6 ways to check feed intakes for high-yielding cows
© Adobe Stock High-yielding herds with empty bunks or lax push-up procedures could miss 2.5 litres of milk for every kilo of dry matter not eaten.
Ensuring peak-production cows can access ration whenever they need it can reward high-yielding herds with more than 70p for every extra kilo of dry matter eaten.
The feed-to-milk conversion rate is as high as 2.5 litres of milk for every kilo of dry matter (DM) ration missed for a high-production cow.
This is according to seasoned veterinary surgeon and nutritionist Dr Gordie Jones, who says increased lying times and DM intake are key to improving margin over feed (see “What does missing the “last bite” cost?”).
See also: How to identify and overcome common cow issues in the dry period
Designer and former manager of the 20,000-head Fair Oaks Dairy, Indiana, Gordie suggests farmers should walk around their dairy units, looking at their cows and infrastructure, and ask the following questions:
1. Are there tell-tale semi-circles in the feed?
The semi-circular depression left in a mixed ration is made by the mouths of cows that cannot reach to eat further.
This means they may have wanted to eat more but could not. In this situation, more push-ups are required.
2. Are some cows yielding twice the average daily yield?
Genetic merit is such that a good rule of thumb in dairies is to have several peak-lactation cows producing double the herd average.
This means a 40-litre herd should have some cows producing 80 litres/day at peak lactation. If this is not the case, it could be an indication of feed availability issues.
3. What do the cows spend their time doing?
Research shows an extra hour’s lying time is worth 1.5-1.8kg milk/day. Cows can lie for up to 20 hours/day.
If cows are not being milked, eating, drinking, or walking to do one of those things, they should be lying down.
If this is not happening, check whether their hocks are swollen, their beds are not deep enough, or they are too warm.
4. If more feed is put out, can all cows access it?
Putting out more feed will only be worthwhile if cows can reach it. Top herds offer close to 1m of feed space for each cow, with 60cm being the minimum. As well as more push-ups, check cow flow and space.
Sheds should provide 4m-wide crossovers in cubicle sheds to allow cows to access feed and 4m clearance around water troughs. They also need 4m of space between the feed bunk and the cubicles.
5. What do rumen-fill scores show?
Assess how much of a hollow is present on the left-hand side of the cow behind the last rib (beneath the transverse process of the spine and in front of the muscle that runs down from the hook bone).
This gives an indication of feed intake in the past two to six hours. The scores run from 1 (empty) to 5 (full), with 3 being about right for milking cows, indicating sufficient feed access.
6. When do the cows run out of feed?
If it turns out your cows are running out of feed, remember they are crepuscular animals (they are more active during twilight hours) and eat more in the early morning when they can see predators easily.
To allow for this, feed 65% of the feed at sunrise (or in the evening if sunrise feeding is too early to be practical).
What does missing the “last bite” cost?
Missing the last kilo could cost herds 72p in lost margin over feed, based on a milk price of 40p/litre, Dr Gordie Jones’s conversion figure of 1kg of dry matter (DM) to 2.5 litres of milk, and cost of 28p/kg for 1kg of DM.
Calculation
40p/litre x 2.5 litres = 100p/litre
100p a day – 28p/kg = 72p/kg lost margin over feed
Advice from two nutritionists on improving feed intake
Calculating a value for missing the “last bite” is challenging.
Forages are difficult to value, and many farms offer concentrates in the parlour as well as feeding a partial mixed ration, says Debby Brown, veterinary technical manager at Dugdale Nutrition, Clitheroe.
Costing grass silage at £150/t of dry matter (DM), maize at £70/t and wholecrop at £50/t, Debby looked at diets fed on her clients’ farms this spring and calculated that cost at 22p/kg.
Adding in parlour cake increased it to 24p/kg.
“This is for herds averaging 30 litres,” she explains.
“One farmer I have on a total mixed ration is averaging 28 litres a cow a day and their cost is 24p/kg for the ration fed through the bunk. For 40-litre herds, I think the cost would be 26-28p/kg.”
She offers some pointers for increasing lying times and DM intake:
Check cubicles
If cows are not lying straight and looking comfortable, they could need more bedding. Could cubicles and head rails be adjusted to increase levels of comfort?
Feeding out routines
If dawn feeding is not practicable, try feeding 60% of the daily ration in the morning and 40% in the afternoon.
Water access
Cows should have 10cm of water access each. Research shows at least two water troughs are needed for every 100 cows.
Scrimping on these can harm cow flow in the building as dominant and lower-order animals become mixed up in the social order.
Cow signals
Watch the cows for tell-tale signs that they are not comfortable and full.
Two hours after milking, 85% of the cows should be lying down cudding. If, when you push up feed or feed out, the cows rush to eat, this shows they are hungry.
Steve Chapman of SCNutrition, Cornwall, costed some of his clients’ winter/spring rations based on multicut silage, maize, wholecrop cereals and fodder beet.
He came to a similar ration cost/kg of 21-22p/kg dry matter (DM), including parlour cake.
Consider high yielders
Steve says an 80-litre cow is not double the size of a 40-litre cow, she is just more efficient, processing her ration more quickly to maximise calorie intake.
He advises that a cow yielding 80 litres/day requires about 510MJ/kg metabolisable energy (ME). This means feeding 40-41kg DM at 12.5MJ/kg ME.
A farm might typically feed an average of 26kg of mixed ration for each cow in the bunk each day. However, the high-yielding cow needs to eat at least 14kg more than the average one.
He suggests the following to achieve high intakes:
Trough floor
Lay plastic tiles on trough floors to provide smooth, lickable surfaces from which to eat.
Transition cows
This high-priority group may need extra care. Is there enough room for a fresh cow pen separate from the main milking herd pen?
Balanced and consistent ration
Review chop length on the forage harvester and feed coming out of the mixer, as this will influence intake and speed of feed through the cow.
A recognised and written standard operating procedure should be given to the feeding operator to make sure the cows eat what is rationed.
Dr Gordie Jones was addressing a farmer meeting at Gisburn Auction Mart on behalf of Zinpro and Dugdale Nutrition