Feeding of dairy animals
Department of Animal Nutrition
Co.V.Sc. & A.H., Jabalpur (MP)
Ration schedule for dairy animals from three months to maturity
Breed of animal Concentrate kg Roughage kg
From 3 to 6 months
Hariana (a) 1.0-1.5 or Green oats or maize- 10 kg
(b) 0.2-1.5 or Berseem 1.5-2.5 kg +dry fodder 2 kg
(c) 1.4-2.0 Green fodder 3 kg +straw 2 kg
Murrah (a) 1.2-1.5 or Green oats or maize or silage 10-12 kg
(b) 0.2-1.5 or Berseem 1.5-2.5 kg +dry fodder 2 kg
(c) 1.4-2.0 Green fodder 3 kg +straw 2 kg
From 3 to 4 months (75-90 kg)
Breed of animal Concentrate kg Roughage kg
Holstein 2.0 7.5-8.0 kg green oats or maize
and alike fodders
Brown Swiss 2.0 5-10 kg
Jersey (60 kg) 1.6 5-10 kg
Holstein x Hariana 2.0 5-10 kg
Brown Swiss x 1.6 5-10 kg
Hariana
Jersey x Hariana 1.6 5-10 kg
From 4 to 6 months (90-100 kg)
Breed of animal Concentrate mixture Roughage quantity
kg kg
Holstein 2.0 10-15 kg
Brown Swiss 2.0 10-15 kg
Jersey 1.8 10-15 kg
Holstein x Hariana 2.0 10-15 kg
Brown Swiss x Hariana 2.0 10-15 kg
Jersey x Hariana 1.8 10-15 kg
From 6 to 12 months
Breed of animal Concentrate mixture Roughage quantity
kg kg
Hariana (i) 1.0 or Green oats or maize- 15-20 kg
(ii) 1.0 or 15-20 kg Berseem and + dry fodder
(iii) 2.0 2.0 to 3.0 kg Wheat straw + green oats 5 kg
Murrah (i) 1.25 or Green oats or maize 20-25 kg
(ii) 1.00 or 25-30 kg Berseem and + dry fodder
(iii) 2.00 5 kg Straw wheat straw + green 3.0 kg
From 6 to 9 months (100-150 kg)
Breed of animal Concentrate kg Roughage kg
Holstein 2.5 Green maize, sorghum or
green oats (15-20 kg)
Brown Swiss 2.5 15-20 kg
Jersey (80-120 kg) 2.0 10-15 kg
Holstein x Hariana 2.5 15-20 kg
Brown Swiss x Hariana 2.5 15-20 kg
Jersey x Hariana (80-120 kg) 2.0 15-20 kg
From 1 year to age at conception (heifers)
Breed Concentrate Roughage
kg kg
Hariana (130-300 kg) (i) 1.5 or Green oats or maize 25-30 kg
(ii) 1.0 or Berseem + dry fodder 30-35 kg
(iii) 2.0 Straw + green 4-5 kg
Murrah (140-300 kg) 2.0 Green oats or maize 30-35 kg
Exotic (i) 2.0 or Green oats or maize 30-35 kg
Cross bred (ii) 1.5 Berseem + dry fodder 30-35 kg
(200-300 kg)
Feeding dairy cows
The low average milk production of Bos indicus cattle and buffalo is
mainly because they have been bred for draught purposes, disease
resistance, tolerance to tropical climates and poor nutrition.
Multipurpose animals produce 500-1000 litres of milk in one
lactation with a peak of three to five kilograms per day.
High producing crossbreeds produce between 2400-4000 litres of
milk per lactation.
Therefore, in feeding the dairy cow or buffalo, farmers should
consider at one extreme a zebu cow weighing 250 kg, producing
one to two kilograms of milk per day and consuming wheat or rice
straw and a little grazing.
At the other extreme could be a cross bred cow or Murrah buffalo
weighing 500 kg and producing about 20 to 30 kg of milk per day,
at six per cent fat in the case of buffalo, and receiving about 20 to
25 kg green fodder and 8 to 12 kg of concentrate.
The primary objectives in feeding the dairy cow or buffalo
are: to allow maintenance and growth to mature body
weight; to provide nutrients for the production of a calf
after every 12 to 15 months, and to promote optimum
quantity and quality of milk.
Calorimetric studies have revealed that during lactation,
heat production in an animal of 453 kg body weight is
increased by over 2000 kcal per day. For high producing
animals to meet energy requirements, higher levels of
intake are required which depresses digestibility. This
results in the ME available to the animals for conversion
into milk being less than the calculated value.
Taking all these factors into consideration the NRC
recommends an increase of three per cent feed for each
10 kg of milk produced above 20 kg/day.
In a normal practice on farms, the ration of a dairy cow or
buffalo consists of two parts, namely: maintenance and
production.
The maintenance part of the ration depends upon the
body weight while production is dependent upon the level
and composition of the milk.
If a crossbred cow weighing 400 kg and producing 10 kg
of milk per day with five per cent butter fat is fed 70 kg of
berseem or green cowpea equivalent at 15 per cent dry
matter the critical requirements of protein and energy are
met.
The digestible crude protein level is higher than the
requirement and the TDN requirement for 10 kg of milk
production is met with berseem.
High quality feeds such as berseem feeding can be used
as a basal roughage with no concentrate needing to be
fed for up to eight liters of milk production. Similarly
lucerne and cowpea can be fed solely for up to eight
kilograms of milk production.
The cheapest feed for milk production is good quality
fodders. Problems of bloat can be managed by
introducing feeds gradually; it is advisable to feed about
2 to 2.5 kg of good quality hay with legumes.
For a wheat straw and concentrate mixture addition of
Vitamin A and phosphorus are needed and can be
supplied through a synthetic source of Vitamin A and 100
g of sterilized bone meal for phosphorus.
Feeding dry cows
Dry and non-pregnant cows need to be fed a
maintenance ration. Requirements for a 400 kg cow are
0.25 kg DCP, 3.0 kg TDN or 10.8 Mcal of ME, 17 g
calcium and 13 g phosphorus.
Feeding 25 kg of green maize or good quality sorghum
containing one per cent DCP, 14 per cent TDN or 60 Mcal
ME, 0.6 g calcium and 0.5 g phosphorus per kg of green
fodder, meets requirements, as does eight kg of green
berseem or lucerne and 5.5 kg of straw.
When wheat straw with 1.5 kg of balanced concentrate
mixture or 800 g of groundnut cake is fed, the ration is
sufficient to maintain the animal. Straw plus Lucerne leaf
in a ratio of 65:35 would maintain a dry cow.
Balanced concentrate mixture
Balanced concentrate mixture is prepared in such a way that 3.5 to
4.0 kg of it may support 10 kg of milk production when fed over
and above the maintenance ration.
In most farms this mixture is fed at one third of the milk yield in the
case of cattle and up to half of the milk yield in the case of buffalo,
since the buffalo milk is richer in fat.
For production of 10 litres of milk at four per cent fat, the cow
requires about 0.5 kg DCP and 3.7 kg TDN.
Therefore, if the concentrate mixture contains 15 per cent DCP and
70 per cent TDN when fed at the rate of 3.5 kg over and above the
maintenance ration, it would meet the DCP requirement for 10 kg
milk production although TDN would fall short which could be
made up by feeding roughage.
With the tropical feeds it is difficult to prepare a mixture
where one kilogram of concentrate mixture may
contain more than 70 to 75 per cent of TDN unless high
energy feeds, such as, maize, barley and gram are
used in high proportions, which increases costs to
perhaps economical levels.
However, minimum quantities of cereals (10 to 20 per
cent) along with the by-products may contain TDN
between 70 to 72 per cent.
All concentrate mixtures should be fortified with one
per cent salt as well as calcium and other micro
elements.
Two examples of the balanced concentrate mixtures
being used in various research farms in India are given
below:
Concentrate mixtures
Groundnut cake= 20 %
Wheat bran =45 %
Maize= 22 %
Arahar chuni= 10 %
Mineral mixture=2%
Salt=1%
Feeding for reproduction
Ideally, a dairy cow should calve at yearly intervals and
should have a lactation length of about 300 days, but in
practice calving intervals are often longer or lactation
periods shorter.
The cow therefore has a dry period of up to four to eight
months. During this period the cow should build up body
fat lost in early lactation which will be required to provide
for the growth of the fetus and for the regeneration of
mammary tissues.
In the practice known as `steaming up', dry cows are offered
quantities of concentrate which increase gradually during the last
six weeks of pregnancy. By the time of calving, the amount of
concentrate given is about 75 per cent of the quantity the cow is
expected to require in early lactation.
Steaming up is claimed to increase milk production, in part by
preparing the cow for high intakes of concentrates that should be
fed in early lactation.
During the last 60 days of pregnancy live weight increases by
about 20 to 30 kg. The response to `steaming up' probably depends
on body condition at the beginning of the dry period. Restoring the
reserves of the thin cow will probably have a greater effect on
subsequent milk production than increasing the reserves of an
already fat cow.
Normally 50 per cent of DCP and 25 per cent of TDN of the
maintenance requirements are fed above the maintenance ration.
In order to cover these requirements 1.0 to 1.5 kg of additional
concentrate mixture over and above the maintenance ration for a
good cow and buffalo should be fed.
