Animal HusbandryAgrowon
Increase nutrients in the diet for increasing milk production
Hybrid animals give more milk than the native breeds. In the first 6 weeks of milking period, the amount of nutrients needed for creating milk is more than the nutrients received from the diet because the animals have less diet in this period. This less diet does not fulfill their body’s requirement of nutrition. So in this period, nutrients stored in the body of cows and buffaloes are used for creating milk. It results in weight loss of the animal day by day. The animal’s body becomes weak and thereafter, the milk production reduces.
• In the first 6 weeks of the milking period, to fulfill the requirement of nutrients from the less diet, the density of nutrients in the diet needs to be increased.
• To increase the density of nutrients in the diet, it is beneficial to use Dicotyledon fodder crops, protected fats and protected proteins.
- Supplementary diet:
• Before 2 weeks of calving, the amount of supplements need to be increased in the daily diet of the cows, buffaloes. This is called as supplementary diet.
• Initially, the amount of supplement should be increased by 500 gms per day in the regular diet. Afterwards, the amount of supplement should be 500 to 1000 gms per 100 kg weight.
• Due to increased supplement, the milk production can be maximized.
• The amount of monocotyledon green fodder and dicotyledon dry fodder and supplement for milch animals should be decided based on their weight, amount of milk production, fat percentage in the milk etc.
Reference- Agrowon 24th October 17
Translated by Agrostar
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