Anika Dixit

Nutrition research spanning for over a century now is clearly hinting at the nutrient requirements of animals provided through the right cattle feed. Diets are formulated from feeds and ingredients to meet the requirements of different categories of cattle to keep them healthy, productive and efficient. The importance of cattle feed lies in the goal to enhance the milk production and productive response of animals in a healthy way. Hence, it is necessary to learn a bit or two about the healthiest feed for your cattle for their growth, maintenance, and production ability. Recommendation Points For Cattle Feed a. The best cattle feed must contain protein, energy, minerals and vitamins in a balanced way to provide the best nutrient to the animals. b. It is important to feed extra food to pregnant animals to let the foetus develop properly and healthily. c. Cattle feed is directly related to reproductive efficiency, milk production, and fat content of milk. d. The average daily amount of compound cattle feed for an adult animal must be 1 to 1.5 kg. e. Milking animals must be fed 2 kg of compound cattle feed to maintain their health and to enhance milk production. f. There must be an additional 400 g cattle feed given to milking cows and 500 g given to milking buffaloes for every litre of milk produced. g. More importantly, 1 kg of compound cattle feed and 1 kg good quality oil cake must be fed to pregnant animals during the last two months of pregnancy. Feed Requirement For Cattle: Overall, any type of nutrient contributes to limit performance levels, but the ones that yield the most are energy and protein. It is crucial to count energy and protein both in the feed requirement for cattle. The feeding system uses the Metabolisable Energy (ME) in the feed as a basis to formulate rations. The ME is the energy remaining in the digested foodstuffs after the loss in faeces, urine, gases and body heat. Another major factor for a regulated cattle feed is the protein amount. The digestible crude protein is used to evaluate protein requirements, and it corresponds to the crude protein that remains after losses in the faeces. Apart from energy and protein, adequate amount of minerals and vitamins must also be included in the daily requirements of cattle feed. Calcium and phosphorus ratio must be maintained for a healthy balanced diet of animals, especially the pregnant ones and milking cows and buffaloes. Many animals, especially dairy cows undergo mineral deficiency, that includes symptoms like sore limbs, long hooves, limping, and depraved appetite. Animals feeding on green pasture normally receive all vitamins that are needed. Vitamins, namely D, E and K are found in the carotenoid pigment of green plants, and good for cattle feed and nutrition. Formulating Cattle Feed In The Right Way An actual analysis of cattle feed in a diet for any animal is much more accurate than using tabulated composition data provided by different surveys and researches. It is important to achieve an actual analysis to use it whenever possible. There are several reputed cattle feed suppliers that would not only supply the best feed, but would also guide you through the diet details and how to obtain the actual analysis. Get in touch with any of them for more details.