Cake feed is a common supplementation option for ranchers during drought conditions. This concentrated cattle food is usually composed of various seeds and tends to be high in protein content.
Feed grain can be given when supplies of forage are limited, productivity suffers due to poor quality or when extra energy is necessary to reach and/or sustain a targeted level of production.
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Cottonseed Cake
Whole cottonseed is an optimal feed ingredient that contains energy, protein and effective fiber. It has become widely recognized by dairy producers across the U.S. as a cost-effective, top choice for lactating cows.
Furthermore, this seed promotes body condition and increases cows’ capacity to breed and milk efficiently due to its lysine content.
Furthermore, gossypol, a toxic cotton plant pigment that can reduce fertility and cause reproductive failure in cows, is beneficial. Furthermore, its lower cost than soybean meal makes it an attractive supplement to pig diets (Sastry, 2002).
A study conducted at the University of Georgia tested three diets containing CSC, or dry extruded whole cottonseed cake, during mid-lactation. Researchers discovered that feeding 100% CSC did not impact productive performance but proved more successful at increasing milk yield than the other treatments combined.
Sunflower Cake
Sunflower cake is a high protein, fat feed for cattle that comes as an by-product of oil extraction and contains up to 15-20% fat.
Smallholder farmers can benefit from this by-product, which can serve as an affordable alternative to synthetic feeds. It provides essential proteins, energy and fibre as well as essential vitamins and minerals.
Furthermore, chlorogenic acid (CGA) and phenolic compounds found in this fruit can be added to milk in order to improve the quality of dairy products as well as promote animal health.
Studies have demonstrated that sunflower meal can aid in rumen fermentation, but it’s essential to choose the appropriate ration and feeding rate for each cow. It can be added as a supplement to hay or pasture or included as part of an overall mixed ration.
Soybean Cake
Soybean cake is a high-protein feed made from pressing, heat treatment and extraction processing of soybeans. It provides valuable nutraceuticals and functional ingredients (Terpinc et al. 2012).
Soybean cakes have long been used in dairy cattle diets due to their high Apparent Metabolizable Energy content. This calculation takes into account both gross energy consumed by the cow, as well as gaseous digestion products like faecal or urine.
Soybean cake can be used as a replacement for soybean meal in dairy diets, as it has positive effects on feeding behavior, water consumption and milk yield. Furthermore, soybean cake helps reduce milk fatty acid concentrations and blood metabolites; plus it prevents soy oil oxidation. Furthermore, its contents of diadzein and gelatin help protect soy protein from oxidative stress. These advantages make soybean cake an ideal feed choice for dairy cows.
Range Pellets
Ranchers may find range pellets to be an efficient solution. They come with various protein levels to meet cattle’s nutritional requirements.
Cammack Ranch Supply in Union Center, S.D., manufactures 15%, 20% and 30% wheat-based protein pellets as well as a low-protein pellet with corn and alfalfa extract.
These pellets have a variety of uses, such as winter supplementation on the range or controlling grazing. They come in bulk, loose or bagged form.
When used properly, they can help farmers reduce expenses and boost profitability. They are especially beneficial when forage quantity and quality decrease during the fall and winter months.
To maximize the efficiency of these supplements, it is essential to guarantee that the forages being fed have accurate nutrient compositions. This can be accomplished by sampling and analyzing the feed for its nutrient content; doing this helps avoid errors that could result in unnecessary expenses.
