When you have cattle on your property, it is important to know what they are eating, as well as what you can do to keep them healthy. In this article, we’ll go over a few of the things that you can do to ensure that your cattle are getting the best nutrition possible.
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Keeping water pails clean
When a calf eats, it needs clean, fresh water to survive. Poor water quality can result from a variety of factors, including total solids present, pH levels, mineral content, and microbial contaminants. A few simple steps can help keep your pails and buckets squeaky clean.
The best way to do this is to implement a regular cleaning schedule. The equipment you use to deliver water to calves should be sanitized before each feeding. This should include a sanitizing solution such as 50 parts per million of chlorine dioxide.
You should also be sure to clean the nipples after each feeding. Most bottle feeders use a sanitizer to do this. It is important to follow the manufacturer’s instructions.
Another option is to purchase a calf milk replacer. It is available in powder or powder-like form. Some farms will even feed their calves raw milk. These products are a good way to make sure your calf gets the nutrients it needs without introducing any harmful pathogens.
Feeding a high-quality milk replacer
If you’re looking for a solution to increase the health of your calves, you may want to consider feeding them a high quality milk replacer. In addition to improving their overall health, a good milk replacer can also reduce the risk of diarrhea and decrease bacterial overgrowth.
As calves get older, their digestive systems develop. This means they should be fed a higher proportion of solid feed, rather than liquid. Solids should be introduced as early as possible.
The amount of solid feed that your calf should eat is determined by its age, body weight, and target growth rate. It should be fed a little more than one pound in the first week, two pounds during the second and third weeks, and three pounds in the fourth and fifth weeks.
To increase the nutritional value of your milk replacer, you can increase the fat and protein content. Milk replacers that contain 20:20 crude protein are effective at increasing the energy intake of calves.
Avoiding hammer milling of barley straw
There are numerous ways to feed barley to your cattle, but the hammer mill should be avoided. In the context of anaerobic digestion, a well-balanced meal consisting of barley grain and straw is the way to go. Barley grain is a boon to several types of beef cows. Moreover, it can be properly processed to maximize its nutritional value.
This study tested the trifecta: the rumen-based anaerobic digester, the best quality barley straw and the aforementioned rumen-based digester. The rumen-based digester is a good choice for barley, as it yields a large amount of biogas in a short period of time. It is also a cost-effective solution compared to other feedstocks.
The rumen-based anaerobic digestive system yields a higher rate of biogas production. Also, it can be used to digest other lignocellulose biomass like sawdust, corn cobs, corn bran, and sugar cane. But, before going down the anaerobic route, the question remains: how long will a rumen-based system retain the feedstocks to be digested?
Treating pasture bloating
Bloat is a digestive disorder characterized by the buildup of gas in the rumen. The resulting pressure in the rumen can cause death in just one hour. It can occur in both cattle and sheep. In the case of dairy cows, the mortality rate can reach 1%.
In the event of bloat, the first step is to identify which pasture is causing the problem. This should be done by observing the animals closely. If the bloat is only mild, there is no need to remove the animal. However, if the bloat is severe, it is necessary to consult a veterinarian.
If it is determined that the pasture is a high bloat potential, it is best to delay grazing for a few days. After a couple of weeks, you can introduce the animals to the pasture again. Avoid fresh pastures or those that are moist.
Another effective way to prevent bloat is to provide low-bloat legumes, such as 10% birdsfoot trefoil. These legumes contain high levels of tannins, which bind soluble proteins and inhibit bloat.
