Using flax straw for cattle is a great way to provide an extra source of protein for your animals. It is also a great way to reduce the cost of your livestock feeding.
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Ammoniated flax straw
Adding ammoniated straw to a cow’s diet can be a useful alternative to costly hay in drought years. This treatment can increase the digestibility of straw by up to 20%.
When feeding ammoniated straw to cows, it is important to watch for urea toxicity. This is a risk when feeding high quality forages. The straw should be fed on alternate days to reduce urea levels. It should also be supplemented with trace minerals and vitamins. This will help to balance the diet.
Ammoniation of straw is a fairly inexpensive procedure. It adds NH3 groups to the straw, which increases its crude protein content by about 10%. It also improves dry-matter digestion.
The process takes about an hour to complete. For each stack of bales, you will need three tons of anhydrous ammonia. Each stack should be about ten bales wide and seventeen bales long. The bales should be spaced about two inches apart.
Untreated flax straw
Considering that straw is the most common crop residue in North Dakota, it makes sense that cattle would appreciate its many virtues. Among the many uses of straw is as a major roughage in a growing ration. It is also an important component in a wintering ration. It can also be used as a fiber fraction in a dairy diet. Considering that cattle tend to eat a lot of straw, it would be a good idea to make it as palatable as possible.
The best way to do this is to combine it with silage to reduce compaction. The most optimal time for harvesting is in the early morning, preferably when there is still dew on the ground. The best time to bale it is after the grain has been harvested.
Wheat straw
Depending on its nutritive value, cereal straw and flax straw for cattle can be a valuable resource for beef cows. These sources are relatively cheap and abundant. However, they lack some nutritive values that are necessary for healthy livestock. Therefore, it is recommended that they be consumed as part of a balanced diet.
The nutritive value of straw depends on the nutrient composition, microbial degradation in the rumen, and the proportion of stems and leaves. Usually, straw-based diets require supplemental nutrients. In most cases, they must be supplemented with a protein concentrate to achieve balanced nutrition.
Wheat straw contains lignin and hemicelluloses as well as phytosterols. The cell wall of wheat straw is also a source of policosanol. This substance helps to protect against cardiovascular diseases and intermittent claudication.
Wheat chaff
During the harvest of a wheat crop, wheaten chaff is produced as a by-product. It is a fibrous flake which can be used as roughage in a balanced diet. Wheaten chaff is also widely used as a horse ration.
Stubbles from wheat-crop stubbles contain 5.9 MJ ME/kg DM. The metabolisable energy intake of Merino ewes grazing these stubbles was calculated. The horizontal dashed line represents the average level of MEI below which ewes lose weight.
Chaff heaps from barley and lupins have similar component ratios to chaff heaps from wheat. However, the proportion of grains was higher in barley chaff heaps than in other crops.
The quality of chaff varies from crop to crop and from crop to field. It is a good idea to test chaff to determine its feed value.
Protein sources
Several types of protein sources are available when feeding flax straw to cattle. Flaxseed is an oily seed which has been used as livestock feed in Africa and Asia for several thousand years. It can be added to calf, beef, sheep and pork diets. It can be used in poultry diets and is also used to produce milk products.
It is important to feed cows straw that is nutritionally adequate. It is not a good idea to use straw as the only roughage source in rations because it will not provide enough protein for the animal. It is best to combine straw with hay or grain to increase its consumption.
The protein content of straw varies from one to eight percent. The nutrient value of straw is determined by the stage of maturity at harvest. The highest levels of protein are found in oats and oat straw. The next highest protein straw is barley straw.
