amount of protein
in any given forage will depend
on:
· The plant species –
legumes have higher protein
contents than grasses
32. · The plants stage
of maturity – the
protein contents of a
plant decline with
age, and
33. · The methods
used for harvesting
and storage – silage
intake is usually
lower than that of
the fresh
34. materials from which
it is made and will
therefore supply fewer
nutrients including
protein to the cow.
35. Forage such as mature
grass, and crop residues
that have less than
70gm of a crude protein
per kg of dry matter
are digested slowly the
rumen
36. Animals will only eat a
small amount of such
feed and cannot obtain
enough
nutrients even for body
maintenance.
38. To supply the required
amount of protein the
protein content of the
total feed should be
between 180 and 200gm
per kg of forage.
39. As a general rule,
legumes should form
between one quarter and
one – third of the total
feed.
If the total is 100kg the
legumes portion should
be about 25 to 30kg.
