Total mixed ration (TMR) feeding is one of the most successful methods of group feeding dairy cows. It offers more efficiency than individual feeding and ensures each cow receives a balanced ration.
TMR feeds are made up of a specific combination of forage, grains, protein feeds, minerals, vitamins and additives designed to provide essential nutrients to livestock. This ensures the same mix of ingredients and nutrients are available throughout the day – an important element for fermentation.
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Benefits
There are numerous advantages to switching your dairy herd over to a total mixed ration (TMR) for increased milk production, reduced feed costs and improved rumen microbe health.
Your cow’s ration should be tailored to meet their nutritional requirements and balanced correctly for mixing. Otherwise, your animals won’t get enough essential vitamins and minerals to produce high-quality milk or have healthy reproduction.
If your TMR is designed incorrectly, it won’t provide your livestock with the right ratios of forage to concentrate and can lead to impaired rumen function. Regular testing and adjustment of moisture content in ensiled forages and other feeds should be made to ensure maximum efficacy.
Check the particle size of your TMR every two to four weeks. If the particles are too large for your herd’s consumption, you may need to chop some long forage particles or replace some in the TMR with feeds that require more sorting.
Feeding Schedule
A dairy cow’s performance is determined by her genetic ability, her feeding program, herd management and health. With the correct diet, suitable housing and water production systems in place, she will reach her maximum potential to produce high quality milk.
Dairy cattle mainly get their nutrition from carbohydrates. Furthermore, they require fat (equivalent to 9.4 calories/g), protein and other minerals.
Grass-leaf fodder is the primary source of protein for dairy cows. To ensure a balanced diet that includes sufficient forage, it’s important to provide them with plenty of it – otherwise, depletion of essential rumen nutrients could occur and reduce milk yield.
It is essential that the herd has access to clean, fresh water at all times. Neglecting to do so could result in a 16-24% decline in DMI, leading to decreased milk yield.
Feeding Groups
Grouping cows according to their stage in life, milk production level or reproductive status helps ensure that feeds are tailored for them nutritionally. This reduces waste and the excretion of nutrients not needed by a particular group.
Grouping cows by parity (first lactation versus older cows) is a widely used practice that offers numerous advantages. First-lactation cows housed separately from older ones tend to lie down more, eat more, and have fewer aggressive interactions with their herdmates.
Depending on the size of your farm, it may be necessary to create multiple groups or adjust rations as your herd grows. Doing this helps meet all feeding requirements throughout the milking cycle and optimize productivity and profitability for all involved.
Fresh cows should be separated from mature and overconditioned cows to reduce their vulnerability to disease. This allows for closer monitoring and more intensive health protocols to be implemented, which in turn leads to higher milk yield and improved dairy health.
Feed Mixing
Feed mixing is an essential step in the feed delivery process. The mixer must mix the feed to a level that ensures even distribution and adequate feeding of all cows in a pen or group.
For best results, mix the rations thoroughly (three to five minutes) using a vertical mixer for optimal mixing.
It is essential to regularly test the particle size of rations at both the mixer and bunk. This should be done using a Penn State Particle Size Separator box.
Long forage particles or corn cobs in the diet indicate that cows are sorting these out and not consuming a balanced ration.
Avoid this problem by finely grinding long forage or grain particles. Furthermore, periodically check the particle size of ensiled forage; smaller grains provide greater palatability for cows.
